How Data is Transforming Medtech

Let’s start with some not-so-fun statistics: one in eight men faces a lifetime risk of developing prostate cancer and over 68% of the prostate tumour volume is invisible to MRI. Receiving a cancer diagnosis is already difficult to come to terms with, but the next step — choosing the right treatment – is also fraught with challenges. It’s not uncommon for a clinician to send a patient home with a booklet of 20 different treatment options to discuss at a later date. 

This confusing and overwhelming process was Shyam’s starting point.

Driven by a vision to improve personalized treatment for prostate cancer, Shyam founded Avenda Health. Their team is at the forefront of transforming how we spot and treat prostate cancer by providing practitioners with advanced, AI-powered detection and prediction tools. In Shyam’s own words: "Avenda Health, quite simply, is all about building the next generation in personalized cancer care."

Not only is the developing technology intriguing, but it’s also promising for those who face the risk of prostate cancer. 

What about the person behind the company? Shyam started his journey as an academic. He holds a BSc in Computer Engineering and Japanese from UC Santa Barbara, and a MSc and PhD in Biomedical Engineering from UCLA. During his postdoctoral tenure at UCLA's Department of Surgery, he worked closely with Dr. Erik Dutson to refine minimally invasive surgical techniques.

Shyam also served as the program manager for the UCLA Business of Science Center. Members were responsible for creating and sustaining initiatives that engage and inspire students to pursue non-academic careers. He was also involved in founding and directing the UCLA Innovation Week and the Inventathon, a 24-hour healthcare competition.

Although he focused on prostate cancer in his PhD, he knew that identifying a problem is only the starting point. Once he honed in on the issue, he interviewed around 20 people every week over the span of a few months to get a comprehensive understanding. “Talking to other people and getting different perspectives really opened up my mind from my narrow world,” he humbly shares. 

Avenda Health was founded based on the following clinical dilemma: patients dealing with prostate cancer have an overwhelming number of treatment options, but insufficient data to make informed decisions. 

While at UCLA, Shyam and his team pioneered a method that merged MRI data with real-time ultrasound, which offered patients clearer, more detailed information on the localization of their prostate cancer. It was a seemingly small leap in image-guided diagnosis, but it completely changed the diagnosis process. It became not only a standard of care but also the cornerstone upon which Avenda Health was built. 

”Going from a needle poke randomly in the body to something that is a bit more image-guided and a little more precise totally changed our world in terms of how much information we're able to extract through images and diagnostics,” says Shyam.

With Avenda, Shyam took his seminal work several steps further by integrating artificial intelligence to map prostate cancer more accurately. He describes the technology as a way to fill in the missing pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. Conventional diagnostic methods often offer only partial information about the cancer, letting you see a fragment of a bigger picture. Avenda's technology consolidates these fragments — MRI scans, ultrasound images, clinical markers — and uses AI to create a comprehensive, accurate map of the cancer.

Their AI platform, Unfold AI, is a decision-support platform, which aims to provide a more accurate depiction of a cancer’s margins and its extension within the prostate. It helps doctors spare as much healthy tissue as possible while minimizing the risk of leaving cancer behind — a task that is particularly difficult due to the limitations of current imaging techniques. Avenda Health reports that Unfold AI has shown clinical promise with a 97% sensitivity rate at cancer detection, and it has led to a 28% change in treatment recommendations among urologists.

Six years into its journey, Avenda has secured two FDA clearances, a Breakthrough Device Designation, and has completed four clinical studies. Currently, it’s in the commercialization stage. 

The implications are staggering. With this technology, Avenda is poised to dramatically improve not only the diagnosis but also the treatment outcomes for prostate cancer patients. This shift towards highly personalized, data-driven decision-making can set a precedent not just in prostate cancer treatment but potentially in the entire oncology field, paving the way for a future where personalized cancer care is not a luxury but a standard.

Key Learnings From Shyam’s Experience

• Go deep, not just broad. Identifying a market need is only the beginning of an exhaustive investigative process. You must dive deeper to comprehend the root causes of the issue. Proceed to build a prototype only after you comprehensively understand the problem and seek mentorship proactively every step of the way.

• Don’t overcrowd your board. Fundraising in medtech requires a mix of politics, strategy, and clinical understanding. Be prepared to turn down offers that dilute your mission. And remember: it is a numbers game, meaning, expect to do hundreds of pitches before you secure the capital you need.

• ‍Cross disciplinary functions to adapt adjacent technologies. Look for ways to synthesize advancements in other fields, such as information technology, into your product. Putting the patient at the center of your mission allows you to identify how tools from adjacent disciplines can improve your product.