Monthly Archives: February 2017

We're thrilled to have the founders and CEOs of the most well-funded healthtech startups join us on stage at our Splash Health, Wellness and Wearables conference on March 23, 2017 in San Francisco.

They are: Mario Schlosser, co-Founder and CEO of Oscar Health, Craig Venter, co-Founder and Executive Chairman of Human Longevity, and Martin Varsavsky, Founder and CEO of Prelude Fertility.

Join us at our third annual Vator Splash Health, Wellness & Wearables! Register herebefore tickets jump at the door!

Mario Schlosser, co-Founder and CEO of Oscar Health.

Oscar Health has raised more than $700 million in VC financing from notable VCs including Founders Fund, Breyer Capital, Google Capital and Thrive Capital, the $1 billion dollar venture fund based in NY and founded by Joshua Kushner, brother of Jared Kushner, special advisor to his father-in-law President Trump. Kushner is also a co-founder of Oscar Health, which has a reported value of $2.7 billion.

Oscar Health has focused on providing individual healthcare and launched on the exchanges created by the Affordable Care Act. But now that it's being rolled back via an executive order issued by President Trump, within hours of him taking the oath of office, the question is what does this mean for Oscar, which has signed up 135k individuals?

The company already plans on offering insurance to employers this year. But the exchange is seeing mass exodus from insurance carriers - Humana is pulling out of the exchange in 2018, arguing the risk pool is unbalanced. United Healthcare pulled out of many statesin 2016. Aetna's chief executive said marketplaces are in a "death spiral," noting that Aetna is the only insurer on the exchange in Nebraska. Tom Price, Health and Human Services secretary said in a statement: "Obamacare has failed -- harming patients and making it harder for families to make ends meet."

We'll also talk to Craig Venter, co-Founder and Executive Chairman of Human Longevity, which is trying to catch disease before symptoms appear.

Craig Venter is one of the first people to sequence the human genome. He's started three companies and has sailed around the world, discovering new species. Apparently, he's even created his own synthetic life. Now his new venture, after being one of the first to sequence the human genome in the '90s, is to use the human genome to understand diseases before they manifest in humans. And he's raised $300 million from GE Ventures, and DFJ, to name a few stellar venture firms.

He believes the way to extend life is to catch diseases well before symptoms appear. In order to understand whether impending disease exists inside a person, that person has to undergo a thorough screening. The screening costs $25,000 accordding to Forbes, which laid out the steps required: two 35-minute sessions in an MRI tube, stool samples, ultra sound and CT scans, etc. But is it worth it? Some physicians express over-action that could lead to other complications. But Venter has already saved lives, according to an article in Fortune.Still with the cost, when does this become a reality for the average person?

Image source: Wired

We'll also have Martin Varsavsky, Founder and CEO of Prelude Fertility.

Prelude Fertility burst into the scene last fall when the company was profiled by countless publications, after it raised $200 million in a Series A. Of course, much of those funds were put toward acquiring existing infertility facility, called Atlanta-basedReproductive Biology Associatesand an egg bank, called My Egg Bank North America.

Prelude is riding on the coattails of an after-40-yrs-old baby boom. Last year, for the first time in 70 yrs, women over 40 gave birth to more babies than women under 20 yrs old, according to the Office of National Statistics. It's probably the first time ever this has happened, but we're assuming the office doesn't have stats prior to that time. And according to National Vital Statistics, women over 50 had more births in 2016 than the prior year.

But 40 and 50 aren't exactly the best reproductive years. That's why more firms are offering to pay their female employees to freeze their eggs in their 20's and early 30's so that by the time they're middle-aged, they can give motherhood a go. Facebook and Apple kicked off this trend in 2014. Now Google, Intel, Spotify among others, also offer egg-freezing benefits, according to Stephanie Lee, a Senior Reporter at Buzzfeed, who will join us at Splash Health as a moderator for a panel on preventative care. Will providing fertility beneifts be a must-have benefit employers give to retain their employees? Seems like it should be but the jury is still out on whether frozen eggs will lead to successful births. Or said more accurately, how many frozen eggs are needed to lead to at least one succesful birth.

Image source: Menorcatechtalk

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The most well-funded healthtech startups - VatorNews

By Sola Ogundipe

AVERAGE life expectancy is increasing slowly in Nigeria but remains lower than many poorer countries in Africa, even as longevity continues to rise globally and average life expectancy is expected to hit 90 in some developed countries by 2030.

While countries in Asia and Europe are witnessing rapid increase in life expectancy, countries in Africa are witnessing slower growth, due to problems of economic, social and developmental significance.

According to the World Health Organisation, WHO, the life expectancy at birth and at age 65 is improving globally as a result of better adult and child health, as well as improved maternal care.

But while the average life expectancy for women at birth will most likely exceed 85 years, women in African countries like Nigeria may not fare as well as Asian and European counterparts, even as the gap in life expectancy between males and females shrink, according to The Lancet.

