RESET RESTART REFOCUS

Relentless RoundUp

20th Edition

Self-care. It has been top of mind as of late.

In September, my younger brother Billy spent 28 days in the trauma ICU.  I sat at his bedside most days. I held his hand, whispered words of encouragement to his deeply sedated being, and constantly repeated ‘You have been fixed. You are going to be okay.’ He heard me. He came back to us on Day 24. And yes, he is going to be okay.

Over the course of that soul crushing experience, one of Billy’s exceptional ICU nurses stopped me in my tracks when she asked me what I was doing to take care of myself. Me? What? It is amazing how quickly we can find ourselves slipping into non-compliance of our own health needs when focused on others. She nudged me to reflect. My personal tank was running on empty. She texted me later that night the following note:

RESET.

RESTART.

REFOCUS.

AS MANY TIMES AS YOU NEED TO, JUST DON’T QUIT.

So here is to the grand reset, as many times as we need to.

Brain Health, Mental Illness and Dementia in Later Life

One of the pillars of emphasis for Relentless Fund I, which will continue to be an area of investment for our new Fund II, is mental health and brain health. Why? Because, even as the stigma attached to discussing our personal mental health needs has lessened in recent years, the reality is that far too many individuals avoid or underestimate their need to seek support. A group whose mental health is often misunderstood and overlooked, frequently under-recognized and under-treated, are the older adults in our life. Our seniors.

Here are a few statistics that were reported in the “Aging and Mental Health Policy Framework”, published by the ‘Centre for Addiction and Mental Health’ (CAMH):

·       Mild depressive symptoms, depression and anxiety disorders represent > 25% of the most common mental health symptoms experienced by older adults.

·       1 in 5 Canadian seniors are living with mental illness or dementia.

·       1 in 5 Baby Boomers are expected to develop dementia in their lifetime.

Development of dementia is NOT a normal part of aging. Significant research has been published on strategies to delay or prevent dementia; there are risk factors that can be managed. Dementia has both non-modifiable (e.g., genetic) and modifiable risk factors, i.e., PREVENTIVE health strategies to mitigate risk. Alongside our Relentless intention to invest in solutions that advance long term brain health, we also want to put the spotlight on what we all can do, or influence our loved ones to do, to take on a preventive health mindset.

Twelve modifiable risk factors account for 40% of dementia globally. A super majority of the risk factors are ones we know how to tackle. Here is the list to contemplate:

·       Obesity

·       Physical inactivity

·       Hypertension

·       Diabetes

·       Minimal social contact

·       Depression

·       Exposure to air pollution

·       Lower education attainment

·       Mid-life hearing loss

·       Smoking

·       Excessive alcohol consumption

·       Traumatic brain injury

For years, we have been stating the broad reaching and interconnected implications attached to our team’s efforts to reduce the incidence of heart disease and diabetes, while also improving mobility and mental health. Co-morbidities are common. Their influence on our long-term brain health is a direct line. And the negative implications, in a word, preventable.

PORTFOLIO UPDATES IN BRAIN HEALTH

LUCID Proof of Concept Clinical Trial – A Sneak Peek

LUCID launched their first randomized controlled trial (RCT) this autumn. Their novel digital music therapeutic product uses a reinforcement learning AI agent to curate and personalize a musical playlist while incorporating binaural theta auditory beat stimulation (ABS) to reduce anxiety and agitation in those with dementia. 

Early evidence is pointing to LUCID’s lead product having efficacy that is approaching 60% equivalence to an anti-psychotic medication that is often prescribed to treat and reduce agitation in Alzheimer’s patients.

MODALITY.AI Patients & Publications

The virtual assistant developed by Modality (“Tina”) is being used as a secondary endpoint in a Phase 2 trial of a new treatment under development for Parkinson’s disease (PD), which achieved first patient in, earlier this month. Furthermore, in October, Modality.AI had first patient in with another interventional trial of deep brain stimulation to treat major depressive disorder at UCSF. Since Relentless’ original investment, Modality.AI has executed more than a dozen contracts with top-10 pharma, biotech, and clinical research organizations not only for PD and depression, but also Huntington’s Disease, ALS, and Multiple Sclerosis. The partnering pipeline is exceptional.
In addition to their growing clinical partnerships, over the past few months, Modality has presented 16 new papers at research conferences in the US and Europe across diverse neurocognitive conditions including PD, depression, ALS, schizophrenia, and Huntington’s disease. Further details can be
found in the Publications section of their website [https://modality.ai/publications].

PORTFOLIO AWARDS

Aspect Biosystems

CEO and Co-Founder of Aspect Biosystems, Tamer Mohamed was named one of EY Pacific Award Winners for 2023. This leadership recognition followed the company’s double award-winning night at the recent BC Tech Technology Impact Awards, aka the BCTIAs, securing . . .

(1)   Company of the Year – Scale

(2)   Gamechanger – Ambition

Thrive Health

Thrive was also recognized by the BC Tech Association. They were a finalist in the BCTIA category of ‘Gamechanger- Diversity & Inclusion’. This recognition highlights Thrive’s unwavering commitment to fostering a diverse and inclusive organization and promoting these values in the technology sector. 

Thrive Health’s dedication to promoting diversity and inclusion is at the core of their mission, driving transformative change by building technology for a more equitable healthcare system.

Canary Medical

Just last week Canary was honoured twice! The company was named as a finalist in the FierceHealth Life Sciences Innovation Awards 2023. Canary’s canturio™te product made the Digital Health Solutions list. Winners announced at the end of November.  

Canary was also named the Gold Winner of the Merit Awards for healthcare! It’s a testament to the team's dedication to innovation & commitment to striving for the best outcomes for patients recovering from total knee surgery.

Congratulations to all the team members at Aspect, Thrive and Canary for the recognition. Your collective success and leadership inspire us daily.

RESET, RESTART, REFOCUS

As we shift from award season to the bustle of the holiday season, and then race to year ends, please take care. And remember, reset, restart, refocus as many times as you need to.