The 10 eminent leaders in healthcare for 2020 compressed

DR.
STEFAN SCHREIERInnovating Liquid Biopsy
10EMINENT
LEADERSIN HEALTHCARE
FOR 2020
Dr. Stefan
Schreier
CEO
THE
www.insightscare.com
VOL - 02
ISSUE - 02

hat according to you are the quali es that a
Wleader should possess? Is it humility,
resilience, vision, influence, or posi vity?
Certainly, a leader inculcates numerous traits that
inspire people to do things that they never imagined to
do. An effec ve leader harbours quali es which makes
them the masters of business.
The key a ribute of a successful leader is the ability to
make a quick decision in cri cal situa ons. He/she needs to
be visionary, confident, persistent and enthusias c. A
visionary business leader helps a company or a venture to
decrease costs, gain efficiency, increase employee
reten on and earn the customer's loyalty.
Over the years, due to the changing dynamic of this
compe ve world, compassion, kindness, and empathy
have been lost somewhere. Leaders are less benefi ed
being empathic which, in turn, leads to monotonous career
growth. However, this is not the case in the healthcare
sector which sets it apart from the rest of the world.
The healthcare sector is defined by crea ng a posi ve
impact on society by providing life-changing and life-saving
services. It is reflected in the Hippocra c Oath taken by
doctors, who happen to play a major role in serving the
society. Kindness and compassion are inculcated in the
The Power of
Empathy

leaders of the healthcare space. It helps them connect with
the pa ents instantly.
Empathy is a hallmark to any healthcare professional.
Leaders with empathy empower others and fuel their ideas
which lead them towards their goals. They support their
employees and help them adapt to the changing situa ons
throughout the journey. In the healthcare space, empathy
and kindness help build the rela onship between the
pa ent-physician and the healthcare professionals and
their clients.
Building trust is important in this sector and pa ents can
trust a doctor when he/she is comfortable. This not only
helps the pa ent to be calm during the en re process but
also helps the doctors. It leads to a be er outcome and
more meaningful work.
Having said that, in this edi on of The 10 Eminent Leaders
in Healthcare For 2020, we have featured extraordinary
personali es who are bringing an aﬃrma ve change to this
world. On the cover, we have Stefan Schreier, CEO of
SanoLiBio, who is se ng a benchmark through his
consistent eﬀorts in cell separa on and diagnos c test
development.
We have also featured Claudiu Leverenz, the CEO of
Munevo; Kai Eberhardt, the CEO of Oviva; Liz Ashall-
Payne, the Co-Founder & CEO of ORCHA ; Magnus
Liungman, Founder of Doctrin; Markus Dahlem, Managing
Director of Newsenselab. Along with this, we have
featured Carsten C. Mahrenholz, the MD, Co-Founder and
CEO of COLDPLASMATECH; Timothé Laforest, the Founder
and CEO of Earlysight.
We are pleased to men on Stefanie Veraghtert, the
Founder of Big C; Sónia Ferreira - Founder and CEO of
BestHealth4u.
Apart from this, we have featured a CXO ar cle on “Solving
Rheuma c Disease Challenges: Personalized Digital
Therapeu cs” by the igneous mind, Chris ne Peine, the
Founder & Product Development Head of Taia Care.
In addi on, our talented in-house writer has published an
interes ng ar cle on “10 Ways to Age Healthily”.
Happy Reading!
Editors Column
Shambhavi Mhetre
Shambhavi Mhetre

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February, 2020
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Reprint rights remain solely with Insights Success.
Editor-in-Chief Pooja M. Bansal
Publishing Control Team Rahul, Shruti
Managing Editor Shambhvi Mhetre
Senior Editor Anish Miller
Art & Design Head Amol Kamble
Art & Design Assistant Poonam Mahajan
Visualiser David King
Art & Picture Editor Karan Gaikwad
Co-designer Paul Belin
Mark WilliamsBusiness Development Manager
Digital Marketing Manager Alina Sege
Technical Consultants David, Robert
Technical Head Jacob Smile
Marry D’SouzaMarketing Manager
Amy Jones, John SmithBusiness Development Executives
Assistant Technical Head Pratiksha Patil
Assistant Digital Marketing Manager Prashant Chevale
SME-SMO Executives Manoj, Gemson, Uma
Research Analyst Eric Smith
Circulation Manager Tanaji
Quality Assurance TeamDarshan, Abhishaj, Sneha
Contributing Editor Shreevarshita Gupta

Dr.
Stefan
Schreier
Innovating
Liquid Biopsy
10
Contents
Cover Story
16
Digitalhealth Insights
Solving Rheumatic Disease
Challenges: Personalized
Digital Therapeutics
24
CXO
Helpguide
10 Ways to Age Healthily
42
ARTICLE
Carsten Mahrenholz
Revolutionizing
Healthcare Space
through Innovative
Medical Devices

Markus Dahlem
Helping Migraine
Patients to
Live Carefree
Kai Eberhardt
Digitizing Healthcare
with Results
Liz Ashall Payne
Leading the way to
Demystify the Healthcare
App Market
Magnus Liungman
An Embodiment of
Perseverance and
Innovation in Health-Tech
36
20
28
30
34
Timothe Laforest
Eyeing to Develop
Ophthalmology at
a Cellular Level
40
Claudiu Leverenz
A Compassionate
Personality Helping
the Differently Abled
Live a Normal Life

DR.
STEFAN
SCHREIER
Innovating Liquid Biopsy
“We are
pursuing a company
building strategy of
3 phases that supports
rapid growth in the
right direction”

