Topic: Phages as an Alternative Technology to Combat the Global Antibiotic Resistance Crisis
Date: Tuesday, June 14th, 2022
Time: 12noon-1:15pm (Pacific)
Speakers: Tobi Nagel, PhD, Founder and President @Phages for Global Health
About Tobi Nagel, PhD:
Before launching Phages for Global Health, Tobi spent 15 years in the pharmaceutical industry co-developing drugs that have been tested in >80 clinical trials worldwide. She was selected as a Moonshot Fellow of the Kravis Lab for Social Impact, a Fulbright Specialist roster member, and an Ad Hoc Reviewer for the US National Institute of Health’s Special Panel on Bacteriophage Therapy. She previously served as an Advisor to Phages for Human Applications Group Europe and a Scientific Consultant for Global Strategies as well as CRDF Global. She is a founding Editorial Board member of the scientific journal PHAGE and an Advisory Board member for both the Phagebiotics Research Foundation and PhagePro, a company developing cholera phages. Tobi did a Postdoctoral Fellowship at the American Hospital in Turkey in collaboration with UCSF and Baylor College of Medicine. She completed a PhD in Medical Engineering at the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology and a BS in Chemical Engineering at Stanford University.
About the Webinar:
By 2050 antibiotic resistant infections are expected to kill 10 million people globally each year – far more than the 3.6 million deaths caused by COVID-19 during 2021. Misuse of antibiotics in livestock, food crops and people has accelerated development of antibiotic resistance worldwide. To compound the problem further, no new classes of antibiotics have been introduced in over 30 years due to both technical and economic hurdles. Thus, antibiotic alternatives are urgently needed, especially in Africa and Asia where roughly 90% of the deaths from antibiotic resistance are expected to occur.
Before antibiotics were discovered, bacteriophages (AKA phages) were utilized as antibacterial agents. Phages are viruses that exist in the environment and our bodies, and they can selectively kill both antibiotic-resistant and antibiotic-sensitive bacteria while leaving helpful bacteria and human cells unharmed. Importantly, phage-based drugs can be designed to minimize the development of future resistance or even to resensitize bacteria to antibiotics. Phages are also well-suited for applications in developing countries since they can be easily isolated from local contaminated environments using equipment that is readily available to scientists there.
Phages are now regaining popularity in the US and Europe with ongoing clinical trials and hundreds of patients being treated in emergency situations when antibiotics no longer worked. However, few researchers in Africa and Asia have any knowledge about phages. We are filling that gap by teaching developing world scientists how to isolate phages in their countries, then partnering with them to develop phage products locally. By empowering these scientists, our goal is to enable them to develop antibiotic alternatives for their own populations, rather than rely solely on receiving drugs from industrialized countries.
Event: Phages as an Alternative Technology to Combat the Global Antibiotic Resistance Crisis
About the Webinar:
By 2050 antibiotic resistant infections are expected to kill 10 million people globally each year – far more than the 3.6 million deaths caused by COVID-19 during 2021. Misuse of antibiotics in livestock, food crops and people has accelerated development of antibiotic resistance worldwide. To compound the problem further, no new classes of antibiotics have been introduced in over 30 years due to both technical and economic hurdles. Thus, antibiotic alternatives are urgently needed, especially in Africa and Asia where roughly 90% of the deaths from antibiotic resistance are expected to occur.
Topic: COVID: How to Live in the Endemic State
Date: Tuesday, April 5th, 2022
Time: 12noon-1:15pm (Pacific)
Speakers: Monica Gandhi MD, MPH
Monica Gandhi MD, MPH, is an Infectious Diseases doctor, Professor of Medicine and Associate Chief in the Division of HIV, Infectious Diseases, and Global Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). She is also the Director of the UCSF Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) and the Medical Director of the HIV Clinic (“Ward 86”) at San Francisco General Hospital. Her research focuses on HIV and women and adherence measurement in HIV treatment and prevention and most recently, on how to mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic.
Description:
What are the endemic management strategies for COVID-19, including harm reduction and mitigating health inequalities?
Next Event: COVID: How to Live in the Endemic State
What are the endemic management strategies for COVID-19, including harm reduction and mitigating health inequalities?
