This episode of The Intersect covers a discussion with Steve Krauss, Sophia, Morgan, and Andrew from Bessemer Venture Partners, who delve into their healthcare predictions for 2025.

The conversation covers several key areas, providing insights for entrepreneurs, executives, and investors.

The first prediction focuses on the resurgence of Obamacare exchanges due to the introduction of Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangements (ICHRAs), which allow employers to allocate tax-free funds to employees for individual health insurance. This could lead to a significant shift from employer-sponsored group plans to consumer-driven models. The experts suggest that innovators should focus on consumer experience and decision-support tools in this changing market.

The discussion then moves to the growing strain on the caregiver system caused by the aging Baby Boomer generation. Challenges include workforce shortages, potential impacts from stricter immigration policies, and shifts in reimbursement structures.

The team explores potential solutions such as AI and digital companions, "business-in-a-box" models for clinicians and caregivers, and improved payment programs. They also highlight the increased digital literacy among older adults, which could support remote monitoring solutions.

Next, the conversation shifts to the transformative potential of gene therapy and gene editing for chronic diseases. The experts predict that these advanced modalities will begin targeting more prevalent conditions such as obesity, cardiovascular disease, and neurodegenerative disorders. They discuss the importance of personalized medicine and outline areas ripe for innovation including cardiovascular, immunology, and neuroscience. The group also acknowledges the challenges in commercial viability, including safety, efficacy, and economic constraints.

Finally, the discussion focuses on the evolution of multimodal AI in healthcare, which integrates diverse data sources for disease measurement and diagnostics. The panelists note that while the technical capabilities of AI have matured, payment and reimbursement structures have lagged. They give examples of AI in action, such as in diagnosing cardiomyopathy and rare diseases. While some may fear being replaced by AI tools, the group emphasizes that AI aims to complement human expertise.

The team notes the market's rebound and public dissatisfaction with the healthcare system, which can be viewed as opportunities to innovate and rebuild trust. The discussion closes with a call to action for entrepreneurs to build companies that challenge the status quo.

Source: Healthcare Predictions 2025

This week on The Intersect, we delve into groundbreaking cellular research that's challenging our understanding of memory and intelligence.

Scientists at NYU's Center for Neural Science have discovered that memory isn't exclusive to brain cells; it's a fundamental feature of cellular biology.

Their study, published in Nature Communications, reveals that non-neural cells, like kidney cells, can exhibit "memory-like" responses.

Here's what we'll explore:

●The Massed-Spaced Effect in Cells: Just like when you study for an exam, cells respond better to spaced-out stimuli than cramming. The researchers found that when non-neural cells are exposed to repeated chemical signals, they show enhanced responses to spaced stimuli, similar to how neurons behave during learning.

●Cellular "Training": Lead researcher Nikolay Kukushkin suggests that we might one day be able to "train" cells to perform beneficial behaviors. This could include teaching muscle cells to produce healthy hormones or programming cancer cells to stop dividing.

●Molecular Mechanisms: The study shows that the memory-like responses in cells are linked to the activation of molecules like CREB and ERK, which are also essential for memory formation in neurons. Spaced stimulation leads to a stronger and more sustained activation of these molecules.

●Challenging Neurocentrism: This research, along with the work of Dr. Michael Levin on bioelectricity, challenges the traditional neurocentric view that information processing is unique to the brain. Both studies demonstrate that non-neural cells can process and store information, suggesting "intelligence-like" behaviors exist at the cellular level.

●Therapeutic Applications: Manipulating cellular behavior could have potential therapeutic applications. Instead of just blocking processes with drugs, we might be able to modify cells themselves to treat diseases.

●The Broader Implications: The researchers are also investigating what kinds of time patterns cells respond to and how these patterns change the cell. They hope to be able to predict cellular behavior in response to time patterns.

●What is "memory" at the cellular level?: The researchers emphasize that the memory processes they are observing in cells are not metaphorical but are the same processes with the same evolutionary roots and functional use as memory in the brain . This episode will explore the implications of this research, which demonstrates that the capacity for memory extends far beyond the brain and opens new possibilities for medicine and our understanding of life itself.

We're diving into the fascinating world of cognitive science, exploring the ideas from Chapter 6 of Kevin Simler and Robin Hanson's book, "The Elephant in the Brain."

Prepare to question your understanding of your own motives and actions. Are we truly the rational decision-makers we believe ourselves to be? Or are we more like a press secretary, spinning narratives to justify decisions made by a hidden "king" within our brains?

Key topics in this episode include:

●Counterfeit Reasons: We often make up reasons for our behavior, not consciously lying, but creating stories to explain our actions. These "reasons" are not necessarily the real "motives". This is something J.P. Morgan pointed out, saying "A man always has two reasons for doing anything: a good reason and the real reason".

●The Press Secretary: The brain contains a module, called the "interpreter module" or the "Press Secretary", that explains our actions to ourselves and others6. This module often operates by creating narratives that may not accurately reflect our true motives.

●Rationalization: We will look at how easily we rationalize our behavior by creating fabricated stories without the intention to deceive. Neuroscientists call this confabulation.

●Split-Brain Studies: We'll examine groundbreaking experiments by Roger Sperry and Michael Gazzaniga with "split-brain" patients that revealed how the left hemisphere of the brain can create explanations for actions that it had no part in making, demonstrating how easily we can rationalize our behavior. One example is how patients made up reasons for pointing to a shovel when shown a snowy field. Another example is how a patient said they stood up to get a coke, even though they were asked by researchers.

●Strategic Ignorance: This episode will explore how our brains, like a press secretary, can strategically remain ignorant of our darker motives in order to avoid acknowledging our selfish behaviors.

●Real-World Examples: We will discuss how rationalization appears in everyday life, from toddlers stalling bedtime to adults using half-truths. We'll examine common examples like parents enforcing bedtimes "for their own good" or people making excuses for not going to work or declining meetings.

Get ready to delve into the surprising ways our brains work and how we often deceive even ourselves about the true reasons behind our actions. You might find that you are, in fact, a stranger to yourself!

Source: The Elephant in the Brain: Hidden Motives in Everyday Life by Kevin Simler and Robin Hanson