Cover Story
DR. STEFAN SCHREIER
CEO

ancer Care has become a major industry with a
Cthree-digit billion dollar market size wherein big
pharma and medical companies are on top. Despite
all good efforts, cancer diseases are detected too late in
patients and remain incurable. Good diagnostics with
respect to early detection and correct stratification are most
certainly part of a notable solution.
But the reality of cancer diagnostic tests is that it is not
being up to the task. It faces many problems such as
insensitivity at an early stage, inconclusiveness about
malignancy, false-positive detection, an unhealthy degree of
diversification of diagnostic tests and testing, etc. Yet, last
but not least the health risks (including cancer) incurred by
invasive and radiological diagnostic procedures. In other
words, there is ample room for innovation. One innovator
having a similar approach and a Ph.D. in Pathobiology is
Dr. Stefan Schreier, the CEO of SanoLiBio. He is setting
a benchmark through his consistent efforts in cell separation
and diagnostic test development.
Basically, he wanted to develop assays in the field of
general magnetic particle-based cell separation technology.
His journey in the field of medical technology pertaining to
cell based liquid biopsy has opened new opportunities and
potentials that will accelerate liquid biopsy progression.
Initially, he worked on some Malaria related projects being
part of a previous start-up team but soon he encountered the
topic of cancer. His mindset quickly shifted towards
entrepreneurship after the cell separation technology gained
more attention for liquid biopsy. At that time the start-up
managed to raise funds by making a pitch at the
Y-combinator in the US at the end of 2014.
However, the team lost its cohesive approach towards the
work. It led to the dissolution of the team in 2015, which
then pursued Dr. Stefan to work independently on his own
field related ideas. Against all odds and voices of his friends
and family, Dr. Stefan convinced about the feasibility of
two inventions continuously conducted laboratory work on
his own expenses. Eventually, in 2016, his efforts bore
fruits in the form of a patent. This marked the intent to
commercialize one invention and was reason enough for his
current partners to be on board for kick-starting the project,
later called SanoLiBio.
A Life-changing Project
SanoLiBio is a german based start-up that is focused on the
enrichment of rare cells in general and circulating tumor
cells (CTCs) in particular taken from the liquid biopsy.
CTCs are seen as the early-stage cancer biomarkers. These
biomarkers are commonly expected to be the first detectable
sign of cancer in the human body.
The SanoLibio project is mainly centered around cancer.
The project intends to spearhead diagnostic innovation in
biomedical technology initially focusing on blood cell
purification applicable for cancer diagnostics, as the most
basic step of cancer liquid biopsy. This Medtech start-up is
currently at an infant stage in the liquid biopsy industry. It
is blessed with good genetics and apt parents and is seed
funded. The project was born in 2016 out of the idea to
improve general cell enrichment and then incorporated in
2017 with the ambitious goal to evolve health care
diagnostics.
Advanced Liquid Biopsy Technology
Hailed as the holy grail in cancer diagnostics, the liquid
biopsy was born out of the finding of tumor cells or free
tumor DNA in the blood of cancer patients. Nevertheless,
after more than 2 decades in R&D, the field mostly
struggles with the same old low sensitivity problem. One
problematic issue is the paradigm of marker selectivity,
preventing an overall picture of the cancer system in
afflicted individuals. This is perhaps best represented by
John Saxe’s parable of ‘The blind men and the elephant’.
Another big issue is the loss of desired information along
with sample processing as such being an inherent
technological problem.
“There has to be a better way and we think we may have
found it!,”shares the team of SanoLiBio. It is all in the
blood. It is well expected that blood holds a lot more
information about the health status than we as humans are
currently able to read. The key to more accurate
information is held by a cell population that in sum reflects
and determines health and is referred to as circulating rare
cell population occurring in concentrations often not more
than a few cells per ml blood. The most famous
representative within the rare cell spectrum is the
circulating epithelial cell, that is in the setting of cancer
patients often referred to as circulating tumor cell. Current
knowledge about this rare cell population is the tip of the
iceberg and its gain is mostly hindered by unawareness or
inapt technology that prevents access to it.
Nevertheless, the high potential of this rare population in
biomedical applications has been recognized that include
diagnostics, regenerative medicine, non-invasive prenatal
testing, and pharmacodynamics. According to the research
T
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LEADERSLEADERSIN HEALTHCARE FOR 2020

conducted by SanoLiBio, its composition is extremely
diverse up to the individual level. It is almost like a
fingerprint and highly sensitive to any physiological
imbalance, ideal for the detection and characterization of
early cancer and pre-malignancies. With regard to
diagnostics, such a blood test would be of undoubted
improvement in cancer as part of a bigger picture being
general health care. “We have spent most of our efforts in
the past 3 years to firstly develop and optimize technology
primarily aiming at loss-free ultra-high enrichment, now
allowing us unhindered access to this desired cell
population and secondly to develop methods to maximize
information output,”says Dr. Stefan. SanoLibio’s
proprietary automated rare cell enrichment platform called
“Walderbach I” has been validated by expert audit and is
now in use since 1.5 years. The SanoLibio technology is
entering the market this year with a next generation device
called Walderbach II, bound to be utilized at two customer
sites for validation and clinical trials in Germany.
A Distinguished Personality
“I consider myself foremost as an inventor and innovator,
constantly questioning the status quo in any aspect,” states
Dr. Stefan. In his personal life, he is a family man. In view
We will make a turn
into the professional
diagnostic market by
seeking joint ventures
with entities in cancer
and prenatal IVD and
biomarker development
industry, which heralds
the second phase
‘‘‘‘‘‘ ‘‘‘‘‘‘

of the voyage as steps in the right direction, the significant
role of his parents laid the ground for a beneficial education
path. When asked who has been Dr. Stefan’s role model is,
he said, “There is none, and there is everybody.” It is
certainly not wrong to say that almost anybody would have
something to teach for someone, and accordingly many
people influenced his thinking directly or indirectly as well
as inspired him along the way.
As far as his source of motivation is concerned, there is so
much to it. “I get a lot of motivation out the ‘set in stone’
belief in the success of the project,” describes Dr. Stefan.
He also gets a thrill out of discovering new things or
creating new knowledge, achieving the goal and at the same
time enjoying the reward, which generates the love for the
activity itself. “Despite the financial insecurity when
starting up a business, I felt quite comfortable basing
livelihood on my own wits and terms,” he adds further.
Industry Dynamics
Sharing his opinion on industry scenario, Dr. Stefan
explains, “Main players, particularly in cancer diagnostics
are histopathology, imaging, and blood analysis. Blood
analysis is mainly separated into serum markers, free-
circulating DNA and intact rare cells, the latter two being
denoted as liquid biopsy. Giving an outlook in a very
undifferentiated perspective, the highest potential for
improvement has the cellular blood test that still can be
considered as a revolutionary innovation. This view is
based on the insight that whole intact blood cells are non-
invasively accessible and carry health-relevant information
that is most of all complete, as in contrast to imaging data,
reading DNA fragments, quantifying proteins, or fishing out
signal transporters called exosomes. Therefore,
particularly, the cell-based liquid biopsy may come out of
the shadows and prevail in some aspects of pre and post-
clinical diagnostics and most likely in therapy monitoring.
It is, first of all, a question of technological advancement.
Whoever comes up with adequate technology that allows
complete analysis, will lead the field. However, disruption
in terms of replacement of established methods, such as
histopathology is unlikely for their proven reliability and
the potential improvements when used in combination.”
The industry is without a doubt complex and challenging,
as is well known to investors considering early start-ups
such as SanoLiBio, a high-risk business. On top of that, the
liquid biopsy’s premise of a simple and accurate cancer
blood test lost credibility and perhaps can be ascribed to the
so-far unachieved realization of truly early detection and
prevention. As to pour oil in the fire, developers need to
keep on labeling their progress with buzzwords such as
breakthroughs, new era, or outperformance, revolutionizing
etc. to gain much needed public attention. Yet, in the long
run, an unfavorable notion has been prevalent for a very
long time is making it harder for the firm to gain open ears
for its quest.
At the technological level, a great challenge is to work with
live matter such as cells in biomedicine. The existence of
countless parameters for the biological system forces
developers such as SanoLiBio to focus on reproducibility in
assay development. This makes a start-up venture
extremely laborious, lengthy and costly when compared to
for example the very popular Software App development.
Although, Dr. Stefan’s past experience only helps to avoid a
small portion of the problems, yet the start-up environment
constantly produces new challenges that can only be
handled by a creative and open mindset. Most certainly, the
teamwork is critical for progression. Hence, the
requirement of good communication practice with respect
to frequency, tone, and detail is necessary thereby creating a
motivated and healthy environment.
As a peer of the budding
entrepreneurs, I have
nothing to advise rather
share some ideas. It is
certainly not wrong to
say that most start-up
problems are rooted in
team functionality rather
than the product itself
‘‘‘‘‘‘ ‘‘‘‘‘‘

