New to RHT - Food for Thought

I am a long term Hotcopper follower and poster but have not been very active for quite some time.

I am new to RHT but coming up to speed. My interest stems from a recent article I read and it hit home as a good friend of mine is having a challenging time with a serious liver condition. I have also worked in IT for a long time, so the progress of AI and machine learning into our lives interest me.

My apology in advance if someone else has already posted some of the information outlined below.  

The following article on RHT was published by * this morning - it provides a bit more information about RHT strategy after their announcement on 15 Janauray 2019. 

https://unauthorised investment advice/health/heres-how-resonance-health-went-from-dull-to-darling-overnight/?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Morning%20ASX%20small%20cap%20wrap%20Wed%20Jan%2016&utm_content=Morning%20ASX%20small%20cap%20wrap%20Wed%20Jan%2016+CID_500026c7cad0c297b4d644d21a3989bb&utm_source=Campaign%20Monitor&utm_term=Resonance%20Health%20just%20went%20from%20wallflower%20to%20overnight%20wonder%20heres%20why

The following comments by CEO Alison Laws / paragraphs particularly attracted my attention:

1.  Artificial intelligence’s dumber sibling, machine learning, is behind a major change of strategy at Resonance Health which has propelled its fortunes into the stratosphere.

CEO Alison Laws says they’re training new neural networks to do their bidding as we speak, hoping one will be smart enough to give the company the next leg up in the realm of liver testing.

2. The future is not in iron concentrations however. It’s in fatty liver AI analysis.

3. Resonance licensed a raft of patents from Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) in early January to develop AI-backed ‘proton density fat fraction’ (PDFF) measurement software.

 These are the new neural networks the company is training.

  And they’ve already got one system on the market, Hepa-Fat, which offers one of two kinds of analysis.

4. So Resonance is tying their colours to the promise of companies like Pharmaxis (ASXXS) which are having some success in clinical trials for fatty liver treatments.

5. Ms Laws hopes to have a prototype for an alternative to Hepa-Fat done and dusted within six months.

I did a quick search in RHT announcements and on their web site but can't find any refer to an agreement or partnership with Pharmis. 

Yet !  My guess is that they may be in deep discussions already - particularly how the RHT AI liver solutions may be able to assist Pharmas in their liver related clinical trials.

Pharmaxis takes firm steps towards commercialising suite of fibrotic disease treatments

By George Tchetvertakov

November 15, 2018

https://*********.com.au/pharmaxis-steps-towards-commercialising-suite-fibrotic-disease-treatments/

Extract:  Pharmaceutical company Pharmaxis (ASX: PXS) has taken another step towards developing a useful treatment for debilitating fibrotic diseases such as Non‐Alcoholic

Steatohepatitis (NASH) and Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF), after announcing positive results from its Phase 1 clinical trial.

From Pharmaxis AGM Presentation dated 22 Nov 2018:

Key catalysts targeted for 2018/2019: Pharmaxis value driving events

1. LOXL2 anti fibrotic program

 Phase 2 enabling toxicity studies: 2 completed, 2 to report Q4 2018

 Partnering process to commence - Q4 2018.

From other slides in the Pharmaxis AGM pack dated 22 Nov 2018:

SSAO (Boehringer Ingelheim): Pharmaxis poised to be amajor player in diseases caused by complications of diabetes.

SSAO: Phase 2 trials to show clinical proof ofconcept in H1 2019

Boehringer Ingelheim responsible for clinical development and commercialisation

NASH:

 Phase 2a trial expected to reportH1 2019 – proof of efficacy inpatients with moderate – severedisease

 Deutsche Bank estimate marketsize of US$35b by 2025

 First in class anti inflammatorySSAO inhibitor for NASH with peaksales potential of ~US$2b[Analyst’s estimate]

Diabetic Retinopathy

 Phase 2a SSAO diabetic retinopathyexpected to report H1 2019 – proofof efficacy in patients with earlystage disease

 Affects one third of diabeticpatients world wide

 No approved treatments for earlystage disease

 First in class anti inflammatorySSAO inhibitor for DR with peaksales potential of ~US$800m[Analyst’s estimate]

From the RHT website:

http://www.resonancehealth.com/clinical-trial-services.html 

Quantitative Image Analysis available globally in an investigational setting:

o Bone Marrow R2 for Iron Assessment - provides an estimation of iron levels in the bone marrow - approval from TGA, CE mark & FDA is expected by end of 2017.

o Quantitative Iron Assessment in Other Organs - surrogate iron measurements (R2 / R2*) in other organsincludingpancreas, spleen, and kidney

o Pancreatic Fat Assessment– quantitative assessment of pancreatic fat

o Visceral / Subcutaneous Fat and Organ Fat in Metabolic Disease - quantitative assessments of visceral fat, subcutaneous fat, epicardial fat

o Fibrosis and Inflammation – a combination of MRI measures to assess liver fibrosis and inflammation

o Liver Biopsy – Stereology Services- quantitative assessment of hepatic steatosis of digitised biopsiesusing stereology

o Organ Volume Measurements - measurements of various organs such as the liver and spleen

RHT ASX Announcement 4 May 2018:

Resonance Health (ASX: RHT) announced today that it has signed an agency agreement to distributean Artificial Intelligence (AI) Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) grading tool.

Reading between the lines / food for thought:

I have underlined a few key statement above. 

CEO believe future lies in "fatty liver AI analysis".

RHT already has Hepa-Fat system.

RHT already provides services for Fibrosis and Inflammation – a combination of MRI measures to assess liver fibrosis and inflammation

Early January, announced that it has licensed a raft of patents from Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) to develop AI-backed ‘proton density fat fraction’ (PDFF) measurement software.

Signed an agency agreement to distributean Artificial Intelligence (AI) Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) grading tool.

Ms Laws hopes to have a prototype for an alternative to Hepa-Fat done and dusted within six months.

RHT seems to have developed and obtained through licences and agreements a bag of related IP and tools that may be useful to Pharmaxis and its partner Boehringer Ingelheim

during the continuation of their "SSAO: Phase 2 trials to show clinical proof ofconcept in H1 2019".

The comment in Stochead artcle today relating RHT with Pharmaxis may be a coincidence or perhaps something is brewing in the background - food for thought.

These comments are meant to be investment advice - so please do your own research and make your own decisions about investing in RHT or anyother company.