Digital Health Coffee Time Briefing ☕

News

11 June 2026

September 18, 2025

Your morning summary of digital health news, information and events to know about if you want to be “in the know”.

👇 News

🧬 Genomics, a biotech company using large-scale genetic information to develop healthcare tools and to accelerate drug development, has launched Mystra AI, a human genetics agentic AI platform. The Mystra AI platform augments Genomics’ database to provide insights into human biology for drug development and insights into disease mechanisms.

👀 Clinicians can provide insight into a London-based centre for eye care, research, and education using building information modelling. Healthcare specialists can step inside a live, fully navigable 3D model of the Moorfields and UCL Centre for Eye Health, due to open in 2027, to walk through operating theatres, assess the position of medical gas outlets, and map patient flows through clinical spaces.

💉 LotusDx, a MedTech company developing at-home diagnostic tests for sexually transmitted infections, has announced the launch of an R&D laboratory at ONE BioHub, located on the Foresterhill Health Campus in Aberdeen. The company will explore clinical collaboration opportunities, including patient engagement and input from clinicians and researchers to support product development and validation, at the site.

🔐 UK-based company Oka-Bi has announced the launch of an automated, security-by-design platform to address growing expectations across the healthcare system for greater control over data infrastructure and secure, access to analytics across the NHS and wider healthcare ecosystem. The platform enables healthcare providers to automate data warehouse creation and retain ownership of the code, reducing reliance on proprietary systems.

🦵Flok Health, the AI-operated physiotherapy clinic, has raised £9.5m to expand its clinical scope and fuel international growth. Created by former medic and athlete Finn Stevenson and technologist Ric da Silva, Flok has regulatory approval to diagnose, triage, treat and discharge patients autonomously and manipulates footage of a human physio to simulate the experience of a virtual appointment.

❓ Did you know that?

A hospital in Halifax, West Yorkshire, has introduced Disney-themed MRI scanners to make scans less frightening for children.

Calderdale Royal Hospital has introduced the Philips technology, which uses popular characters with lighting and sound to help distract young patients.

The rollout follows research from six hospitals across Europe which found Disney-themed MRI environments reduced paediatric patient stress levels by 43% and pauses during scans by 63%.

Calderdale Hospital radiographer Alison Lord told the BBC “I definitely think the experience… really helps create a calm and relaxed atmosphere, and it really helps us get great outcomes.”

Lisa Haines, senior vice president of corporate social responsibility at The Walt Disney Company, said: “We’re proud to collaborate with Philips to extend that impact into MRI rooms in a meaningful way – using our beloved stories and characters to help provide moments of escape, normalcy, and reassurance during what can be an intimidating experience for kids in hospitals.”

📖 What we’re reading

A new NHS‑approved website designed for young people has launched in a bid to make it easier for them to find clear, trustworthy mental health information.

The Best For You website has been redeveloped in response to feedback from young people who say they often don’t know what support is available or whether their concerns are ‘serious enough’ to seek help. The website now brings together accurate, health professional-approved information and clear signposting in one place.

It also features testimony from young people like Tanya, who opens up about her struggles with widespread chronic pain from fibromyalgia, depression, anxiety, and her experiences navigating stigma around mental health and finding support.

Research commissioned as part of the Best For You programme highlights the scale of the challenges young people are facing. A total of 68% of the 2,002 young people surveyed reported that, in their own view, they had experienced one or more mental health difficulties in the past 12 months.

At the same time, common reported barriers to accessing support include not knowing how to get support (31%) and not knowing which service could help with their problem (32%).

The research found that young people feel there is a widespread lack of accessible mental health information, including for common conditions such as anxiety. As a result, seeking support is often seen as unusual, with stigma remaining a significant barrier.