Healthtech Pigeon

A lively rundown of privacy-first cycle tracking, smart menstrual products and using menstrual blood for at-home diagnostics. They explore hybrid biomarkers from wearables to smart toilets and VR eye tests for concussion. The conversation covers Perplexity Health, Microsoft’s distribution edge in health AI and worries about platform dominance. They finish by unpacking NHS EPR training gaps and clinician co-design needs.

Conversation about whether wearables can be trusted and which platform will dominate the health AI race. Discussion of Fitbit linking medical records and how that changes data use. Exploration of clinicians using AI for notes, translations and admin while debating safe versus risky diagnostic uses. Debate over AI-powered therapy, clinical safety layers and ethical risks if therapeutic tech becomes proprietary.

Jessica and Belle from SomX chat through all the best news from this week.The conversation PR isn't having about motherhoodHertility Preventative Healthcare Report 2026🗞 Grab the newsletter at www.healthtechpigeon.com✍️ Apply to be a podcast guest using this form: https://share.hsforms.com/1PkAwCjniQjiGl53i8dtZ8g3xer2📖 Learn more about the SomX team at https://somx.health

Sarah Ticho, co-director at the XR Health Alliance and creator of Soul Paint, blends anthropology, XR and art to explore wellbeing. She discusses barriers to adopting XR in healthcare. She explains Soul Paint’s VR body-mapping, exhibitions and research. She talks about translating virtual art into real-world care, libraries and community spaces, and early patterns in body-mapped emotions.

Celestin de Wergifosse, CEO of Signature Biosciences, builds PCR kits to bring gene-expression tests into hospital labs. Christoph Ruedig, Albion VC partner and former physician, invests in early-stage healthtech. They discuss making precision diagnostics run on existing lab equipment, tackling cost and scaling bottlenecks, integrating tests into clinical workflows, and the sensible roles and risks of AI and wearables.

Hansen Tsui, product lead at Sanome focused on clinical AI for infection risk and clinician-centered design. He discusses co-design with frontline clinicians, integrating AI into EPRs to avoid extra workload, a TRL6 pilot with NHS trusts, explainability via SHAP dashboards, continuous monitoring and bias audits, and strategies to reduce alarm fatigue and improve real-world adoption.

Carlo Alberto Gaetaniello, Chief Product Officer at Serenis, builds accessible digital mental health and primary care in Italy. Niki Loboda, Senior Director at Whereby, focuses on video APIs and telehealth partnerships. They discuss clinician-friendly AI tools, vetting AI providers, LLMs missing clinical errors due to tone, and why Apple may be pulling back while others push AI health features.

Harry, a SomX team participant who explains technical healthtech topics, breaks down neuron-based biological computing and how lab-grown organoids could act as efficient computing substrates. He compares brain energy use to silicon, explains CL1 platforms and ethical concerns about organoid consciousness. They also discuss menopause care funding, family health platforms, and data privacy risks.

Catrina Baxter-Moorse, Senior Product Manager at Jane focusing on telehealth reliability and UX; Andreas Bovens from Whereby, expert on web video and media quality; Jess Heck, Product Marketing Manager at Jane working on clinician adoption. They debate what makes virtual care reliable, measuring trust and call quality, AI misinformation and who owns it, Apple Watch measurement limits, and trade-offs between stability and flashy features.

James, Jess, and Harry are joined by Patrick Beldon, CEO and Co-Founder at Cortirio, to delve into this weeks neuroscience news and talk about how Cortirio are working on portable brain imaging!Learn more about Cortirio: https://cortirio.com/🗞 Grab the newsletter at www.healthtechpigeon.com✍️ Apply to be a podcast guest using this form: https://share.hsforms.com/1PkAwCjniQjiGl53i8dtZ8g3xer2🖇 Connect with James on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-somauroo/🖇 Connect with Jessica on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicasomauroo/🖇 Connect with Harry on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harry-salt/📖 Learn more about the SomX team at https://somx.health