Carsten Mahrenholz
Revolutionizing Healthcare
Space through Innovative Medical Devices
ince a very young age, all of us have been acquainted
Swith the art of science and fiction. From RoboCop to
Alita: Battle Angel, the sci-fi space has impacted the
world tremendously. At some point in time, we all have
imagined creating a masterpiece that could help the
common people. However, no one would have expected
that one day, the love for sci-fi movies would lead to
developing a medical device that will revolutionize the
universe of healthcare.
Carsten Mahrenholz is one such real-life hero who is
leading COLDPLASMATECH GmbH through his
superpowers of delivering world-class medical devices.
Through this excerpt, Carsten unfolds the journey of
COLDPLASMATECH.
• Can you brief us about the services and products
COLDPLASMATECH offers?
At COLDPLASMATECH we have developed a Star
Trek-like medical device that provides the solution to
killing multi-resistant bacteria and treating chronic
wounds. We use our newly developed, technology to
generate the 4th state of matter – cold physical plasma.
Our product, a thin wound dressing, connected to the
PlasmaCube generates this blue glowing, bioactive gas
on a large scale, easy to use and mass-market
compatible.
Sounds like science fiction? Yes, it does but we’ve made
it a reality - a class 2b medical device.
• Can you help us understand your journey throughout the
years?
A young medtech company is like a ship navigating
through unknown waters. Through a proper vision to
develop and build an organization, I ensure the
production and market growth are upscale. Hence, it’s
my role to plan our journey and steer – even tied to the
steering wheel – through the often rough sea.
As someone with a Masters in Biology and Economics
and a Doctorate in Chemistry, I’ve also had to learn to
also master my role as a leader of my company and my
team. I enjoy learning new systems and don’t hesitate to
challenge them.
• Being a successful leader, how do you deal with the
challenge? What keeps you motivated?
I am a very curious, enthusiastic and resilient individual.
Being a scientist by heart, it helps me to stay motivated,
even if results take some time. Recurring and ongoing
problems can be very challenging and hugely
demotivating. Growing a company sometimes feels like
opening pandora’s box. However, I try to make problem-
solving a mental challenge and define my job inside the
company as a troubleshooter – making sure everyone can
perform. This way a problem is no longer an obstacle but
an anticipated event that builds the basis for creativity
and unconventional solutions.
• What word best describes your personality?
I would say, ‘bold’ is the perfect word that defines me.
• What advice would you give to the upcoming
entrepreneurs and healthcare professionals?
My usual advice to everyone would be to find what you
love and start working on it. You will notice that your
performance and endurance will go up when you like
what you do.
A friend once told me I was a dreamer because my goals
and visions are often unrealistic to achieve. That
bothered me for a while until I understood that I actually
was a dreamer. However, as soon as I started dreaming
about
16 |February 2020 |

something, I started to think of ways how to make that
dream a reality. I now understand that bridging the gap
between visions and the real world is something I am
very good at. So, yes, I’m a dreamer and my advice
would be to not be afraid to build bridges to your
dreams.
So, yes, I’m a dreamer and My advice would be, to not
be afraid to build bridges to your dreams instead of
seeing dreams as unrealistic ideas.
• What is your opinion regarding the current landscape of
the healthcare market your company caters to?
We are addressing the advanced wound care market.
Potentially opening up a complete new field of medicine:
Plasma medicine.

Our main focus is on chronic wound infections and
treatment. Two of the biggest problems in modern
medicine.

Unfortunately, there is a huge trend to manage chronic
conditions rather than healing them. I understand the
business case-aspect of this approach; however, I find it
morally eyebrow-raising to maintain current methods
rather than adopting solutions that can actually
permanently heal. This is why COLDPLASMATECH
fights to treat and finally heal patients.
• How is the advancement in technology changing the
healthcare space?
Interestingly the advanced wound care market is still a
rather non-innovative market with huge turnovers for
stabilizing products. This is a huge disadvantage for
health care systems. More effective technologies and
innovations are needed and should be fostered.
We are personally and professionally highly distinguished
to hold more than 20 awards. Lately, we even received
the prestigious German Innovation Award.
• Please tell us about your achievements and
accomplishments
I’d rather let others talk about them and concentrate on
my mission! However, it’s very encouraging to see that
ideas that no one believed in initially are now getting
noticed and seem to inspire others.
• Where do you envision yourself and your company in the
near future?
We are working on spearheading a new area in wound
care. As a result, the COLDPLASMATECH team are
trying to solve a problem that not many people have had
the privilege to do — how to bring completely new
technology to the world. The X-ray did it, the laser did it
and plasma definitely has the potential to become one of
the next big standards in modern medicine. But to get
there is like navigating in unknown waters — a journey
that I very much enjoy taking.
To sum it up with a famous Star Trek quote: “To boldly
go where no man has gone before.”
Through a proper vision
to develop and build an
organization, I ensure the
production and market
growth are upscale“
“
Carsten Mahrenholz
Co-founder CEO
T
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| February 2020 | 17

oday, there are many inspirational leaders who are
Tchanging the world through their vision. However,
there are a few personalities who are actually
taking everyone on the path of success.
Claudiu Leverenz is one such leader, who inspires others
by working with people with disabilities.
Talking about Claudiu’s childhood, he and his family
moved to Germany when he was 7 years old. His family
moved to Germany at a time where Romania was
recovering after the revolution and still trying to reach an
economic condition where people have good work and a
future perspective.
He graduated in 2016 from the Technical University of
Munich with a master’s in information systems. Previously,
he also studied in the US and Australia for a shorter term.
During his studies at the TU Munich, he had been exposed
to entrepreneurship and how to work on ideas and validate
them. This made him focus on business administration and
management skills.
Through this excerpt, Claudiu Leverenz, the CEO of
Munevo speaks about his extraordinary journey and life
story. He explains to us about how he and his team at
Munevo help bring a change the world is in need of.
• Can you please tell our readers about your journey with
Munevo?
Until I started Munevo, I was working always as a part-
time consultant and was sure to continue this path. As a
consultant, I learned to work in an analytic way and
process information effectively. In my last role, I was
already responsible for the opportunity management in
three countries for a specific technology. However, my
motivation changed when I started working with people
with disabilities which was an inspiration within itself.
My motivation now encompasses work with social
characteristics.
My role at Munevo is to help people with certain
diseases or disabilities to become more independent. It
also leads the team at Munevo towards creating new
solutions in order to reach our goals. Helping people
with innovative technology has been at the core of the
startup. All of our team joins with a mindset of helping
people. I am most proud of our international and diverse
team that achieved already so much that I couldn’t have
dreamt off when starting this journey.
CLAUDIU LEVERENZ
A Compassionate Personality
Helping the Differently Abled Live a Normal Life
20 |February 2020 |