Higher life expectancy

The large international study reveals that more countries in the developed world will continue to witness higher life expectancy than in the developing world in the next 15-30 years.

Overall, average life expectancy will rise in many countries by 2030, breaking through 90 years in some places,but is expected to still be relatively low in Nigeria and policymakers may have to make more efforts to plan for the increase in longevity.

Global ranking: With a current life expectancy of 54.07 years, Nigeria is ranked 216 in the world, and 16th in Africa. Thirty seven years ago, average life expectancy in Nigeria was 44.74 years, ranking 58th in the world and 21st in Africa.

In 2020, the average life expectancy in Nigeria is expected to rise to 55.23 years (ranking 214 globally and 14th in Africa), while in 2030, it will be 59.20 years (ranking 212) and by 2050, hit 68.15 (ranking 209 globally and 9th in Africa).

According to the Top 100+ rank countries of the world by statistics gathered by the U.S. Census Bureau. Rankings (2012 2050), for 2017, Nigeria is ranked No. 3 in the world.

With an estimated total population of 192,908,804 comprising 96,260,905 females and 96,647,900 males, Nigeria is the worlds 7th most populous country.

Nigerias population of persons aged 0-4 years (approx 31,329,912 ), is the worlds 3rd highest while the mortality rate of males aged 1-4 years (60.61 per 1,000 births) is the 5th highest.

In Nigeria, females have an average life expectancy of 57.49 years (ranking 209 in the world), while males are ranked at 224 with an average life expectancy of 50.85 years. Average death rate in Nigeria is 12.17 per 1,000 which is 24th highest in the world.

South Koreans to live longest: According to the study, South Koreans are likely to have the highest life expectancy in the world by 2030 and the United States one of the lowest among developed countries.

Overall, average life expectancy will rise in many countries by 2030, breaking through 90 years in some places, and policymakers need to make more efforts to plan for it.

The fact that we will continue to live longer means we need to think about strengthening the health and social care systems to support an ageing population with multiple health needs, said Majid Ezzati, the lead researcher and a professor at Imperial College Londons school of public health.

Study outcomes: Led by Imperial scientists in collaboration with W HO, the study found that among high-income countries, the United States is likely to have the lowest life expectancy in 2030, with men and women expecting to live 79.5 and 83.3 years respectively similar to middle-income countries like Croatia and Mexico.

This was partly due to a lack of universal healthcare in the United States, and also due to factors such as relatively high child and maternal mortality rates, and high rates of homicides and obesity, the study said.

In Europe, French women and Swiss men were predicted to have the highest life expectancy, averaging 88.6 years for French women and nearly 84 years for Swiss men.

Upper limit for life expectancy

South Korea came out top of the predictions, with the researchers predicting a girl born in South Korea in 2030 should expect to live 90.8 years, while a boy could reach 84.1 years.

Upper limit: Many people used to believe that 90 years is the upper limit for life expectancy, but this research suggests we will break the 90-year-barrier, Prof Ezzati said.

We repeatedly hear that improvements in human longevity are about to come to an end.. (but) I dont believe were anywhere near the upper limit of life expectancy if there even is one.

South Koreas much greater average life expectancy is expected to be due to factors including good childhood nutrition, low blood pressure, good access to healthcare, and newer medical knowledge and technologies.

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Average life expectancy increasing slowly in Nigeria - Vanguard

Following David Ortizs retirement, Dustin Pedroia seemingly has become the elder statesman of the Boston Red Sox.

The four-time MLB All-Staris heading into his 12thseason with the Red Soxand will be leading a team made up of mostly younger players.

Pedroia enters the 2017 campaign at 33 years of age, long removed from his days as a big league up-and-comer. However, he hopes to keep playing at a high level for a number of years, and apparently has taken tips from a fellow New England athlete on how to do so.

Speaking on WEEIs BradfoShow, Pedroia praised New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady for his unprecedented longevity and approach to improving at his craft.

I understand what he does and know what he does. I think its awesome, Pedroia told Bradford, as transcribed by WEEI.com. Theres a reason why hes successful at his age, and he looks better now than he did when he first came to the league. You have to be smarter as you get older and learn different styles the way to train and the way you take care of your body to be able to perform and stay on the field. It doesnt matter what sport youre playing. Hes definitely got that figured out.

Pedroia divulged into how training changes as an athlete gets older, and how attention to detail is critical.

There aretons of ways to take care of your body, he said. Its not just get in the weight room and throw weights around. As you get older, the human body cant take the pounding if youre going in there and power lifting. When youre younger, you can handle some of that. But as you get older, you got to be smarter. Sometimes less is more whether thats weight or reps or whatever. Youve just got to be smart. And eating wise, thats a big part of recovery. If you put the right foods in your body, youll heal faster if youre injured or recover faster.

Boston fans surely are hoping that the Red Sox can cap off their 2017 season the same way the Patriots did in Super Bowl LI.

