Tag Archives: Alzheimer’s

Inside the Alzheimer’s Moonshot Impact Board: Fostering Collaboration for Alzheimer's Innovation

Gates Ventures’ Aishu Sukumar Is Fostering Collaboration on StartUp Health’s Alzheimer’s Moonshot Impact Board



Breaking Down Silos for Alzheimer’s Innovation: A Conversation with Aishu Sukumar of Gates Ventures

This episode of StartUp Health NOW welcomes Aishu Sukumar of Gates Ventures in another in our series of conversations with our Alzheimer’s Moonshot Impact Board.

  • A champion for collaboration: Explore Sukumar’s vision for leveraging data and fostering collaboration among Alzheimer’s innovators.
  • From research scientist to moonshot leader: Discover Sukumar’s unique career path that bridges science, business, and healthcare, taking her from Harvard Medical School and Berkeley to working at startups and then to Gates Ventures.
  • The power of a Health Moonshot Community: Learn how this initiative is uniting innovators to accelerate progress against Alzheimer’s.

This episode is for you if:

  • You’re passionate about finding a cure for Alzheimer’s.
  • You believe in the power of collaboration in tackling complex challenges.
  • You’re curious about the journeys of inspiring healthcare leaders.

Want even more about Alzheimer’s disease innovation?

Join us as we explore how Aishu Sukumar’s diverse background is shaping the future of Alzheimer’s research as a member of our Alzheimer’s Moonshot Impact Board.


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Inside the Alzheimer’s Moonshot Impact Board: This Health Moonshot Community Inspires Optimism

Why Dr. Craig Ritchie Brings Optimism to StartUp Health’s Alzheimer’s Moonshot Impact Board



This episode of StartUp Health NOW challenges your perception of Alzheimer’s in another in our series of conversations with our Alzheimer’s Moonshot Impact Board. This week’s guest is Craig Ritchie, MD, PhD, CEO & Founder of Scottish Brain Sciences and a Professor at University of St. Andrews.

  • A new view of Alzheimer’s: Discover the distinction between what Dr. Ritchie calls Alzheimer’s disease vs Alzheimer’s dementia.
  • The invisible threat: Learn how Alzheimer’s can exist without noticeable symptoms, impacting younger individuals.
  • Shifting the research focus: Explore the importance of studying pre-symptomatic Alzheimer’s for effective treatment.
  • Unleashing innovation: Gain insights into Dr. Ritchie’s optimism for StartUp Health’s Alzheimer’s Moonshot Community.

This episode is for you if:

  • You’re interested in the latest Alzheimer’s research.
  • You want to understand the different stages of Alzheimer’s.
  • You’re curious about the power of collaboration in tackling Alzheimer’s.

Want even more about Alzheimer’s disease innovation?

Join us as we redefine Alzheimer’s and ignite hope for a future free from dementia!


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Gates Ventures, Kristina Malzbender: Insider the Alzheimer's Moonshot Impact Board

Gates Ventures’ Kristina Malzbender Joins Alzheimer’s Moonshot Impact Board



Hope on the Horizon: A New Era of Alzheimer’s Innovation

This episode of StartUp Health NOW dives deep into the fight against Alzheimer’s disease in the second in our series of conversations with our Alzheimer’s Moonshot Impact Board. Join us as we chat with Kristina Malzbender, the Associate Director, Health & Life Sciences, at Gates Ventures. Hear from this key leader about the concrete realities behind the optimism in Alzheimer’s innovation.

  • A century of relentless pursuit: Learn how the tide is turning after decades of dedicated research.
  • Early detection, slowed progression, and even potential cures: Explore exciting advancements in Alzheimer’s treatment.
  • Gates Ventures and the Diagnostic Accelerator (DxA): Find out how Gates Ventures and the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF) are supporting companies and academic researchers developing novel biomarkers and diagnostics for Alzheimer’s.
  • Introducing StartUp Health’s Alzheimer’s Moonshot: Discover a powerful collaboration aimed at accelerating progress

This episode is for you if:

  • You’re passionate about Alzheimer’s disease.
  • You’re curious about the latest advancements in dementia research.
  • You want to learn how you can contribute to the fight against Alzheimer’s.

Want even more about Alzheimer’s disease innovation?

Join us as we ignite hope for the future of Alzheimer’s innovation!


 

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Phyllis Ferrell Named Chief Impact Officer for StartUp Health’s Alzheimer’s Moonshot



In January, StartUp Health launched the Alzheimer’s Moonshot with support from the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF) and Gates Ventures. The Alzheimer’s Moonshot is an invitation to Health Transformers, Alzheimer’s funders, foundations, advocates, and innovators, as well as leading startups and research teams, to unite in pioneering comprehensive, collaborative approaches to Alzheimer’s disease.