• Being a successful leader, what difficulties and
challenges do you face? What keeps you motivated?
As a leader, we face many challenges. But in times of
challenges, I often seek advice and work together with
many different people from different backgrounds. Often,
I feel motivated and inspired by the different
perspectives that allow you to look at things from many
angles. The motivation comes not only from this but also
from our clients and users themselves.
When you see how much a person can achieve, even if
there is some form of limitation, in the end, it just
enables people more to become the most amazing
person. I have seen people drawing beautiful portrait just
by using their mouth, starting to study medicine while
only being able to move his/her head. Stephen Hawking
has amazed people all around the world with his ability
to imagine the most complex situations.
• What word best describes your personality?
I am very open and like to be together with people. At
the same time, I can adapt very easily to changing
situation. I would also describe myself as driven and
motivated.
• Describe in brief about your company and its products
and services.
Munevo has started as a university project and has been
developed according to the wishes and inspiring ideas of
people that in the end require help. Munevo has today
become a full-fledged company that provides a different
solution to help people become more independent. We
focus on innovative technology and making it accessible
to people that often are overlooked. Munevo DRIVE is
the first-ever control system that allows the user to drive
a power wheelchair hands-free. It is based on smart glass
technology and connects to all your surrounding devices.
The smart glass serves as a platform for different features
and thus can create more independence for the user.
T
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Pick up the phone and call. We often tend to write a mail
rather than getting in direct contact and discuss it over
the phone. Another advice would be not to stop being
passionate and don’t give up.
the healthcare market your company caters to?
Currently, we see many good things happening and we
are proud that we are part of the change. Technology has
advanced so fast and sometimes we overlook certain
communities. As of now most of the market for
wheelchairs is very traditional. We also see healthcare
systems change from traditional healthcare to value-
based healthcare. From curative to preventive healthcare.
I see technology being a key aspect of the change and if
we just take into account all communities and all
perspectives, then we can create great things. But we still
have a long journey.
healthcare space?
It changes very fast. Sometimes maybe too fast and that
is when we have to sit together with everyone at one
table and talk about how we can use technology to create
better experiences, a better life and outcomes for
everyone. Not just for one country but for every human
living on this planet. Technology has shown its impact
on our world and we are still not yet understanding the
impact that it can create. Technology should enable us
but not be used in a harmful way. We should be the ones
in charge of it and not vice-versa. While data has become
our greatest asset, we need to make sure that we know
who owns the data and what we are allowed to do with
it.
accomplishments
I am the first in my family to graduate from university
and straight after that start a company. During my
studies, I have been able to travel the world, which was
the first eye-opening experience that helped me move
forward. After developing the idea and a prototype of
Munevo DRIVE, soon, we received lots of great
feedback. I was selected Forbes 30under30 in the
healthcare space in Europe.
We won several other prizes and even got funded by the
federal government in Germany. The biggest milestone
was when we finally achieved to certify our solution as a
medical product and got our first user which meant to be
100% reimbursed by public insurance in Germany.
Seeing people using the solution and being happy with
the solution is the biggest achievement and that’s what
we want to continue to do everywhere in the world.
Personally, I am proud to also be part of the Global
Shaper Community, an initiative by the World Economic
Forum, that supports local projects and creates impact in
various areas like climate, education and inclusion.
• Where do you envision yourself and your company in the
near future?
My vision of Munevo is to really help more and more
people worldwide. We are still at the very beginning of
our mission and have a lot of work to do.
22 |February 2020 |

aking up with swollen and stiff joints,
Wexperiencing painful sensations all day long,
being restricted in everyday life; that’s how
inflammatory rheumatic disease patients are feeling every
day. Approximately two per cent of the world population
suffer from these chronic autoimmune conditions and
treating them continues to be a challenge for patients,
doctors and the healthcare system. Combining digital
therapeutics and machine learning predictive algorithms is a
promising solution to tackle the burden of chronic diseases.
Rheumatic diseases are a complex medical and
structural challenge
Inflammatory rheumatic diseases are arguably some of the
most complex medical conditions. Part of their complexity
lies in the fact that they are not completely understood.
What we know is that complex interactions between a
multitude of environmental and genetic factors affect
disease development and progression. Though, it is unclear
what all of these factors are and how they work together.
The ordeal of the affected starts with receiving the
diagnosis, which can take several years. Right after the
diagnosis begins a long process of finding the right
treatment. Even though treatments have improved
substantially in the last decades, there is no one solution fits
all. Which medication works for which patient is highly
individual and requires a lot of trial-and-error over many
years. Even then, finding the right treatment is not enough.
Inflammatory rheumatic diseases require a comprehensive
Solving Rheumatic
Disease Challenges
Personalized Digital Therapeutics
Christine Peine has many years of
professional experience in the healthcare
sector. She
specializes in developing and implementing
solutions for complex medical and clinical
problems. Christine holds a Bachelor’s degree
in Healthcare Management and a Master’s
degree in Business Engineering with a
specialization in Business Intelligence.
Christine has founded Midaia and leads to
product development. Midaia is a digital
health
company providing therapy support for
rheumatic disease patients and caregivers.
Using an intelligent chat service, patient
health data is collected to predict
personalized therapy
plans, accelerate behavioural change and
support doctors in making medical treatment
decisions.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
24 |February 2020 |

Christine Peine
Founder
Digitalhealth Insights

overview of the patient’s life. Medication adherence,
healthy diet, physical activity, smoking or not, getting
adequate sleep and practising self-care are just some of the
factors that play a role in disease management. These
actions can be motivated by the doctor, but ultimately, they
are dependent on the patient’s own behaviour change
outside of the clinical setting. Even for those behavioural
changes, it is not clear yet which ones are the most
beneficial in disease management.
Successful treatment requires that caregivers and patients
work together in a healthcare system that was not designed
for chronic conditions, but with acute diseases in mind.
Acute care is episodic, requires general rather than
personalized treatments and interventions happen in a
clinical setting. The management of chronic disease does
not fit well into this structure. Effective solutions for
chronic diseases require ongoing and consistent behavioural
support, frequent communication with the caregiver and
personalized interventions. A 10-minute visit every 6
months with a doctor is just not enough to create long-
lasting behaviour change and identify the most effective
medication.
Digital therapeutics and Machine Learning are not
there yet
Traditional medicines and the healthcare system have
reached their limits in effectively managing chronic
diseases. In an effort to find solutions, patients and
healthcare providers are looking at digital therapeutics and
machine learning predictive tools.
Digital therapeutics are evidence-based therapeutic
interventions for patients, which come in the form of high-
quality software to prevent, manage, or treat chronic
conditions. Some products are aimed at controlling the
activity of the disease or the treatment safety, others are
used to improve compliance, diet or physical activity. Many
are used without a clear link to a specific disease, using the
same algorithms without taking into account specific
disease pathology and patient population. Thus, digital
therapeutics are not yet fit for the many challenges of
complex chronic diseases.
The other possible solution is machine learning algorithms,
which can help develop personalized medication and
treatment plans best suited for the individual characteristics
of a patient. In the study of rheumatic diseases, machine
learning has been employed only recently. Previous risk-
prediction models for disease development and outcomes
based on population-wide databases work well on average,
but in terms of precision medicine, many of the diagnostic
and management needs of patients with rheumatic diseases
are still unmet. One reason for this is missing data.
Healthcare data is stored in decentralized and unstructured
ways in various clinical settings making it hard for Machine
Learning specialists to acquire and analyze it.
Digital therapeutics and Machine Learning predictive
tools combined in an innovative approach
Digital therapeutics and machine learning predictive tools
will help ease the burden on the healthcare system; their
capabilities will only unfold if combined.
Digital therapeutics can help collect the data that is required
to calculate personalized medicines for individual patients.
In the form of a mobile app, digital therapeutics can be an
everyday companion that supports patients on one hand and
collects the required data on the other. In this case, data not
only applicable to medication but to a patient’s entire life
can be collected. Instead of just predicting the right
medication, a personalized treatment plan focusing on every
aspect of a patient’s life can be created.
Dietary interventions, exercise recommendations and
mental health measures can be tailored taking the patient’s
needs and wishes into account. The digital therapeutic will
then become the vehicle of delivering that treatment plan to
the patient offering long-lasting and frequent support to
execute behavioural change, which is missing in the current
healthcare system. This will help to guide patients between
doctor appointments and give them a sense of
empowerment.
In order to be successful, treatment providers have to be
included in this system and doctors should get access to a
patient’s everyday life activities and the calculated therapy
plan. This would close the gap preventing doctors from
making informed decisions on the most effective
interventions. In this way, doctors can transfer some of their
own assessments to the patient via digital therapeutics and
thus use their time to provide the right treatment.
Transforming chronic disease management
Personalized digital therapeutics and machine learning
prediction tools complement each other's capabilities. New
products that integrate disease-specific software and the
predictive power of big data analysis are able to generate
real value for patients, doctors and the healthcare system.
Their development using high-evidence medical guidelines,
best usability practices, and clinical validation have already
begun in many areas, including rheumatology. One question
remains: how will existing technologies be combined to
unleash their true potential?
26 |February 2020 |

