InnovationRx: Under 30 Innovators, Avoiding Covid Brain Fog And Facing A Tripledemic

InnovationRx is your weekly digest of healthcare news. To get it in your inbox, subscribe here.

On Tuesday, Forbes launched its annual 30 Under 30 list, where we track some of the best young innovators across North America in 20 different categories. In healthcare, we tracked a wide variety of disruptors. They include Dina Radenkovic, whose company Gameto is using cell engineering to make IVF cycles shorter. There’s also Briana Chen, a research scientist who studies gender disparities between the presentation of mental illnesses such as depression to help provide a key to better treatments. Jared Dauman’s company Soda Health is working with insurance companies to handle social determinants of health issues. These are just a few examples of some of the interesting ways that our Under 30 listmakers are addressing health issues.

To check out the entire healthcare list, click here.

What’s A Tripledemic? RSV, Covid And Flu

Three viruses are leading to a rise in hospitalizations in children. Covid-19, flu and RSV have combined to create a tripledemic. Here’s what you need to know.

Read more here.

Deals Of The Week

Programmable mRNA: Strand Therapeutics announced it added an additional $45 million to its series A round, bringing that total to $97 million, with participation from FPV, Eli Lilly, Potentum Partners and Playground Global. The capital will be used to advance its programmable mRNA therapy for solid tumors into phase 1 clinical trials.

Clinical Research: Vial, a contract research organization helping to build more efficient clinical trials, announced it has raised a $67 million series B round led by General Catalyst.

Healthcare Engagement: Ostro (formerly RxDefine), which was cofounded by two Forbes Under 30 listmakers, announced that it has raised a $45 million series B round with participation from Founders Fund, Byers Capital, Caffeinated Capital, Trust Ventures, RRE Ventures, Bling Capital and Greycroft.“

The funding will enable to the company to expand its software engagement platform to more specialties, CEO Chase Feiger tells Forbes, who also says “it will enable us to continue building out new product offerings in the areas of both consumer and HCP engagement which will deepen the value we are offering our customers in pharma, diagnostics, and medical devices.”

Noteworthy

The ongoing outbreak of Ebola in Uganda is showing signs that transmission may now be under control as cases continue to decline.

Healthcare giant UnitedHealth Group says its revenue will surpass $357 billion next year as it continues to grow its health insurance business along with the provision of medical care.

The United Kingdom has missed out on recruiting thousands of European doctors since voting to leave the European Union in 2016, new research suggests.

Coronavirus Updates

Protests have broken out in response to China’s strict Covid policies. The country has one of the strictest regimes which includes mass testing where cases have been reported, schools and businesses are closed in locked down areas and those infected must isolate either at home or in government facilities.There have been instances of cities with just a few cases going into complete lockdown, forcing workers to flee from their workplaces in fear that they’d be locked inside and forced to isolate there.

Earlier this month, workers at a Foxconn factory that makes iPhones staged a protest in fear that they’d be shut inside during lockdowns. Multiple people have reported the difficulty citizens have had with getting groceries, medical care and escape during natural disasters like earthquakes. These protests are a major challenge for Chinese President Xi Jinping, who has staked much of his political capital around the policy without developing an endgame for it.

Can Travelers Avoid Covid-19 And Brain Fog During The Holidays?

As travelers prepare for holiday vacations, researchers warn that Covid-19 can cause long-term damage to your memory, attention span, and brain. Here’s how to stay safe.

Read more here.

Other Coronavirus News

Following the acquisition by new owner Elon Musk, Twitter’s Covid misinformation moderation stopped being enforced on November 23.

A new study found that even a mild Covid case can affect gut bacteria, making a patient more susceptible to other infections.

Parents of a four-month old in New Zealand are being taken to court by the country’s health agency for refusing a life-saving heart transplant for the infant due to unfounded fears that blood from someone who’s been vaccinated for Covid might harm the child’s health. The agency is requesting guardianship of the infant so the procedure can be done.

Across Forbes

Could MrBeast Be The First YouTuber Billionaire?

TikTok Couldn’t Ensure Accurate Responses To Government Inquiries, A ByteDance Risk Assessment Said

These Researchers Describe Getting Emotionally Attached To Their Mars Rovers As Artemis Pushes NASA Forward

What Else We are Reading

‘The more voice, the better’: How tech could bring a fuller picture of living with a disability to health records (Stat)

Soil fungi are spreading lung infections to new territories (PopSci)

These monkeypox researchers warned that the disease would go global (Nature)