The Alzheimer’s Moonshot Community is powered by StartUp Health and our Health Transformer University, an entrepreneurial mastery program and lifelong learning community for ambitious founders and funders who are solving the biggest health challenges of our time.

That brings us to our podcast guest this week. Phyllis Ferrell, DrPH, will serve as the Chief Impact Officer of the Alzheimer’s Moonshot and lead its Impact Board. Ferrell has three decades of related experience, most recently serving as the Global Head of Alzheimer’s and Neurodegeneration at Eli Lilly and Strategic Advisor to the Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative. The Alzheimer’s Moonshot Impact Board will also include representatives from the ADDF, Gates Ventures, and a diverse group of stakeholders from industry, clinical medicine, academia, investment and patient and caregiver communities.

As we will discuss in the episode, shortly after Ferrell transferred from a marketing and sales role at Lilly to leading their Alzheimer’s division, her father was diagnosed with the devastating disease. She threw herself into the work and eventually became a leading voice in Alzheimer’s research and drug development. She’s served as a strategic advisor to multiple high-profile Alzheimer’s organizations, and now she’s marshaling her experience to lead StartUp Health’s Alzheimer’s Moonshot. We caught up with her to get a better understanding of where she sees this initiative going and why this is such a unique moment in time for Alzheimer’s innovation.

Enjoy the episode and then learn more about StartUp Health’s Alzheimer’s Moonshot at startuphealth.com/alzheimers.


Innovating in Alzheimer’s disease? Learn how you can join our Alzheimer’s Moonshot.
Passionate about Type 1 diabetes? Learn how you can join our T1D Moonshot.

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Virtual Reality for Brain Health: Virtuleap’s New Platform Uses VR to Detect Cognitive Decline Early



Our StartUp Health NOW guest this week is Amir Bozorgzadeh, CEO & Co-founder of Virtuleap, a brain health company that joined StartUp Health in 2019.

Headquartered in Lisbon, Portugal, and expanding to Barcelona, Spain, Virtuleap improves brain health with VR. In this chat, Amir will walk us through their new platform – Cogniclear VR – that combines neuroscience with virtual reality games and activities to detect cognitive disorders. He’ll explain how VR can play an important role in the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s and other dementias, why VR needs to be applied with care in health, and where virtual reality is going next.

Enjoy!


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Looking to break down health barriers? If you’re an entrepreneur or investor, contact us to learn how you can join our Health Equity Moonshot.
Passionate about Type 1 diabetes? If you’re an entrepreneur or investor, contact us to learn how you can join our T1D Moonshot.


Creative Collaborations: Bringing Next-Gen Alzheimer’s Tech to West Africa



One of the words that gets thrown around so much at StartUp Health that you might get tired of hearing it is ‘collaboration.’ We say it a lot. However, you’ll only get sick of the word if you think it’s just startup jargon or lip service. But at StartUp Health that’s just not the case.

StartUp Health was designed from day one to promote a collaborative ecosystem in health innovation. For more than a decade we’ve been bringing like-minded founders together to learn from each other and support each other. It can be lonely out there as a founder, and StartUp Health has made it a top priority to connect people in meaningful ways. So that companies can grow faster, yes. But also so that founders survive and thrive in the face of the day-to-day grind of entrepreneurship.

We say all of that because it explains why our StartUp Health NOW guests today resonate so much for our team. David Nguyen, PhD, CEO & Co-founder of BrainScanology, and Ismail Badjie, PharmD, CEO & Founder of Innovarx Global Health, are from two very different health sectors – and two very different regions of the world. But they met at a StartUp Health event. And because they were fellow Health Transformers they knew they shared certain values. That prompted a connection and a conversation, which then allowed them to leapfrog into a business partnership.

In the interview we’ll get into how they met and what they’re building together to help patients thrive into old age in West Africa. And we’ll also talk about the role of creative collaborations in achieving audacious health moonshot goals. Enjoy!


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Want more content like this? You can subscribe to the podcast as well as other health innovation updates at startuphealth.com/content.
Sign up for StartUp Health Insider™ to get funding insights, news, and special updates delivered to your inbox.

Looking to break down health barriers? If you’re an entrepreneur or investor, contact us to learn how you can join our Health Equity Moonshot.
Passionate about Type 1 diabetes? If you’re an entrepreneur or investor, contact us to learn how you can join our T1D Moonshot.