Kai Eberhardt
Digitizing Healthcare with Results
echnology is reshaping the dynamics of the entire
Tworld including healthcare. Today, due to
advancement in technology, the medical sector has
been able to serve the common people with smooth and
quick facilities. Research and development in the healthcare
sphere have evolved with time and this has benefitted
various organizations, hospitals and related ventures.
One such company, helping the healthcare sector to
progress, is Oviva. With the use of medical technologies,
Oviva focuses on providing personalised support to help
make long-term improvements to the patient’s health.
Patient-Centric Services
A digital health company, Oviva helps people with
conditions such as obesity, diabetes and food allergies. It
focuses on improving the overall health conditions of these
people through medical nutritional therapy. Oviva has
recruited a brilliant team of professional dietitians who
ensure such conditions are reversed back to normal.
Oviva currently is the leading digital provider of type 2
diabetes treatment in Europe. The aim of this treatment is to
offer an evidence-based digital solution to stop the
progression of type 2 diabetes and obesity-related
conditions. Further, it is said to aid in reversion of these
conditions.
Oviva offers both, face to face sessions as well as remote
support to the clients. Through a secured smartphone app,
the professional dietitians guide the client and keep a track
on the progress. Tailored nutrition advice and personalised
coaching are offered to the patients through the phone.
Another benefit of the app is that the client can log meals
with photos. Other options like recording the activity,
tracking weight, and asking questions are available. Their
dietitian then provides tailored feedback, support and
advice to help people achieve their goals.
When compared to other face-to-face therapy, Oviva’s
technology-supported treatment has consistently
demonstrated higher patient uptake, retention and outcomes
at lower costs. Having treated around 90,000 patients to-
date across the UK, Germany, France, Switzerland and the
UAE, it is consistently doubling each year for the last 3
years.
The Journey
Kai Eberhardt, the CEO of Oviva is an insightful
personality who is working towards providing exceptional
services through Oviva. He is constantly working on the
goal to revolutionise access and outcomes for people with
health conditions related to diet, whilst improving value to
the health system by lowering the costs of delivery.
The journey of Oviva has been inspirational.
Kai started taking an interest in healthcare when he was
diagnosed with cancer, while he was pursuing his degree in
physics. Luckily, he was treated successfully and thereafter
has led a healthy life.
After that Kai started working in medical technology. He
worked on medical imaging technology from the technical
side. He also wrote numerous publications and gained a
patent as well. Later, he joined McKinsey and supported
primarily medtech companies in gaining reimbursement,
launch and distribution for their products.
28 |February 2020 |

After 5 years and as a junior partner, Kai started Oviva with
a technical and a medical co-founder. The idea came from
the medical co-founder who saw the patients’ unmet needs
every day, in particular, the barriers to access helpful
therapy.
Speaking about driving motivation, Kai mentions, “I am
motivated to help patients live healthier and happier on a
large scale. How technology has changed our lives already
is the big innovation of our day and it has much to offer in
improving healthcare. It’s great to be at a time where I feel I
can contribute to that innovation and improve the status
quo.”
Growing through Challenges
The biggest challenge faced by any budding company in the
healthcare domain is to satisfy regulations and the needs of
multiple stakeholders. They are always involved in decision
making of any new technological update, research and
development or implementing new strategies. In the current
healthcare space, if a company cannot offer something
unique yet efficient, there is no option to sustain the ever-
developing healthcare domain.
One needs to navigate and have a benefit to regulators and
payers for reimbursement for the patients to actually access
the treatment. That’s when patients will be recommended to
the doctors. In the case of Oviva, human therapists. Each
business has its own incentives and constraints, not all are
perfectly aligned and can differ from country to country,
especially reimbursement and regulations.
The greatest achievement for Kai is the trust of patients. He
says, “We have treated over 90,000 patients now with great
outcomes compared to conventional therapy. We could
evidence that with now 6 peer-reviewed publications. And
we are just getting started.”
Keeping the creativity and motivation high within Oviva’s
team is also a requirement for success. This can be achieved
most by being very close to the patient, doctor and the rest
of the market. Day-to-day meetings with decision-makers
are the most important, granular insights. Otherwise,
exchange with peers and reading whatever between the
lines also becomes important.
In the near future, Kai envisions Oviva to provide greater
benefits to many more patients with better technology and
granular data on what is effective. Oviva has the potential to
transform the lives of millions of people across the globe
for the better.
Oviva has
the potential to
transform the lives of
millions of people
across the globe
for the better “
“
Kai Eberhardt
CEO
T
h
e1 EMINENTEMINENT

Liz Ashall Payne
Leading the way to Demystify the
Healthcare App Market
n an average, adults spend around two-to-four
Ohours on their smartphones in a day. These
devices in our pockets, with thousands of apps to
help everything from banking to travelling, have
significantly changed our lives. With over 325,000 health
apps in app stores, and more than five million downloaded
every day, mobile apps have the ability to change the health
and social care industry.
However, healthcare organizations face several hurdles to
adopting these apps. The apps need to be evaluated for
safety, effectiveness, usability and system integration, not to
forget ROI.
The first question that comes to a healthcare professional’s
mind is, finding the right app. How can you find the right
one in such a crowded space? Secondly, trusting an app.
How do you know it is effective, safeguards data, and will
be easy to use for the patient? Lastly, integrating into care.
How can apps work along with other services you use?
Liz Ashall Payne, CEO, ORCHA has built a unique
platform and service to help answer all of these questions.
Her brainchild, ORCHA tests more apps than anyone
worldwide, covering more conditions, and on top of new
releases. Under her leadership, the organization has
reviewed almost 6,000 apps to date.
ORCHA is home to the world’s only library that lets people
find and compare the evaluations of health apps. Users can
search from a range of criteria such as health condition,
price or phone platform; and are given the relevant top
scoring apps. It helps health professionals and patients to
find or recommend the right app with confidence.
An Idea to Help Masses
After Liz’s early years as a speech and language therapist,
she led a range of transformation projects across the NHS.
And that too across the digital health agenda. Within the
digital space, Liz learned that 93% of health professionals
believe that digital health will enhance NHS services.
Driven to help them safely realise this, Liz created ORCHA
to overcome the barriers.
Keeping Pace in a Fast-Growing Market
According to Liz, in a fast-growing market, every new day
brings new opportunities. She spends her time involved in
market studies, sales leads, product, and service
development options and team growth. Here, she cites her
biggest hurdle, juggling her and ORCHA’s priorities. Liz
understands that it’s impossible to pursue all opportunities,
but also appreciates that this challenge is born out of a good
situation.
Keeping market scenarios in mind, Liz makes the decision
with the best information she has. She finds it tough but has
learnt that she can’t wait for all data to come to her for
some decisions but must make the best of what she has.
Further, Liz cites the universal work-life balance to be
another challenge. She is grateful for her amazing family
and although frequently travelling to multiple countries
each week, Liz makes sure that she maintains a balance
between her work and personal life.
Liz motivates herself and ORCHA through its mission to
unlock the power of digital health. She asserts, “It’s a real
opportunity to change the health of people and to improve
our health services. There are incredible mHealth solutions
30 |February 2020 |

