#DigitalHealthReadingList – Mar 23rd
Wolfgang Schleifer
Digital Health Transformation and Strategy Leader | Health & Life Science | Pharma & Medical Devices Industry | University Lecturer | Board Member
March 23rd, 2025; my weekly #DigitalHealthReadingList provides you a selection of the most interesting Digital Health articles of the last couple of days.
By TechCrunch
Summary: Google announced the development of TxGemma, a collection of open AI models for drug discovery, during a health-focused event in New York. These models, set to be released through Google's Health AI Developer Foundations program, can understand both regular text and the structures of therapeutic entities like chemicals and proteins. The aim is to make drug development more efficient by predicting important properties of potential new therapies. Despite some clinical trial failures, the pharmaceutical industry remains optimistic about AI's potential in revolutionizing drug discovery.
By FirstWord Pharma
Summary: Researchers from the Wellcome Sanger Institute, Helmholtz Munich, and the University of Würzburg have developed NicheCompass, an AI-based neural network that analyzes cell interactions to predict molecular changes in cancer cells. Published in Nature Genetics, this tool can uncover tissue changes in breast and lung cancer patients within an hour, aiding personalized treatment plans. By creating a visual database of spatial genomic data, NicheCompass offers a more precise way to characterize cell niches compared to existing methods.
By FirstWord Pharma
Summary: The European Medicines Agency's human medicines committee (CHMP) has qualified PathAI's AIM-NASH tool, an AI-based system for analyzing liver biopsy samples to determine disease severity in MASH clinical trials. This tool, trained on over 100,000 annotations from 59 pathologists, aims to improve accuracy, repeatability, and reproducibility compared to traditional methods. However, the CHMP emphasized that the AIM-NASH tool is intended to supplement, not replace, pathologist review. The qualification comes amid increasing competition in the MASH treatment landscape, with several new drugs showing promising results.
By AP News
Summary: Ana, an AI program created by Hippocratic AI, helps patients prepare for medical exams and answers their questions 24/7 in multiple languages. Hospitals are increasingly using AI to monitor patients and streamline tasks, but nursing unions argue that AI may degrade the quality of care and override nurses' expertise. Despite concerns, AI is seen as a tool to help nurses work more efficiently and address burnout and understaffing. However, experts emphasize that AI should augment, not replace, human care.
By PR News
Summary: The Digital Medicine Society (DiMe), supported by Peterson Health Technology Institute (PHTI) and ZS Associates, released resources to help digital health technologies (DHTs) navigate Integrated Evidence Plans (IEP). These tools aim to generate fit-for-purpose evidence for decision-makers, positioning DHTs for commercial success. The IEP toolkit offers a structured framework to navigate regulatory requirements, market access complexities, and accelerate adoption. DiMe's initiative addresses the top priority from the 2023 Digital Health Industry Regulatory Needs Assessment.
By FIERCE Healthcare
Summary: At its annual The Check Up event, Google unveiled expanded support for medical records in its Health Connect service and new AI tools for drug discovery. The new Medical Records APIs enable apps to handle medical data in standard FHIR format, while the AI co-scientist built on Gemini 2.0 helps researchers generate novel hypotheses. Google also announced improvements to its AI Overviews feature in Search and introduced the TxGemma models to enhance AI-powered drug discovery. Additionally, the Pixel Watch 3 will soon feature Loss of Pulse Detection.
Recommended by LinkedIn
By HIT Consultant
Summary: Digital health is becoming mainstream, with 58% of Americans using virtual care in the past year and 53% owning wearable devices. Engagement varies by age: Gen Z is tech-savvy but distrustful of traditional providers, Millennials are digital health power users, Gen X seeks convenience, Baby Boomers focus on medication management, and the Silent Generation relies on caregivers and legacy providers. Rock Health's survey highlights these generational differences in digital health adoption.
By Medical Xpress
Summary: University of Queensland researchers found that trust is crucial for the effective use of digital health tools like telehealth and mobile health apps. Their review of 49 studies identified factors influencing trust, including digital literacy, privacy concerns, and data accuracy. Building trust can enhance the adoption and sustainability of digital health technologies, leading to better health outcomes. Cultural and geographical differences also impact perceptions of trust in digital health care.
By Clinical Leaders
Summary: The ADMINISTER I trial explored the integration of digital interventions to optimize guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) for heart failure patients. The trial's predominantly male participants, averaging 70 years of age, influenced its design and execution. Despite initial skepticism, older patients adapted well to digital tools with family support. The trial highlighted the need for automation and interoperability in digital health solutions to enhance scalability and effectiveness.
By Pharma Live
Summary: Global obesity rates have doubled since 1990, with 2.5 billion adults now classified as overweight and 890 million as obese. The economic impact of obesity is projected to reach $4.32 trillion annually by 2035. Childhood obesity rates have quadrupled, posing significant challenges for healthcare systems. Digital health technologies, such as wearable devices and remote monitoring, offer promising tools to address obesity by providing continuous real-world data and personalized interventions.
By FastCompany
Summary: Pharmaceutical marketing is shifting from traditional channels to digital health, AI-powered tools, and personalized communication. Today's health care consumers are research-driven and expect interactive, educational, and transparent engagement from pharma brands. The rise of telehealth, wearables, and AI diagnostics demands a more consumer-centric marketing approach. Pharma brands must evolve their strategies to build trust and effectively reach modern health care consumers.
By digital health
Summary: Cera will work with social care teams to deliver care using assistive robots. The robots will be driven by Cera's AI software and will act as domestic care assistants for elderly and vulnerable individuals. Robots could reduce the cost of care by up to 80%, freeing human carers up to focus on those most in need, Cera said.