Yashoda Hospitals enters the metaverse

Yashoda Hospitals, a hospital chain in Hyderabad, capital of the Indian state Telangana, has entered the metaverse.

According to a press statement, the hospital group purchased a plot of land on the metaverse platform Decentraland. It now claims to be the first healthcare group in India to join the metaverse, a network of three-dimensional virtual worlds.

Joining Decentraland is the group's "first step" towards their acceptance of decentralised technology, said Yashoda Hospitals Director Dr Abhinav Gorukanti.

"We believe the future will be driven by core technologies like the blockchain and Web 3.0, moving from a centralised to a decentralised ecosystem," he said.

The hospital chain plans to offer healthcare services, as well as create employment on the metaverse platform.

NUS team pilots AI dose optimisation platform 

A team of researchers and clinicians from the National University of Singapore and the National University Cancer Institute has piloted an AI-powered tool that recommends optimal drug doses for cancer patients.

The platform called CURATE.AI uses a patient's clinical data, such as drug type, drug dose and cancer biomarkers, to generate their digital profile for customising an optimal dose during chemotherapy. It seeks to enable personalised dosing for patients while empowering clinicians to identify the optimal dose for their patients.

To validate the technology, it was tested in a clinical trial involving 10 patients with advanced solid tumours and predominantly metastatic colorectal cancers at the National University Hospital from August 2020 to April 2022. 

It was reported clinicians accepted nearly 97% of the recommended doses by CURATE.AI with some patients receiving optimal doses that were approximately 20% lower on average. The trial also found 80% patient adherence to AI recommended doses and full compliance in providing dosing recommendations within a required timeframe.

"The pilot trial represents a promising step towards incorporating CURATE.AI into the clinical workflow of dynamic dose selection in the treatment of solid tumours," said Dr Raghav Sundar, principal investigator of the clinical trial.

The NUS team will now work on a larger, randomised trial to further validate the performance of their AI platform. They will also expand the trials to involve patients diagnosed with other types of cancers and disorders. Moreover, they are set to launch a trial to optimise personalised immunotherapy dosing for solid cancers.

BPL Medical integrates health monitoring tools with AyuRythm

Indian medical equipment manufacturer BPL Medical has partnered with mobile wellness startup AyuRythm.

Based on a press statement, their partnership seeks to integrate BPL's pulse oximeters, blood pressure monitors, and personal weighing scales with the AyuRythm mobile app. According to BPL, this will combine modern measurement techniques with Ayurvedic assessments.

Through its proprietary algorithms, AyuRythm offers personalised wellness solutions based on ancient Ayurvedic principles. Its platform also provides reports, tracks user's progress, and connects users with wellness experts and thousands of home remedies.