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How Fluorescent Dyes Are Revolutionizing Nerve Visualization and Surgical Precision with Dr. Quyen Nguyen Alume Biosciences

Empowered Patient Podcast

Release Date: 05/28/2025

Virtual Support Groups Remove Barriers Encourage Sharing Honest Experiences to Fight Misinformation with Rick Davis AnCan TRANSCRIPT show art Virtual Support Groups Remove Barriers Encourage Sharing Honest Experiences to Fight Misinformation with Rick Davis AnCan TRANSCRIPT

Empowered Patient Podcast

Rick Davis, patient advocate and Founder of AnCan, is building and operating virtual peer-to-peer support groups to allow patients to connect with others who have direct experience with their condition.  These groups can provide accurate information, foster connections among participants, and serve as a check on medical misinformation. With the growing acceptance of virtual meetings, this approach overcomes geographic, physical, and psychosocial barriers that might otherwise prevent participants from attending on-site meetings. Rick explains, "The mission is to make each person and each...

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Virtual Support Groups Remove Barriers Encourage Sharing Honest Experiences to Fight Misinformation with Rick Davis AnCan show art Virtual Support Groups Remove Barriers Encourage Sharing Honest Experiences to Fight Misinformation with Rick Davis AnCan

Empowered Patient Podcast

Rick Davis, patient advocate and Founder of AnCan, is building and operating virtual peer-to-peer support groups to allow patients to connect with others who have direct experience with their condition.  These groups can provide accurate information, foster connections among participants, and serve as a check on medical misinformation. With the growing acceptance of virtual meetings, this approach overcomes geographic, physical, and psychosocial barriers that might otherwise prevent participants from attending on-site meetings. Rick explains, "The mission is to make each person and each...

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Healthcare Plans Using Analytics to Improve Health Literacy Patient Engagement and Outcomes with Bob Farrell mPulse show art Healthcare Plans Using Analytics to Improve Health Literacy Patient Engagement and Outcomes with Bob Farrell mPulse

Empowered Patient Podcast

Bob Farrell, CEO of mPulse, is using digital technology, data analytics and AI to improve the relationship between health plans and their members in order to improve health outcomes and operational efficiency. Bob introduces the concept of HXI, Health Experience and Insights, as a framework that unites data, intelligence, and personalized communication to provide tools to enage members at the best time and by the preferred methods with appropriate information at the right time. Analyzing claims data enables plans to identify high-risk patients, promote preventive care, and build health...

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Rick Pierce, Co-Founder and CEO of Decoy Therapeutics. is using AI and machine learning to accelerate drug discovery and is developing broad-acting antivirals using peptide conjugates that target a shared invasion mechanism of hundreds of viruses.  The company is using small language models and a high-speed peptide synthesizer to dramatically reduce drug creation time. Rick predicts that the future of drug discovery will combine AI-driven design with advanced biological models, such as organoids, to better predict drug toxicity and efficacy. Rick explains, "Decoy Therapeutics was founded...

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AI-Powered Drug Discovery Platform Transforms Broad Antiviral Development with Rick Pierce Decoy Therapeutics show art AI-Powered Drug Discovery Platform Transforms Broad Antiviral Development with Rick Pierce Decoy Therapeutics

Empowered Patient Podcast

Rick Pierce, Co-Founder and CEO of Decoy Therapeutics. is using AI and machine learning to accelerate drug discovery and is developing broad-acting antivirals using peptide conjugates that target a shared invasion mechanism of hundreds of viruses.  The company is using small language models and a high-speed peptide synthesizer to dramatically reduce drug creation time. Rick predicts that the future of drug discovery will combine AI-driven design with advanced biological models, such as organoids, to better predict drug toxicity and efficacy. Rick explains, "Decoy Therapeutics was founded...

