#13: Thought-to-Speech Brain Chips, Fridge-free Vaccines, & Portable MRIs

This week in healthcare: Neuralink's brain chip has earned FDA Breakthrough Device status, offering hope to stroke patients. IIT Madras has developed an affordable pre-eclampsia test for remote areas, while ISRO explores space medicine with Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute. Spain’s new cancer therapy shows promise, and Indian scientists are boosting brain function for autism. Read on to know more!

• 🗣️ Neuralink earned FDA Breakthrough Device status for its brain chip that could restore speech for stroke or ALS patients. The chip listens to your brain signals and, with the help of AI, turns thoughts into words- like mind-reading, but real!  (Reuters)

• 🤖 Hong Kong has launched the world’s first AI assistant designed to rapidly classify thyroid cancer stages and assess risk categories. And the best part? It boasts over 90% accuracy- fast and spot-on! (MHN)

• 🧑‍⚕️ Teton has created a live 3D digital twin of a hospital room that tracks everything from movements to respiration. Nurses now have a real-time view of patient care and can reduce night shift work by 25%! (MHN)

• 🏥 Delhi is rolling out a Unified Health Information System across all its hospitals! It’ll keep tabs on bed availability, medicine stocks, and diagnostic trends, sending alerts and helpful insights to make healthcare faster and smarter. (ETHealthworld)

• 🤰 IIT Madras has created a 30-minute test for pre-eclampsia, a serious pregnancy condition. This one is quick, wallet-friendly, and so easy that even remote areas can use it with minimal gear. (ETHealthworld)

• 🧠 Brain Boost for Autism! Indian scientists are using a cool compound, CSP-TTK21, to fix a key gene mutation linked to autism. It boosts memory and brain power and could help people live more independently. (Hans India) 

• 🚀 ​​ISRO is teaming up with Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute to take healthcare out of this world! Their new partnership dives into space medicine, exploring everything from how the human body handles zero gravity to telemedicine and radiation protection. (ETHealthworld)

• 🧫 Brains in a Dish? Scientists Say Yes! UK researchers just used living human brain tissue, donated by cancer patients, to mimic the early stages of Alzheimer’s- no mice, just real mind matter. (Guardian)

• 🎗️ Spain just dropped a cancer-fighting breakthrough: HSP-CAR30, a new CAR-T therapy that's crushing tough lymphomas. Every single patient responded, half went into remission, and many stayed cancer-free for years- all with barely any side effects. (NM)

• 💉 No more cold chains! The fridge-free vaccine is coming, making it easier to deliver shots worldwide, especially to those tough-to-reach spots. Expect this breakthrough to be rolling out by 2027. (PB)

• 👶 Tiny Lungs, Big Protection! Dr. Reddy’s and Sanofi are teaming up to bring Beyfortus to India, a one-shot shield against RSV, a common virus that can cause serious lung infections in babies. (BioS)

• 💸 Roche is under fire for selling a cancer drug in India at a price 100 times higher than its production cost. The company says it’s all about research and development, but critics aren’t buying it! (ET)

• ⚖️ A judge has opened the door for expert testimony linking Abbott and Mead Johnson's formulas to a deadly gut disease in premature babies. With more than 700 lawsuits underway, this legal battle is just getting started. (Reuters)

• 💪 The FDA has approved Johnson & Johnson’s Imaavy for generalised myasthenia gravis (gMG), a condition causing severe muscle weakness. (Mint)

🇮🇳 India

• 💰 The Indian government has allocated ₹3,000 crore for cancer treatment, marking it a top priority. Through the Ayushman Arogya Mandir initiative, over 1.75 lakh centres have screened millions for oral, breast, and cervical cancers, leading to thousands of detections. (BS)

🌏️ Global

• 🚫 The Trump administration is cancelling $1B in grants aimed at helping students’ mental well-being, saying it clashes with their current priorities of divesting in diversity, inclusion, and equity. Let’s hope those priorities include students’ futures! (ETHealthworld)

• 🔬 The U.S. Department of Health and the National Institute of Health (NIH) have launched a universal vaccine platform called ‘Generation Gold Standard’ to quickly tackle pandemic-prone viruses, including ones we haven't encountered yet! (NIH)

🇮🇳 India

• 📈 Max Healthcare plans to invest ₹6,000 Cr by 2028 to add 3,700 beds and expand its hospital network from 22 to around 30 across India. The expansion, fully funded internally, has already begun with a new 300-bed facility in Dwarka. (ET)

• 🏥 Perfios, a B2B SaaS firm, has just stepped into healthcare by snapping up IHX, the tech brains behind 40% of India’s cashless health claims. This move is set to transform claims processing by boosting efficiency. (vccircle)

• 🩸 Tech service provider Lytus Technologies is taking the plunge into healthcare logistics with its latest move- acquiring Blodin for ₹1,000 Cr! Their goal is to make blood deliveries smooth and speedy. (Entrepreneur)

🌏️ Global

• 👓​ Finnish startup, IXI Therapeutics, has raised $36.5 million to launch the world's first autofocus glasses. These high-tech specs adjust focus in real-time, mimicking natural eye movements for sharper vision. It's like having a personal camera lens for your eyes! (TechEU)

• 🩻 Chipiron just raised $17 M to make MRI machines smaller, cheaper, and as easy to use as a blood test. Imagine getting an MRI at your local clinic, on a portable device- no more waiting around in huge hospitals. (TechEU)

• 🫀 Czech startup Kardi AI raised €1.1M to expand its AI-powered heart monitor, which uses a wearable chest strap to detect arrhythmias. The funding will support the company's global growth, including in India, to improve early heart disease detection. (TechEU)