Technology
Digital heart screening can improve health, shows study

The Healthy Heart study – a study investigating the benefits of digital at-home heart health screening – has revealed how digital screening can lead to improved health.
The study revealed that a digital-first approach to screening heart health at home could increase the number of patients testing for cardiovascular disease (CVD), as well as spotting, and acting on high cholesterol, by up to 57 per cent.
The Healthy Heart Study, conducted by Pharmacy2U and PocDoc., saw 3,871 people across the UK sign up to a digital-first heart health screening process. Participants received PocDoc’s ‘Healthy Heart Check’ on day one and day 56 and were offered two clinical reviews with a Pharmacy2U pharmacist upon completion of each test.
Over two thirds of eligible people invited to complete their first test did so, notably higher than the 44% who attended an invitation to their NHS Health Check in the past five years.
Over a quarter of those who completed their digital home health check had never had their cholesterol levels checked before, suggesting that a digital-first pathway can increase access to lifesaving preventative measures.
This is a particularly pertinent issue for those in under-privileged communities. Research has found that individuals from deprived backgrounds are less likely to attend their NHS Health Check, despite facing a higher risk of heart disease. Almost a third (30%) of participants in the Healthy Heart Study were from backgrounds categorised as ‘deprived’.
“Despite significant advances in treatment and prevention of heart conditions in recent years, cardiovascular disease still places a substantial burden on public health and the healthcare system”, said Kevin Heath, CEO of Pharmacy2U.
“The NHS Long Term Plan (2019) identified CVD as the single biggest area where lives can be saved over the next decade, while a digital-first screening programme, delivered by pharmacies, ticks all three of the government’s aims to focus on prevention, delivered digitally, within the primary care sector. This study shows just how effective that approach could be, were the NHS to invest in a nationwide rollout.”
Cholesterol and heart health checks are currently part of the NHS Health Check offered to all individuals aged over 40 in England. However, more than half of those eligible have not attended on in the past five years. Providing this service digitally could not only increase the number of people getting screened but also relieve significant pressure on busy GP practices.
The Healthy Heart Study uncovered a wide range of positive outcomes for participants. Three-quarters said they were inclined to make more healthy choices after being involved, while 46 per cent of those who completed the end-of-study survey self-reported an improvement in their cholesterol after 60 days of online advice.
Furthermore, participants reported satisfaction with PocDoc’s digital-first approach. 95 per cent said the app download process was “easy” or “very easy”; 86 per cent found interpreting results “easy” or “very easy”; and 72 per cent agreed the process was more convenient than visiting a GP. A resounding nine in 10 said the NHS should offer the service more widely.
Steve Roest, CEO of PocDoc, said: “The Healthy Heart Study is the largest of its kind in the UK, leading the way in digital-first pathways for Cardiovascular Disease prevention. The findings are crystal clear – using digital technology platforms like PocDoc and Pharmacy2u can deliver an efficient, high-quality prevention pathway that reaches people otherwise not engaging with healthcare.”
Heath said: “Digital-first healthcare puts people in control of their health by empowering individuals from all walks of life to measure, monitor, and manage their symptoms from the palm of their hand. Something we need now more than ever, not least to relieve the pressure on our hospitals and GP surgeries.”
News
Agetech World’s latest innovation & investment round-up