out there; we help to find these and connect them with the
systems and patients that will truly benefit from them.”
ORCHA- Assisting Health Bodies and Organizations
ORCHA helps organisations to drive the uptake of health
apps, often targeting specific communities. It provides
intelligence reports on specific markets, for national health
bodies across the world, and delivers national health app
accreditation schemes.
At a local level, the company provides locally branded and
tailored app libraries to Clinical Commissioning Groups
and NHS Trusts. This can include a recommendation tool,
to enable health professionals to recommend health apps
directly to patients.
To help bring more quality apps to the market, ORCHA also
provides services to app developers. It provides assessment
reports, advice and introduction to special providers to
improve their apps.
Further, to educate the next generation, the company works
with the local authorities and schools to deliver the ‘Digital
Healthy Schools Programme’. It engages and motivates
pupils to stay healthy with lesson plans, learning resources
and interactive tools. Digital Health Schools supports the
STEM and Child Health agenda with highly interactive and
engaging materials and modules.
Transforming Lives
Liz is proud of the achievements ORCHA has made by
enabling health organisations to find health apps. Its unique
approach has enabled organisations to pinpoint and
integrate apps quickly. Further, Liz is happy about the
approach being recognised internationally. ORCHA now
works with health bodies around the world, especially those
with limited healthcare infrastructure, where health apps
make an immense impact.
A Promise for Tomorrow
ORCHA will continue to grow and work with more health
bodies and organizations. The firm will adapt as technology
evolves and will continue to help overcome the industry’s
challenges.
On the personal front, Liz will continue to lead the amazing
team at ORCHA, which includes IT experts, data scientists,
clinical leads and health economists. She will also work on
more collaborations to build international offerings. With an
office in the Netherlands, Liz envisages having many more
worldwide, as ORCHA grows.
The power of digital
health keeps me
motivated. It’s a real
opportunity to change
the health of people and
to improve our health
services
“
“
Liz Ashall Payne,
CEO
T
h
e1 EMINENTEMINENT

Magnus Liungman
An Embodiment of Perseverance and
Innovation in Health-Tech
Among all the traits and abilities that can lead one to
success, passion stands atop. Unlike other factors
such as skill, knowledge, and creativity, passion is
innate. It is something that cannot be learned or acquired
but is always present. It powers and drives determination,
creativity, and hard work making great accomplishments
possible.
Starting with directors, celebrities, CEOs, athletes and
everyone who has risen to the top, all of them possess
motivation and an unstoppable zeal. This gives them the
wherewithal to work extraordinarily hard at something even
when it’s uncertain if they will enjoy rewards for the efforts
they put in or not.
Despite its importance, passion is relatively a difficult term
to explain. In order to identify the true meaning of passion,
one should look into motivation. The key here is to examine
‘why’ instead of ‘what’. Why did someone accomplish what
he or she wanted? Why does success only come to a few
among thousands?
We at Insights Care, in our pursuit of finding the true
meaning of passion, crossed paths with Magnus
Liungman, the Co-founder of Doctrin. His desire and
capacity to go above and beyond the call of duty have
helped the company achieve superlative outcomes.
However, what intrigued us was the ‘why’ factor behind his
success. Following is his story to the zeniths of success,
why he succeeded in accomplishing what he wanted to, and
all about his revolutionary company.
History in Making
The proverb, ‘necessity is the mother of invention’ suits this
context very perfectly. Before we talk about the foundation
and features of Doctrin, let us have a look at the events that
led to founding this company.
Liungman began his professional journey from a
consultancy, McKinsey and thereafter Health Navigator in
the UK. As a consultant, he used to solve any problem the
clients had. However, the problems were never-ending and
were mostly repetitive, that disturbed Liungman. He wanted
to do more, find a better solution to all problems. “I realized
I wanted to be part of solving the future of healthcare on a
bigger scale. I approached several companies but didn’t
meet anyone that envisioned the solution the same way I
did,” he quotes.
Change is not easy and often is accompanied by new
problems, Liungman too had many problems to face. “The
problem is that if you improve medical quality it tends to be
at the expense of productivity, or if you want to streamline
the operations, you will end up with unhappy patients or
personnel,” adds Liungman.
“I wanted to create a comprehensive communication and
collaboration system that would improve medical quality,
increase productivity and raise patient satisfaction while
saving time for healthcare professionals. And I realized that
the solution was not to create a parallel digital healthcare
system alongside the traditional one. The key was to
amplify the capacity of existing healthcare providers
creating a digi-physical healthcare environment,” expresses
Liungman.
Knowing More about Doctrin
Now that we have established the purpose behind building
Doctrin, lets us see how it is different from other health-
tech companies.
Established in 2016, Doctrin helps existing healthcare
providers to intelligently digitize the patients’ journey,
enabling a digi-physical healthcare environment. Its
platform includes a digital medical history tool with +400
questionnaires of the highest medical quality, tools for
triage as well as a communication system for online
consultations and collaboration between professions and
care units.
“We are the biggest platform provider in Sweden with
private providers Capio and Praktikertjänst as our biggest
clients. Currently, 500,000 patient contacts per year run
34 |February 2020 |

through our platform Flow with 4000 healthcare
professionals representing 18 different professions working
in it,” Liungman adds.
The Remarkable Feat
Liungman’s quest to reform the healthcare sector and
founding a company with the same mission was just one of
his problems. His actual struggle was to find like-minded
people who shared the same passion and would uphold the
mission.
However, after 4 years of its inception, Liungman proudly
boasts of finding such people as one of Doctrin’s
achievements. He comments, “The thing I am most proud of
is that we have managed to gather +40 extremely talented
people consisting of medical doctors, ex-management
consultants, data scientists and designers who all share the
same passion for radically improving healthcare. The fact
that this amazing team in four years has been able to make
Doctrin the industry leader in Sweden, helping 450 000
patients annually, makes me very proud.”
The most remarkable achievement is yet to come. Today,
driving Doctrin towards the zeniths of success, Liungman
could not be more satisfied and happier than seeing that his
vision of better healthcare service is in motion.
“The other thing that I am very proud of is that it works! We
have recently finished evaluating the digi-physical
implementation of the platform at a primary care center in
Stockholm, Capio Ringen with 28 000 patients. In
December 2018 the care center was struggling with low
phone availability, an overcrowded walk-in clinic, and a
high-stress work environment.”
“Overnight they closed the walk-in clinic and referred
patients to their website to be further guided to either self-
care, a digital consultation or a physical visit. One year
later the number of patients that get the same day response
has increased from 73% to 95%. The waiting time for a
physical visit has gone down from 4-6 weeks to 1-3 days!
And productivity increased, with 33% more patients being
helped per hour. In addition, patients are extremely satisfied
– 89% would recommend the care unit to others after using
the digital service”, he adds.
Towards A Glorious Odyssey
Passion is the fuel that inspires people toward specific
goals, no matter how unlikely or difficult they might be.
Here, while the need to improve healthcare service drives
Liungman, he is the driving force that generates the
enthusiasm within his team.
The growth of the company is now destined over a chain of
events which will include hard work, teamwork and
eventually success. Scaled up for new dimensions and
breakthroughs, Liungman and his team plan on expanding
Doctrin’s services to new markets specifically in Europe.
“My focus in the near future is also to make sure that we
partner with healthcare providers that share our vision for
how to radically improve healthcare through intelligent
digitalization,” he concludes.
Intelligently
contributing to
digitizing the patient
journey
“
“
Magnus Liungman
Co-founder
T
h
e1 EMINENTEMINENT