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Our behaviors account for the most significant influence on overall health outcomes and healthcare costs, far outpacing genetic effects or access to medical care. And yet, many people have a difficult time improving their behaviors. As we move from an era of “reactive” medicine that is hospital and clinic-based toward more holistic and proactive care, we need new ways of helping people improve their behaviors and manage their health. This presentation will describe AI techniques for inferring individuals’ states in real-time from streaming sensor data and mobile interactions. Our health coaching infrastructure uses this framework for delivering tailored just-in-time motivational and feedbacks mobile messaging. This architecture incorporates computational models of user preferences, motivations, and barriers to change rooted in known principles of health behavior change. To reach our goal of helping users improve health behaviors, we use computational modeling, prediction, and optimization applicable to individuals in specific contexts and scenarios. This presentation will discuss examples of robust computational modeling and predicting individuals’ behaviors combining machine learning, hybrid dynamic systems, and statistical signal processing with psychological knowledge. We will illustrate how computational modeling can estimate cognitive functionality from unobtrusive observations of everyday behaviors combined with data from wearable sensors to optimize the interventions.
Images are licensed under Creative Commons License.
Topic: Bringing Proactive Healthcare Home with AI
Date: Thursday, February 10, 2022
Time: 12:00-1:15pm (Pacific)
Speakers: Holly B. Jimison, Ph.D., Misha Pavel, Ph.D.
Holly Jimison, PhD, FACMI, Director, Consortium on Technology for Proactive Care Northeastern University
Misha Pavel, PhD, Khoury College of Computer Sciences & Bouve College of Health Sciences Northeastern University
Description:
Our behaviors account for the most significant influence on overall health outcomes and healthcare costs, far outpacing genetic effects or access to medical care. And yet, many people have a difficult time improving their behaviors. As we move from an era of “reactive” medicine that is hospital and clinic-based toward more holistic and proactive care, we need new ways of helping people improve their behaviors and manage their health. This presentation will describe AI techniques for inferring individuals’ states in real-time from streaming sensor data and mobile interactions. Our health coaching infrastructure uses this framework for delivering tailored just-in-time motivational and feedbacks mobile messaging. This architecture incorporates computational models of user preferences, motivations, and barriers to change rooted in known principles of health behavior change. To reach our goal of helping users improve health behaviors, we use computational modeling, prediction, and optimization applicable to individuals in specific contexts and scenarios. This presentation will discuss examples of robust computational modeling and predicting individuals’ behaviors combining machine learning, hybrid dynamic systems, and statistical signal processing with psychological knowledge. We will illustrate how computational modeling can estimate cognitive functionality from unobtrusive observations of everyday behaviors combined with data from wearable sensors to optimize the interventions.
Innovation is about developing and launching products that create value for our customers. Value then is defined by the customer, but just asking what the customer wants usually doesn’t result in true innovation. Often the product is just a slightly better version of what already exists. We will discuss how to balance the voice of the customer with the voice of innovation and examine the techniques and practices for incorporating VOC with innovation to achieve breakthroughs in product design and performance.
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A fresh and interesting take on kidney care in the United States told from the eyes of a clinician in the field. What is the cost of kidney disease in terms of dollars, suffering, mortality and inefficiencies? Let’s delve into the demographics of those affected by the disease, as well as current market incentive structures. We will then will discuss how after decades of stagnation, there is now a renewed interest in this space by investors and VCs.
Images are licensed under Creative Commons License.
What are the best practices and steps for maintaining system health and improving online security for users of computers and other devices?
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Triple Ring will be attending the Redefining Early Stage Investments (RESI) virtual conference from September 13 – 15, 2021. The conference series connects start-ups and early-stage investors and strategic channel partners in across drugs, devices, diagnostics, and digital health fields. If you would like to set up an appointment to chat with our Business Development team, please send us an email at info@tripleringtech.com.
The Digital RESI LIVE Agenda includes:
-Investor and Workshop Panels
-Innovator’s Pitch Challenge
-Virtual Exhibitor Hall
Learn More at RESI Redefining Early Stage Investments.