We round up the latest ageing and longevity investment news.
Regenerative cellular medicine company Celularity Inc has secured a US$10m financing package to support its healthy-ageing innovations.
The NASDAQ-listed business which focuses on addressing age-related and degenerative diseases secured the financing from Philip Barach, co-founder and former president of US investment house DoubleLine Capital.
“This closing strengthens Celularity’s financial position and provides meaningful flexibility as we continue to analyse and prioritise our platform and pipeline,” said Dr Robert Hariri, chairman and chief executive officer of Celularity.
Celularity develops and commercialises off-the-shelf, allogeneic cell therapies and advanced biomaterial products derived from the postpartum placenta.
Dr Hariri added, “In the new year, we intend to more fully articulate Celularity’s corporate strategy, including our plan to align our scientific capabilities with long-term opportunities in longevity and age-related disease.
“Our objective is to reshape Celularity into a durable, disciplined organisation that can translate innovation into sustainable value for patients and shareholders.”
GlycanAge boost
UK innovators GlycanAge has raised EUR7.4m (US$8.7m) as it looks to bring its diagnostics technology into mainstream care.
The investment round, totalling US$10m, is led by Fifth Quarter Ventures with participation from Guinness Ventures, BrightCap Ventures, South Central Ventures, Impetus Capital, Vesna Deep Tech VC and Lightfield Equity.
Its existing backers, which include LaunchHub Ventures and Kadmos Capital, have delivered pro-rata support, too. In 2024, GlycanAge raised a US€3.9m seed round.
Glycans are complex sugars that coat cells and many proteins, helping control immunity and cell signalling.
GlycanAge technology reads these signals to estimate biological age and deliver timely warnings of disease development.
Prof Gordan Lauc, co-founder and chief scientific officer of GlycanAge, said: “Our goal is to make glycan testing part of standard preventive diagnostics, where everyone over the age of 30 can access it through their healthcare provider.”
Chinese researchers say they have developed a new model capable of predicting the degree of ageing in individual human organs, allowing for a more precise assessment of how different organs age over time.
US$16.5m boost for biomarker start-up
The research team at Xi’an Jiaotong University said previous studies had largely focused either on general characteristics of overall ageing, which made it difficult to identify distinct genetic patterns and molecular pathways linked to the ageing of specific organs.
In the new study, the researchers identified 554 genes associated with a high risk of organ ageing, saying this allowed their model to lead to the early screening of high-risk groups, and identify causal links between organ ageing and chronic diseases, thereby supporting disease prevention efforts.
Glucose biomarker startup Liom has secured an additional US$16.5m for its Series A financing, bringing the round to US$48m, as it succeeded in shrinking its non-invasive, biomarker-monitoring platform to wearable size.
The Swiss company is developing a glucose-monitoring wearable, capable of providing continuous metabolic insight – without requiring needles or user calibration – and is targeting a commercial launch in 2028.
The vast majority of glucose monitoring devices currently rely on microneedles inserted under the skin.
Bank secures longevity boost
Almost 40 per cent of respondents to Life Time’s annual report identify that longevity is the wellness trend most likely to define 2026.
Findings from Life Time’s annual health and wellness survey, indicate strength training, and longevity health habits, are key priorities for Americans in 2026.
“People are training more intentionally, to feel and perform better for longer – and pairing that with smarter recovery and objective health metrics,” said Danny King, director of recovery and performance at Life Time, one of America’s leading healthy lifestyle brands.
The increasing longevity of its former employees has seen Lloyds Banking Group Pensions Trustees Limited enter into three new longevity insurance and reinsurance transactions, safeguarding a further £4.8bn of pension liabilities against the risk of unexpected increases in member life expectancy.
Vicky Paramour, trustee director and chair of the investment & funding committee, said: “We are pleased to have successfully completed these transactions, which further reduce the Schemes’ exposure to longevity risk and make the schemes more secure to the benefit of all members.”
Technology
FDA clears automated brain fluid device
News
Insilico signs US$888m oncology deal with Servier

Insilico has signed a multi-year US$888m oncology deal with Servier to use AI in discovering and developing cancer therapies.
The AI-driven drug discovery company will use its Pharma.AI platform to identify and advance potential drug candidates, while Servier will lead clinical validation, regulatory interactions and worldwide commercialisation.
Under the agreement, Insilico will be eligible to receive up to US$32m in upfront and near-term research and development payments, with Servier sharing R&D costs.
Christophe Thurieau, executive director of research at Servier, said: “This collaboration underscores Servier’s commitment to applying cutting-edge technologies to address unmet medical needs for the benefit of patients and reflects our confidence in Insilico’s internally developed and validated AI platform.”
Alex Zhavoronkov, founder and chief executive of Insilico Medicine, said: “I am excited to see the collaboration—it is yet another strong acknowledgement of our AI capabilities and R&D expertise.
“As we deepen the integration of generative AI into every stage of the pharma value chain, I believe the future of pharmaceutical superintelligence is never so close, where AI agents could actually make decisions and design experiments, driving a virtuous cycle of faster, smarter, and safer drug development.”
Insilico said it has nominated 20 preclinical candidates from 2021 to 2024, with an average timeline of 12 to 18 months per programme, compared with an industry average of 4.5 years for early-stage drug discovery.
The company listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on 30 December 2025.
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