MARMARKUSKUSMARKUS
DAHDAHLEMLEMDAHLEMHelping Migraine Patients
to Live Carefree
Dr. rer. Nat. Markus Dahlem
36 |February 2020 |

igraine is a prime example of a general class
Mof chronic diseases. These are diseases that
begin early in life with an enduring
predisposition to attacks. The attack frequency and
severity can vary considerably, making migraine a highly
individual condition. As an additional complication,
many of the heterogeneous disease forms do not respond
to first-line therapies. Unfortunately, in many cases,
diseases like migraine are progressive and may become
extremely refractory to any treatment. This depends on
the patient’s previous history, the underlying lifestyle
and environmental conditions they are exposed to.
Hence, Newsenselab is one such company with a mobile
application, M-sense that helps migraine patients
discover personal trigger factors and learn how to avoid
attacks. Dr. rer. Nat. Markus Dahlem, the Executive
Director and Co-Founder is a physicist turned migraine
researcher turned digital medicine entrepreneur. As the
managing director of Newsenselab, he is responsible for
science, medical and regulatory affairs along with
technology and product development.
Through this excerpt, Dr. rer. Nat. Markus explains to us
about how he and his teammates are helping patients
improve their lives through M-sense.
Company culture profoundly influences performance.
The speed at which we advance at Newsenselab
depends on how well we collaborate in tiny but cross-
functional and interdisciplinary teams – consisting
sometimes of only two people. The whole company of
about 20 employees has to rely on each other and
cooperate flawlessly, all the while understanding how
we move towards a goal that is not static. This
successive approximation is an exciting learning
process. We have developed practices that combine
agile software development and information-
technology operations with medical expertise. To do
this well is one of our challenges.
Over the course of my academic career, then in a
grant-sponsored spin-off, and finally while securing
substantial seed funding for a startup, I always needed
to adapt my leadership style. As the company grew, I
added to my more affiliative leadership style one that
mobilizes people towards my vision of digital
medicine. Learning is what motivates me the most.
• Describe in brief about your company and its
services
Newsenselab is a pioneer in digital medicine. Our
goal: to treat patients with migraine better.
With M-sense, we accompany patients with a
migraine for a prolonged period of time. Over the
course of their treatment, we offer incremental
interventions in order to produce lasting progress
toward an improved condition. To this end, M-sense
documents symptoms, lifestyle and environmental
factors before, during and after headache attacks.
M-sense drives the clinical decision-making
processes – in particular, to aid diagnosis and monitor
drug treatment. Furthermore, M-sense provides data-
driven behavioural therapy using education,
relaxation exercises and stress management methods
in conjunction with physical exercises as an adjunct
non-drug-treatment to standard drug treatment.
• What advice would you give to upcoming
With the EU creating much stricter regulations due to
the Medical Device Regulation and the FDA in the
US de-regulating certain low claim medical apps, I’m
afraid upcoming entrepreneurs in the digital
healthcare domain in Europe face a tough situation.
Look for other markets, e.g. Asia!
• What is your opinion regarding the current landscape
of the healthcare market your company caters to?
Players in the emergent field of digital therapeutics
(DTx) need a differentiated mode of action as well as
a distinctive patient experience for each DTx
application. So besides integrating data-intensive
science, the healthcare of the future will have to focus
T
h
e1 EMINENTEMINENT

even more on he needs of those affected. Moreover,t
the channels of supply will become more effective
and tightly interlinked.
Today, there are already far too few doctors to help all
patients; there is a particular lack of specialists.
Simultaneously, our healthcare system is becoming
more complex as an increasing number of players want
to help those affected. Thus the interrelation of all
these players and communication between them will
surely be central to the coming years.
healthcare space?
Due to the increasing complexity of our healthcare
system, mobile applications like M-sense can make a
decisive contribution. We guide the affected patients
through their entire patient journey, from the first
symptoms to finding an effective treatment. This helps
our users to make educated choices and take agency in
regards to their health. In addition, we enable doctors
to use their time more effectively and meaningfully.
With the implementation of the digital care act
(Digitale-Gesundheit-Gesetz) in Germany, medical
apps will be refunded by statutory health insurances.
This means that patients can receive apps through
prescription. This will undoubtedly spread the use of
digital health applications to parts of the population
who did not have access before. We look towards the
effects of this change with hope, as this law has the
potential to rejuvenate the German healthcare system,
as medical practitioners modernise and digitalise their
approach to effective treatment.
accomplishments!
Before founding Newsenselab I was a migraine
researcher and conducted academic research in the
field of dynamical diseases for 20 years. As a
theoretical physicist by training, my expertise lies in
mathematical modelling.
I have developed various approaches for digital
therapies. Amongst these were a model-based approach
for personalized rewiring of the brain by magnetic field
using neuromodulation, the design of preemptive
biomarkers based on resonance-like interactions of the
migraine brain with environmental conditions, as well
as a project on predictive digital biomarkers of drug
super-responders based on topical tests that gives
insight into a space-time limited blood-brain barrier
permeability. Such inventions highlight the need to
utilize innovative methodologies to gather useful data
sets.
• Where do you envision yourself and your company in
the near future?
Currently, our focus is on preparing our product
according to the regulations specified in the digital care
act. This is a long-haul project as regulatory
requirements are as of yet unclear and thus delay an
immediate integration of medical apps into standard
care.
Equally unclear are the requirements for demonstrating
the effectiveness of the digital health app. Our plan is
to prove the efficacy of M-sense with the clinical study
SMARTGEM, which is essentially a project on forms
of cross-sectoral and integrated care.
Under the consortium of the Charité Berlin,
SMARTGEM will be carried out in cooperation with
the Clinic for Neurology of the University Medical
Center Rostock, the Clinic for Neurology of the
University Medical Center Halle (Saale), the Institute
for Public Health of the Charité and six statutory health
insurance companies.
Aside from these challenges, and most immediately,
we envision for the first migraine patient to receive M-
sense via prescription by a physician in Q4/2020.
38 |February 2020 |

