A January 2024 Forbes article highlights the crucial role firms like HEMEO play in optimizing the use of blood by clinicians. In the post-Covid era, when the number of people donating blood has decreased, innovative data-driven technologies like HEMEO offer a much-needed injection of optimism in addressing blood supply and management challenges.

To read the full article: www.forbes.com

Dutch health tech startup HEMEO was selected as one of only ten innovative companies to participate in the ScaleNL, NBSO LA, Cedars-Sinai Accelerator program in Los Angeles, USA. This prestigious opportunity places HEMEO among a select group of firms poised to make significant inroads into the U.S. healthcare market.

As the leading health system in California and a pioneer in the American healthcare landscape, Cedars-Sinai offers a robust platform for startups to gain invaluable insights and connections. ScaleNL, a public-private partnership, supports Dutch tech companies in scaling their U.S. operations, while the Netherlands Business Support Office (NBSO) in Los Angeles collaborates with the Dutch Consulate General in San Francisco, focusing on the Western States, including California.

During the program, which was attended by Professor Aamer Ahmed, HEMEO’s Chief Medical Officer, HEMEO managed to enhance its visibility and expand its network with mentors, investors and potential customers. This program also provided crucial insights into the U.S. context, providing a deeper understanding about raising capital in the U.S. marketplace. This directly helps HEMEO hone its value proposition and ROI strategy, while validating its product-market fit with key healthcare stakeholders. Furthermore, the program facilitated connections with key opinion leaders, subject matter experts and other healthcare entrepreneurs, fostering the exchange of best practices.

HEMEO also benefited from the deeper understanding gained of the regulatory environment and the payor landscape. Insights into Cedars-Sinai’s electronic medical record system (EPIC) were particularly valuable, as was exploring potential integration opportunities. The company also learned about various operational and clinical departments at Cedars-Sinai.

This program marks a significant milestone, positioning HEMEO for successful entry and growth in the competitive U.S. healthcare market.

Since January 2024, HEMEO has had the great pleasure to welcome Leslie “Lee” DeGeer as its President and Chief Executive Officer. Lee is a seasoned medical device executive with more than 25 years of documented success in the Life Sciences and Diagnostics space, and with a proven track record of leading businesses to outperform the market.

After serving 10 years as a US army officer, Lee’s career background includes 15 years at Ventana Medical Systems / Roche Tissue Diagnostics, where he held multiple sales and marketing positions, including both leading their North American Marketing organization and where he was responsible for all ex-US commercialization efforts, post the acquisition of Ventana by Roche. After Ventana, Lee’s spent 6 years at Leica Biosystems (a Danaher OPCO), leading all North American Sales efforts and later was the Global Head of their Advanced Staining Reagent team. Lee then held the position of Chief Commercial Officer for HemoSonics, a medical device technology company focused on acute bleeding management, where he designed and executed their global commercial launch strategy. Most recently, Lee was President of Biocartis US, Inc, a privately held molecular diagnostics company, where he built the US organization and strategy, and where he and his team exceeded market expectations over the last 3 years.

In each endeavor, Lee has consistently demonstrated the ability to identify strategies that create sustainable competitive advantage, delivering results through rigorous execution and a continuous focus on building and enabling high performing, engaged and diverse teams.

Hemeo announces the successful closure of its first equity finance round. Raising €675,000, it has been substantially oversubscribed, highlighting the strong interest raised by the potential of the Hemeo technology designed to revolutionise coagulation with data.

We are honoured by the combination and multiplicity of (international) investors who support Hemeo. The funds will be used to complete the development, regulatory approval and launch of our first application providing clinicians a real time interactive tool to manage bleeding and transfusions according to clinical guidelines. Equally important, the application will serve as a springboard for the development and validation of our AI technology allowing predictive modelling and personalised treatments.

Hemeo Coagulation model is based upon more than 100 parameters. Our online demo is available at: www.hemeo.health/technology. Click on “Request Access” below the video to obtain a password and make your own simulations.

There are more than 5 millions patients affected by serious bleeding or thrombosis annually in Europe and the US. Serious bleeding and thrombosis lead to high mortality and morbidity rates. Hemeo was founded in 2019 with AI technology based upon 15 years of research at Philips. The algorithms and coagulation model loaded with patient data, build a digital coagulation twin for each patient. Based on this digital twin, clinicians can predict risks of bleeding and thrombosis and provide early and personalized treatments for the patients. Hemeo is building a portfolio of software solutions dedicated to assist clinicians with life-saving decisions and also offers its AI powered model to support and accelerate the research of medical devices and drugs.

For more information, please contact r.corlin@hemeo.health.

Over the past few months we have been contacted by several pharma and medtech companies interested to understand how our coagulation model could help them advance or accelerate their own research and development. We are happy to announce our first agreement and we look forward to strengthen that opportunity in the future.

Hemeo has entered into a collaborative research agreement with VarmX, a clinical–stage biotech company focusing on development of innovative approaches for the reversal of anticoagulation.

Hemeo will process pre–clinical pharmacodynamic data on VarmX’s anticoagulant reversal agent, VMX–C001, to extend its computational coagulation model. This will enable accurate simulation of the restoration of blood clotting by VMX–C001 in the presence of factor Xa direct oral anticoagulants (FXa DOACs). The resulting model will be capable of estimating the therapeutic window of  VMX–C001 to support dose selection for future clinical studies. 

“Following a series of meetings with the VarmX team where we introduced our coagulation model and its potential to support and accelerate research for medical devices and drugs, we are delighted with the interest and commitment we received and look forward to offer VarmX the data processing and modelling capabilities they are looking for” says Remi Corlin, CEO at Hemeo.

Gerard Short, CMO at VarmX added “In December 2021, VarmX initiated its first–in–human study for lead compound, VMX–C001. It is our intention to achieve universal dosing of VMX–C001 for reversal of all DOACs, making selecting the right dose very important. Therefore, we are very pleased to be working with Hemeo, using their model to support dose selection for VMX–C001.”

In 2020, Hemeo completed a first feasibility study supported by a grant from the SME Innovation Stimulation Topsectors (MIT) Noord-Holland. We are grateful for the support and delighted that Hemeo has now been awarded a second grant in support of a feasibility research project, assessing the potential for a quick and low cost Point Of Care Test to measure fibrinogen level in a drop of blood. We are honoured to partner with the Hematology Department of Erasmus University Medical Centre on this project, under the leadership of Prof. Moniek de Maat.