Smart Bomb Drugs

Plus: UK's Melanoma Surge

June 02, 2024

Hello Tensor Black Fans!

Elon Musk raised $6B for his OpenAI competitor, OpenAI landed a lucrative deal to power Apple’s Siri, and the oncology world was abuzz with AI and new therapies at ASCO’s annual meeting.

“Smart Bomb” cancer drugs are the epitome of AI-powered drug discovery and development, powered by understanding our bodies at a nanoscale level, a hot topic this year.

Read on to Level Up!

  • Smart Bomb Drugs

  • Martha’s Rule Sets the Stage

  • UK Melanoma Cases Surge

  • AI Revolutionizes Hotel Stays

  • A New Aging Science

Have a great week,
The TensorBlack Team

Medical referrals take time. You want to get them right.

Prompt an AI to generate copy & paste templates in seconds, using your contact information directly from the web! See an example here.

You are a medical oncologist with a warm, caring bedside manner. You write in a straightforward, understandable way. You've just seen a patient and suspect they may have [arrhythmia]. Please write a referral letter to the department of cardiology for a patient for further testing.

Produce a templated output I can easily copy and paste into a Google Doc, but use the addresses, phone numbers, hospital names, department names you find from the web pages below.

Referring practice: [URL with contact info]

Cardiologist practice: [URL with contact info]

— TensorBlack Team

What’s Hot

Pharma leaders at ASCO discuss how new 'smart bomb' drugs are transforming cancer treatments by targeting known cancer markers more effectively.

Details

  • Advances in nanoscale technology are enabling new cancer treatment modalities.

  • New drugs like Enhertu for HER2-positive cancer are receiving tumor-agnostic approvals, expanding their use.

  • Pharma leaders highlight the potential for small molecules and cell therapies in earlier lines of therapy.

Why It Matters

“Multi-modality” is a key to new cancer diagnoses, treatments, and drug development. Guess what? The technology arises from the same AI to generate and understand videos (e.g. Veo, Sora).

Martha's rule allows patients and families to request urgent, second-opinion reviews if their medical concerns are not being listened to, aiming to improve communication and care in hospitals.

Details

  • Martha's rule was inspired by the death of 13-year-old Martha Mills from sepsis and aims to challenge the 'doctor knows best' culture.

  • The rule enables patients and families to call an internal number for a second opinion from a critical care outreach team.

  • 143 NHS hospitals have signed up for the approach, with plans to roll it out across all NHS hospitals by 2025.

Why It Matters

AI will one day enable second opinions from “AI doctors” who’ve seen millions of patients, read every PubMed article, and who know every diagnostic, drug, treatment and clinical trial available.

Martha's rule establishes precedent for families to get coverage for such critical second care opinions.

Melanoma skin cancer cases in the UK have hit an all-time high, with nearly 90% preventable through better sun protection.

Details

  • Predicted 20,800 melanoma cases in the UK this year, up from an average of 19,300 annually between 2020 and 2022.

  • Rates rose by nearly a third from 2009 to 2019, with significant increases in older adults, especially those over 80.

  • Almost 90% of melanoma cases are due to excessive UV exposure, highlighting the need for better sun safety measures.

Why It Matters

Knowing the rise in melanoma cases helps oncologists and caregivers emphasize prevention and early detection, crucial for improving survival rates and reducing the burden of skin cancer.

AI-driven concierge services are transforming Nashville hotels, offering on-demand guest services without reducing job opportunities.

Hotel Concierges are becoming AI!

Details

  • Metaguest AI is expanding its AI concierge technology to 20 hotels in Nashville.

  • The AI service handles tasks like housekeeping requests, itinerary planning, and booking attractions.

  • The technology aims to improve guest experiences in hotels that lack traditional concierge services.

Why It Matters

Can AI hospital concierges be far away? Great application of AI to improve a fundamental, often luxurious hotel service at low cost.

Molecular biologist Venki Ramakrishnan explores the complex science of aging and the challenges of anti-aging interventions.

Details

  • Compression of morbidity aims to extend healthy years but achieving it remains uncertain and complex.

  • Potential anti-aging methods like senolytics, Yamanaka factors, and caloric restriction show promise but carry significant risks and unknowns.

  • Epigenetic clocks and other markers provide insights but lack consistency and clear application for individual aging.

Why It Matters

Understanding the biology of aging can help healthcare professionals make informed decisions about potential anti-aging therapies and manage patient expectations.

The exploration of various interventions highlights the need for rigorous research and cautious application in clinical settings.