Thumbnail photo via Greg M. Cooper/USA TODAY Sports Images

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Dustin Pedroia Praises Tom Brady For Career Longevity, Continued Success - NESN.com

February 27, 2017 by Allison Mills Drosophila guttifera is another species Thomas Werner studies in his genetics lab. Credit: Thomas Werner

Pulling data from 180 different lines of fruit flies, researchers from Michigan Technological University compared resistance to a toxin found in mushrooms like the Death Cap and Destroying Angel. Their results were published by PLOS ONE this week.

The team's main finding is the genetic mechanisms that control the toxin resistance correspond to the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway that regulates cell physiology and metabolism in humans and other mammals. The findings could open up new possibilities for studying cancer, obesity, type 2 diabetes, depression and neurodegenerative diseases.

Alpha-amanitin Resistance

Not all fruit flies come into the kitchen on grocery store bananas; not all fruit flies like mushrooms. With a surprising amount of diversity, fruit fly species have adapted many niche preferences, such as a tolerance for alpha-amanitin, or alpha-amanitin, a toxin found in the Amanita genus of poisonous mushrooms.

Thomas Werner, an assistant professor of biological sciences at Michigan Tech, is the corresponding author of the new PLOS ONE paper, and the study builds on his previous work showing how alpha-amanitin resistance may be related to pesticide resistance in Asian fruit fly strains. Ever since, he and his team have worked on figuring out how fruit flies build resistance to the toxins and the resistance's effects on longevity.

"We found that there are multiple mechanisms that make sense," Werner says, explaining that the mechanisms focused on the genetic regulation of detoxification enzymes. "And the more resistant the fruit flies were, the longer they lived."

Initially, the team looked at a single, highly resistant strain of Drosophila melanogaster from Taiwan. Then they pulled in 180 lines of fruit flies collected at a Raleigh, North Carolina farmer's market for comparison. The crew relied on nearly 30 undergraduates to help do prep in the lab; eight are co-authors on the paper.

mTOR Pathway

Werner's team used genome-wide association mapping to help connect the dots between varying levels of fruit fly resistance. By putting big data techniques to work, they were able to screen genetic traits and nucleotide sequences to better discern candidate genes that control the toxin resistance.

"To do the analysis, we decide on a trait, which we will test in all 180 lines," Werner says. "We selected mushroom toxin resistance and found continuous variation in the lines."

From there, the data are sorted into two columns. Werner and his team then had to look for corresponding sequences of genetic codelike an elaborate children's matching game. The result: the matches kept pointing to the mTOR pathway, which is shared among mammals and insects.

"It's a central metabolic pathway that is very complicatedit's a key hub that is being widely researched right now," Werner says.

This initial connection to mTOR opens up many new lines of study, particularly in human health. Werner also says digging deeper into why fruit flies evolve this resistance could shed light on its advantage as a pre-adaptation device. A better understanding of the resistance's evolution mechanisms could offer insight into many diseases including cancer, obesity, type 2 diabetes, depression and neurodegenerative diseases.

Explore further: Fruit fly genetics reveal pesticide resistance and insight into cancer

More information: PLOS ONE, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0173162

For being so small, fruit flies have had a large impact on genetic research. Thomas Werner, an assistant professor of biological sciences at Michigan Technological University, has bridged the miniscule and the massive in ...

To understand genetic mechanisms underlying insecticide resistance, scientists employed fruit flies and caffeine, a stimulant surrogate for xenobiotics in lab studies on resistance.

(Phys.org)Spots on the butts of fruit flies are really, really small. But what a researcher and his graduate student are discovering about them could be gigantic.

The so-called spotted-wing Drosophila (Drosophila suzukii) was first described from Japan in the 1930s. In 2008 it was recognized as an emerging global pest of soft-fruit crops. Among commercially important fruits, D. suzukii ...

Scientists searching for the genomics version of the holy grail more insight into predicting how an animal's genes affect physical or behavioral traits now have a reference manual that should speed gene discoveries ...

Heather Hallen spent eight years looking for poison in all the wrong places. Alpha-amanitin is the poison of the death cap mushroom, Amanita phalloides. The Michigan State University plant biology research associate was looking ...

Gang warfare is not unique to humans - banded mongooses do it too.

Fossil hunters have found part of an ancient primate jawbone related to lemursthe primitive primate group distantly connected to monkeys, apes and humans, a USC researcher said.

Wolbachia is the most successful parasite the world has ever known. You've never heard of it because it only infects bugs: millions upon millions of species of insects, spiders, centipedes and other arthropods all around ...

Most dog owners will tell you they consider their beloved pets to be members of their families. Now new research suggests that dogs may be even more like us than previously thought.

If you build it, they will come. That's historically been a common approach to species recovery: Grow the prey population first and predators will quickly return. As it turns out, that's not quite the case. A new study has ...

The iron-containing molecule heme is necessary for life. Cells require heme to perform the chemical reactions that produce energy, among other critical tasks.

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Matching up fruit flies, mushroom toxins and human health - Phys.Org