Breaking the Cycle: Unlocking Untapped Opportunities in Medical Innovation
In recent years, significant progress has been made in healthcare innovation. Breakthroughs in the fields of structural heart, electrophysiology (EP), benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH), and breast cancer have attracted investors’ attention; leading to new therapies and improved clinical outcomes. But these successes did not happen by chance – they were the result of a continuous focus, strong funding, and successful exits supported by clinicians and capital.
However, as these areas develop, many equally important areas remain underfunded and undervalued. These quiet corners of life sciences have great potential, but strive to attract the resources and recognition needed.
While headlines tend to focus on the most obvious innovation, it is necessary to focus on the less fascinating and critical opportunities that can define the next boundary. In particular, the two departments deserve urgent attention.
Elderly Care: Dignity Design
In the United States, where multigenerational families are rare, aging is often outsourced to institutions – making innovations in older people not only important, but also important. Despite the rapid aging of the population, progress is lagging behind. By 2050, the number of Americans over 65 will exceed 2009, and Americans over 85 will become the fastest-growing segment.
Elderly patients have represented hospitalization, and re-selected disproportionately to health care costs. Common conditions – cognitive decline, urinary incontinence, vulnerability and liquidity loss – remain stigmatized and under-researched. The mismatch between demand and solution is huge, and investment can play a key role in closing the gap.
However, designing for this population requires thoughtful, human-centered innovation. Devices must account for age-related declines in hearing, vision, agility, and cognitive. As the shortage of caregivers grows, so does the need for technical tools such as fall testing, drug management, and remote monitoring, which not only improve care, but also maintain dignity and independence for the last years of life. Unfortunately, the misstep incentives of healthcare systems deployed in these areas result in less attention and therefore less capital.
Gynecological Health and Menopause: Breaking Taboos
Another long-standing region is gynecological health and menopause, a space that affects half of the population but has historically been marginalized in research and investment. One major reason: Investors are hesitant because of lack of exit opportunities. However, this concern perpetuates a cycle – limited funding leads to limited innovation, which in turn leads to fewer successful cases that attract future capital.
These figures are distinct: Female-only conditions account for only 4% of the drug pipeline. However, experts estimate that meeting women’s health needs could release more than $1 trillion in global GDP. For innovators and investors, clear needs and opportunities need to readjust their priorities and support companies that are reimagining how we care for women at all stages of our lives.
Call for Action: Ending the innovation gap
We have seen how transformation and innovation are supported by concentrated investment. But if we want to continue to advance healthcare in meaningful ways, we have to expand the lens and invest in the space left.
Keep a key structural barrier: the “dead zone” between FDA approval and insurance coverage. Even after the device has obtained a regulated clearance rate, patients often face an extended avenue of reimbursement. During this barrier, adoption stalls and companies are working to commercialize their technology. result? Innovators can safely play a role by choosing to make small adjustments to existing devices that already have billing codes instead of betting boldly on new ideas.
To escape this cycle, we need more powerful mechanisms to bridge the gap and accelerate market access to new technologies.
Ultimately, we face a choice: continue to pour capital into a dilapidated road, or help build tomorrow’s breakthrough. The future of healthcare requires both. With the right support, we can shape a system that not only treats disease, but also anticipate, respect it, and reimagine the way we take care of every stage of our lives.
Photo: Casezy, Getty Images
Auriel August joined the Santé Ventures investment team in 2021, focusing on the medical device portfolio. Prior to joining Santé, Auriel was a physician-resident at IDEO Design for Health Studio, where she worked with clients of all sizes to design new medical devices, digital health technologies and patient care experiences. Auriel trained as a general surgeon at Stanford University Hospital and is also a graduate of the Stanford Biodesign Innovation Scholarship. Auriel received her MD from a bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering from Dartmouth Medical School and Duke University.
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