| | | | |  | | By Erin Schumaker, Daniel Payne, Carmen Paun and Ruth Reader | | | | | 
Tears could hold the key to eye-related disease, researchers believe. | Getty Images | The government wants to monitor your tears. That’s the aim of the Ocular Laboratory for Analysis of Biomarkers, or OCULAB, program from the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, which seeks applications from researchers who can develop biomarker technology to insert into tear ducts to measure and monitor eye problems in real time. The wearable system should have two components: a continuous monitoring nanosensor for the tear ducts and an ultra-precise drug-dosing device, which can respond to the monitoring system. Why’s that? “Our platform will enable diagnosing, monitoring, and treating conditions like dry eye disease to be more efficient and less invasive for individuals,” Dr. Calvin Roberts, OCULAB’s program manager, said in a statement. Why it matters: Tear samples are preferred over blood or urine samples because they’re readily accessible, can be repeatedly collected and are less invasive to sample. In-office tear testing is already the standard of care for diagnosing dry-eye disease, which is characterized by pain, itchiness, a gritty feeling and vision problems. The condition is widespread, affecting 20 million Americans, mostly postmenopausal women, and is likely underdiagnosed, according to ARPA-H. What’s next? If the program is successful, ARPA-H hopes the platform could one day be a monitoring and intervention system for various eye diseases, as well as hormonal, inflammatory and other disorders. A hybrid proposers’ day to learn more about the program is slated for Dec. 11 in Tampa, Florida. Registration for the event closes Dec. 4 at noon Eastern Time.
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Shenandoah National Park, Va. | Shawn Zeller/POLITICO | This is where we explore the ideas and innovators shaping health care. Will anybody get out of the AI age without creating a chatbot? The 167-year-old Atlantic magazine is experimenting with its own AI assistant, with the goal of helping readers explore its archive. Share any thoughts, news, tips and feedback with Carmen Paun at cpaun@politico.com, Daniel Payne at dpayne@politico.com, Ruth Reader at rreader@politico.com, or Erin Schumaker at eschumaker@politico.com. Send tips securely through SecureDrop, Signal, Telegram or WhatsApp.
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The election will affect the financial outlook for the health care industry, but perhaps not as much as in the past. | Julio Cortez/AP | Though the 2024 election results will undoubtedly affect health care policy, they aren’t expected to immediately affect the credit ratings of drug firms, hospitals and others in the health care business, according to a recent report from Fitch Ratings. The health policies under discussion this cycle are “less dramatic” than in earlier elections, according to the analysis, which pointed to the Republican push to eliminate the Affordable Care Act in 2016 and Democratic plans for universal coverage in the 2020 primary. Leaders in both parties appear to be shifting their agendas away from overhauling the health system’s economic structures in the next four years, instead favoring discussions on abortion access and ways to reduce patient costs. Why it matters: Health care is the U.S. economy’s largest industry, and the industry’s fiscal health can significantly alter the cost, access and quality of patient care.
| | |  England's using AI to figure out if it's broken. | AFP via Getty Images | England’s National Health Service should use artificial intelligence tools to help detect broken bones in urgent care patients — to ensure health care professionals don’t overlook fractures. That preliminary recommendation comes from the U.K.’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, or NICE, an independent body that assesses new treatments and medical devices in England and Wales. On Monday, the institute said providers can use one of four AI tools — TechCare Alert, BoneView, RBfracture and Rayvolve — in urgent care facilities while further evidence is generated about the technology’s benefits. Why it matters: Missed fractures are the most common diagnostic error in the emergency department, according to a 2019 report, NICE said. Some missed broken bones could be due to the pressure and demands on radiologists and radiographers, who typically have a high workload because they’re in short supply in the U.K., according to Mark Chapman, NICE’s health technology director. “Clinical evidence suggests that the AI technologies may improve fracture detection on X-rays in urgent care, compared with just a professional reviewing on their own, without increasing the risk of incorrect diagnoses,” the institute said. NICE suggests that AI could also help reduce variation in care across the country, lower the number of fractures initially overlooked and prevent further injury or harm during the time between an initial assessment and a treatment decision. What’s next? NICE is taking feedback until Nov. 5 and plans to publish a final recommendation in mid-January. | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Follow us | | | | |
