Digital Health, Cancer Therapeutics Accelerators Add 29 Participants

A recent announcement from the Texas Medical Center Innovation (TMCi) noted that various startups, researchers, and entrepreneurs will join the spring 2023 Accelerator for HealthTech cohort and the 2023 Accelerator for Caner Therapeutics cohort.

Texas Medical Center (TMC) includes more than 60 medical institutions caring for approximately 10 million patients annually. It also includes campuses focused on research, life sciences, and innovation. TMC Innovation (TMCi) recruits and funds early-stage healthcare companies and entrepreneurs.

Two of TMCi's accelerators, the HealthTech Accelerator and the Accelerator for Cancer Therapeutics, announced the addition of new participants in spring 2023. With eight startups joining the former and 21 participants joining the latter, TMCi aims to build connections between these newcomers and existing researchers and resources across TMC's campuses to solve clinical challenges and scale their businesses.

“At TMC Innovation, we start with a promise of uniting cutting-edge innovators in science and medicine with the talent found at the Texas Medical Center. Our 2023 cohort members are tackling some of the most critical issues we face today in healthcare. We are excited to welcome a new group of researchers and companies to the TMC Innovation Factory, and to work collaboratively with our new cohort members and our partners from across the Texas Medical Center,” said Emily Reiser, associate director of TMC Innovation, in a press release.

The TMCi HealthTech Accelerator will support digital health and medical device startups over a six-month period while combining experts from various markets to develop solutions. The eight startups joining in 2023 include Bloom Standard, which is developing a self-driving pediatric ultrasound to help diagnose heart and lung conditions earlier; Ejenta, which aims to automate remote monitoring and care using AI technology licensed from NASA; and Kintsugi, which is working on novel voice biomarker infrastructure to detect depression and anxiety signs from short speech clips. All startups are focused on a specialty area, such as maternal care and mental health.

The Accelerator of Cancer Therapeutics is a nine-month program aiming to support investigators and biotechnology companies in the field. The program will involve scientific and business leaders mentoring participants, helping them learn how to apply for grants and pitch to investors and corporate partners to develop cancer solutions.

Some participants joining in 2023 are Amit K. Tripathi of UNT-Health Science Center, Joshua Gruber of UT-Southwestern, and Kyoji Tsuchikama of UT Health Science Center- Houston.

“For this third cohort, we focused on a strategic and extensive recruitment process, including the evaluation of 1,679 cancer research projects. From 56 applications, we selected 21 participants that will gain access to valuable resources, integrated training and mentorship to prepare for clinical trials,” said Ahmed AlRawi, program manager of the Accelerator for Cancer Therapeutics, in the press release. “Our 2023 cohort represents our most diverse cohort to date, including eight companies led by women entrepreneurs. We are excited to continue the momentum and build off the successes of our previous years.”

Increasingly, provider organizations are investing in developing and using AI tools. In March 2022, the Department of Medicine at Cedars-Sinai created an AI division that aims to enhance clinical care for various conditions, such as heart attacks. The initial program goals include creating tools to improve cardiac imaging, cardiac arrest outcomes, COVID-19 treatment, and clinical genetics.