The human brain. It is the most complicated part of the human body. As the control center, this organ is the source of every thought and movement. It consists of more than 89 billion neurons and sends between 10 and 100 signals every second to parts of the body. 

Replicating the brain has been a goal for many neuroscientists for decades. It’s become more imperative as the population ages and neurodegenerative diseases increase. There will be 80 million people over 65 years old in 15 years, or by 2040, twice as many as in 2000. As it happens, the number of people with some sort of brain disorder will rise. It’s estimated that the number of people with dementia will triple by 2050. There is currently no cure for dementia.

Advances in stem cell understanding and supporting technologies have helped to recreate the brain in vitro (in petri dishes). But getting that environment just right is a long process. Getting to that brain-on-a-chip may never be achieved in our lifetimes. But we’re getting closer and closer, which means we’re making progress toward replicating dementia and other brain disorders to find the right compound that can aid in recovery.   

How are scientists and innovators addressing the need to find therapeutics that work? We’ll talk to innovators and influencers in the biotech ecosystem, specifically those working on in vitro technologies, precision medicine and/or neurodegenerative diseases. We hope this webinar will give insights into how scientists are improving disease models to understand the curing or treating of neurological diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, ALS and other degenerative brain disorders.  We’ll also explore how pharmaceutical giants are making inroads into brain therapeutic discoveries. How all this is getting paid for and what tech advancements have been made and are being made to expedite therapeutic discovery.  

The panel was moderatord by Vator founder and CEO Bambi Francisco Roizen, and included: Jags Vazirani, former Executive Director Development and Commercial Alliances at Bristol Myers Squibb; Rosanna Zhang, Head of Corp Development at ACRO Biosystems; Mark Aurousseau, co-founder of eNuvio

Advancing toward a brain on a chip

Steven Loeb and Bambi Francisco Roizen talk with Stephanie Reisinger, SVP and General Manager, Real-World Evidence at Flatiron Health, a healthcare technology and services company focused on accelerating cancer research and improving patient care

Stephanie Reisinger, SVP of Real-World Evidence at Flatiron Health, on the VatorNews podcast

Steven Loeb speaks with Lyle Berkowitz, MD, CEO of KeyCare, a company providing health systems with virtual care services, allowing them to augment their care teams and optimize capacity by partnering with a nationwide network of virtual care groups.

Lyle Berkowitz, CEO of KeyCare, on the VatorNews podcast

Bambi Francisco Roizen sits down with Hamlet Yousef, Managing Partner at IronGate VC, a venture firm investing in dual-purpose technology that strengthens national security of the United States and its allies. Their discussion is in national security that safeguards our free will. Our freedom to make choices (such as which religion we choose to believe in) is after all, what it means to be human and therefore the protection of that very essence of who we are should be the priority of our national security.

Hamlet Yousef, Managing Partner at IronGate VC, on VatorNews podcast

Steven Loeb and Bambi Francisco Roizen speak with Manny Krakaris, CEO of Augmedix, a provider of ambient AI medical documentation and data solutions

Manny Krakaris, CEO of Augmedix, on the VatorNews podcast

On the VatorNews innovation podcast, Steven Loeb speaks to Bobby Reddy, MD, COO and co-founder of Pi Health, an oncology-focused health technology and clinical research company.

Bobby Reddy, COO and co-founder of Pi Health, on the VatorNews podcast

On the VatorNews innovation podcast, Steven Loeb speaks to Eric Ly, CEO and co-founder of KarmaCheck, a company looking to make the background check and credentialing process faster, more accurate, and more positive across multiple industries, including healthcare, IT, clerical, and industrial staffing.

Eric Ly, CEO and co-founder of KarmaCheck, on the VatorNews innovation podcast

Will Peng, CEO and co-founder of Northstar joins Bambi Francisco Roizen on the VatorNews Innovation podcast.

Financial well-being can affect all areas of our lives - especially our physical and mental health. One survey found two-thirds of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck. Paying higher prices for gas and groceries is a big part of it. Higher interest rates also lead to higher credit card debt. It’s no wonder that financial stress is at an all-time high, according to a report. 

And we all know stress makes it harder to make the right decisions. In fact, one study conducted by Morgan Stanley added up the number of hours financially-stressed employees think about personal finances while at work. It’s so much time, employers are effectively paying their employees $4k more a year (based on the average American hourly wage). 

Fortunately, “Northstar" is having success taking that financial burden away from both the employer and the employee.

Will Peng, CEO of Northstar

Steven Loeb and Bambi Francisco Roizen speak with Ian Chiu, Managing Director at Owl Ventures, the largest venture capital firm in the world focused on the education technology market with over $2.5 billion in assets under management. 

The firm has a global portfolio with companies in the US, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America, and its companies are serving over 591 million learners across 241 countries, ~41,000 Higher Ed institutions and 930,000 employers, and have created over 46,000 jobs.

Hamlet Yousef, Managing Partner at IronGate VC, on VatorNews podcast

Vator

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