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Dr. Kumar Dharmarajan, cardiologist and geriatrician and Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer at World Class Health, is  bringing concierge healthcare to employees of self-insured companies.   The platform includes a global network of top-tier doctors and nurse navigators. Directly negotiating with providers reduces costs and reduces administrative and financial friction for patients seeking planned procedures. The model also reduces friction for physicians by providing them with complete patient records and ensuring prompt payment. Kumar explains, "We are a global,...

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Concierge Healthcare Services for Employees of Self-Insured Companies with Dr. Kumar Dharmarajan World Class Health show art Concierge Healthcare Services for Employees of Self-Insured Companies with Dr. Kumar Dharmarajan World Class Health

Empowered Patient Podcast

Dr. Kumar Dharmarajan, cardiologist and geriatrician and Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer at World Class Health, is  bringing concierge healthcare to employees of self-insured companies.   The platform includes a global network of top-tier doctors and nurse navigators. Directly negotiating with providers reduces costs and reduces administrative and financial friction for patients seeking planned procedures. The model also reduces friction for physicians by providing them with complete patient records and ensuring prompt payment. Kumar explains, "We are a global,...

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Brent Dial, Founder and CEO of Beek Health, has built a platform that addresses patient information fragmentation by aggregating data from patient portals and providing direct access to lab testing. Health literacy is key to preventing chronic diseases, and AI is being used to scale the delivery of personalized health information. Identifying relevant biomarkers and early warning signs supports proactive health management that can alter long-term health outcomes. Brent explains, "Beek Health is re-imagining healthcare by finally putting the individual at the center of their health journey....

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Direct-to-Consumer Health Tools and AI Making Medical Information Accessible with Brent Dial Beek Health show art Direct-to-Consumer Health Tools and AI Making Medical Information Accessible with Brent Dial Beek Health

Empowered Patient Podcast

Brent Dial, Founder and CEO of Beek Health, has built a platform that addresses patient information fragmentation by aggregating data from patient portals and providing direct access to lab testing. Health literacy is key to preventing chronic diseases, and AI is being used to scale the delivery of personalized health information. Identifying relevant biomarkers and early warning signs supports proactive health management that can alter long-term health outcomes. Brent explains, "Beek Health is re-imagining healthcare by finally putting the individual at the center of their health journey....

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Dr. Quyen Nguyen, CEO and Founder of Alume Biosciences, is developing fluorescent-guided precision surgery technologies that enable surgeons to visualize critical structures, such as nerves, blood vessels, and tumor margins, more clearly during procedures. Alume is developing fluorescent dyes and imaging systems to support this approach, building on work by Roger Tsien who won the Nobel Prize for fluorescence. This technology has the potential to enable more complex surgical procedures to be performed safely in brain, head, neck, and abdominal surgeries and has the promise to transform surgery.

Quyen elaborates, "I first met Roger Tsien Nobel Laureate for his work in fluorescence, in 2001. I had worked with green fluorescent protein, one of the things that he was working on for fluorescence, and he ultimately was awarded the Nobel Prize for fluorescence. And I asked him, ‘Roger, is there a way we can make nerves fluorescent in patients? We certainly have that in research, but surgeons don't have this tool now.’ And he said, ‘What, no one's done that yet?’ And so that's the beginning of our story together. I see that the use of fluorescence is going to be transformative in the field of surgery. Who wants to turn off the light and see if surgeons can see and operate in the dark? So I feel like fluorescence is just another level of light that allows you to see structures more precisely."

"Of course, you want to see structures more precisely so you can continue to carry on your work, tumor resection, reconstructive surgery, or any other procedures that patients are undergoing. Of course, you want to see tumor margins more clearly. Of course, you want to see arteries and veins and so forth. Of all the structures that we work on, I would say that nerves are considered the holy grail of surgery, partly because they're so delicate. One or two millimeters can take away somebody’s ability to have urinary continence or erectile function or the ability to smile."  

#AlumeBiosciences #FluorescentGuidedSurgery #PrecisionSurgery #HeadNeckSurgery

AlumeBiosciences.com

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