More than 200 million people worldwide are
affected by blindness and severe vision
impairment consecutive to eye diseases. In fact,
due to late diagnosis and treatment, many times, people
have to face severe consequences. The major reason behind
this is the difficulty of assessing the disease state. However,
EarlySight has invented a cellular-level imaging modality
with remarkable contrast to detect minor structural changes
of the retina within a few seconds.
EarlySight was co-founded by Timothe Laforest along
with his fellow researcher Mathieu Kunzi. Timothe, the
Co-founder and CEO of EarlySight is an engineer by
profession who is passionate about technologies for life
sciences. He obtained his PhD in optoelectronics for
biomedical applications in 2015. He then started to develop
the EarlySight technology at EPFL as a postdoc together
with a former PhD student, Mathieu Kunzi, now CTO at
Earlysight.
Through this excerpt, Timothe elaborates his journey
through various struggles to ultimately attain success.
The challenge as a startup is to keep focused on our core
business bringing the most value to the company. Running a
medtech business is an everyday challenge that includes
understanding the user needs and the regulatory pathway in
order to reach the market as fast as possible. The
enthusiasm generated so far in the ophthalmology clinical
research and the potential benefit our technology could
bring to patients is definitely what keeps me motivated.
• Describe in brief about your company and its products
and services.
EarlySight is developing a medical device to help doctors
detect and treat eye diseases at an early stage thanks to
precise measurements of the eye condition. Our instrument
– Cellularis – can provide a ten times more precise image of
the retina than the standard of care. Many ocular diseases
(e.g. AMD, glaucoma) are starting with the degeneration of
the retina cellular structure which is invisible to current
examinations. Our instrument takes pictures and quantifies
the retinal cells. According to ophthalmologists, it will
greatly improve the diagnosis and treatment follow-up by
providing objective evidence of the disease progression.
As a young entrepreneur, my advice to upcoming
entrepreneurs would be to keep in mind the long-term goal
and orient the development with user needs.
the healthcare market EasrlySight caters to?
Ophthalmology is rapidly changing both technology-wise
and treatment-wise. It is a medical field driven by imaging,
where key opinion leaders and pharmaceutical companies
are eager for new technologies. Diagnosis, treatment follow
up and the development of new molecules rely a lot on
imaging technologies to make a decision on the treatment
course or to assess the efficacy of new drugs. Even if the
outcomes are still based on functional endpoints, which
take longer to obtain, regulatory authorities are
progressively accepting imaging endpoints.
healthcare space?
TIMOTHE LAFOREST
Eyeing to Develop Ophthalmology
at a Cellular Level
40 |February 2020 |

The medtech companies are facing the
challenge of the artificial intelligence
revolution. A hardware advancement needs now
to be coupled to a software advancement in
order to fit the new model of diagnosis in
ophthalmology. The tremendous added value of
AI has nonetheless to be implemented with
caution to be widely adopted. As a starting
business, since AI models require an enormous
amount of data, it is a challenge to collect data
from scratch in order to implement such a
model.
accomplishments
While the first-in-human study performed in
2019 generated huge interest in the research
community (Nat Photonics, April 2020), we
expect the clinical study starting in April 2020
over 100 patients and control groups to be the
first step towards the regulatory certification of
Cellularis. This clinical study will be
implemented at Jules Gonin Eye Hospital –
Fondation Asile des Aveugles in Lausanne, a
world-class centre in ophthalmology research.
The goal is to investigate different pathologies
and describe their effect on retinal tissues at the
cellular level. Another outcome of the study
will be the database of images on healthy
participants.
During the first year of activity, EarlySight won
a European grant, EIT Health Headstart.
• Where do you envision yourself and your
company in the near future?
EarlySight is expected to enter the market in
2021. Cellularis will be first sold in the EU,
followed by the US market. This first market
phase will help in gathering clinical data and
prove the diagnosis power of the technology.
We expect Cellularis to be used in routine
examination and progressively adopted in
clinics within a few years. We are planning a
fundraising round for the end of 2020 to expand
the team, enter the market and increase the
production of Cellularis.
Mathieu Kunzi
Timothe Laforest
Founder CTO
Founder CEO
T
h
e1 EMINENTEMINENT

S TO AGE HEALTHILY
Aging is a natural phenomenon that cannot be avoided. Many of us have fears regarding the
process of aging. A common misconception among people is that, looking young means
they are healthy, which is not actually true. Staying physically and mentally fit means that one is
healthy. We all know that it is not about how long we live, but it is about how healthy and
happily we live. It is our decision of how we want to ease the process of aging.
Here are some ways that can help you to age healthily.
Get Enough Sleep
In order for the body to rejuvenate, it needs
proper rest. Older adults need just as much
sleep as the younger adults – seven to nine
hours per night. Lack of proper sleep can
cause depression, frustration, stress, and
memory issues.
Tips: Insomnia can be avoided by cutting
down daytime naps. Making a proper
bedtime schedule and going to bed at the
same time everyday can be helpful.
Helpguide
Eat Healthy
Having a healthy diet is very important for a
healthy lifestyle. Every individual needs the
right amount of proteins, calories, vitamins,
etc. Eating fruits, vegetables, pulses, etc.
everyday is necessary. Eating healthy keeps
your body fresh and active. The healthier you
eat the more you can stay away from
medicines. During the old age we should try
avoiding oily, spicy, and slow digestive
foods.
Tips: Consulting a doctor for suggestions
regarding the right diet plan would be
helpful. We should keep in mind that every
person has different dietary needs.
Live An Active Life
Start an active and healthy lifestyle. Exercise
should be included in the daily routine. The
exercises could be simple like walking,
stretching, using stairs, etc. Studies say that
people who are physically fit live longer and
better. Living an active life will help you to
be independent and perform your own
activities. It also helps boost self esteem,
improve sleep patterns and give more energy.
Tips: Doing something you enjoy is the key
to stay active. Any physical activity like
walking, riding a bike, swimming, aerobics,
etc. can be incorporated in your daily
routine.
Reduce Stress
With age the types of stress and the ability to
deal with stress changes. The effects of stress
on the body are vast, from causing premature
aging to heart disease. Long term stress can
lead to brain damage, memory loss, fatigue,
etc. It is estimated that, 90% of illnesses are
caused due to stress.
Tips: The situations of stress cannot be
entirely avoided but we can cope up with it.
Accepting and adapting to things can help
reduce stress. Not always is the situation in
our hands to control. Trying some
relaxation techniques like yoga, meditation,
etc. can be beneficial.

- Shreevarshita Gupta
Take care of Your Mental Health
It is vital that you engage your brain and
keep it active always. Research shows that
keeping the brain active may delay memory
issues and brain related problems. Staying
happy and staying away from stress helps
maintain mental health.
Tips: Keeping your mood elevated is the
best way. Spending time doing things you
love or with the dear ones of your life could
keep the mood up. Take dance lessons,
learn music, or learn to play an instrument.
Find New Hobbies
Finding new and meaningful hobbies helps
one stay busy. When you have a sense of
purpose, you tend to be happier. Evidence
shows that people who stay engaged in
hobbies or social activities experience less
depression.
Tips: Engaging in social activities or
learning something new could be useful to
stay occupied. Volunteering in NGOs can be
done too.
Cultivate Your Relationships
During old age, the best medicine is love and
care. Many older adults tend to stay alone.
Staying connected with loved ones is
important. Having a support system and a
social network helps mental health.
Loneliness can cause various health risks.
Tips: You should maintain regular
communication with family and friends.
You should attend gatherings, family
parties, etc.
Practice Prevention
We all know that 'Prevention is the best
Cure'. Many accidents, general health issues,
depression, chronic illnesses, etc. can be
prevented. If proper care is taken, you can
lead a healthy life.
Tips: Think about ways to improve your
lifestyle to a healthy one. Contact your
family doctor and consult regarding things
that can be done to stay healthy according
to your health conditions.
Give Up Smoking and Drinking
Smoking and drinking both increase the
chances of premature aging and the risk of
diseases. It is not easy to quit smoking,
however there are resources available to
help. We keep hearing how bad smoking is
for our brain and body. And after a certain
age, quitting smoking would be a good
option.
Tips: Drinking occasionally in limited
quantities can be considered. Although,
smoking should be completely avoided.
Regardless of age, the lung capacity and
energy levels will improve if you give up
smoking.
See a Doctor Regularly
Seeing a doctor regularly can help find
problems before they even start. If any health
issue is detected very late it will become
difficult to treat. In early stages it would be
less expensive and less risky to treat any
issues.
Tips: A proper schedule of monthly general
checkups with the doctor should be made. A
family doctor should also be fixed, so that
they know the health history completely.
44 |February 2020 |

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