Sagentia’s newly appointed VP Medical, Matthew Sarkar, strengthens the team by bringing extensive experience in digital medicine. He has been brought into the business to help clients maximise innovation across the connected diagnostics and digital therapeutics space.

Matthew’s prior experience includes remote patient monitoring, drug delivery and novel commercial models for a wearable sensor and data analytics solution. Learnings gained in his previous roles put him in a strong position to support Sagentia’s clients in their product development and IP strategies.

A major area of interest for Matthew is the shift from treating acute illness to early intervention and preventative medicine. He’s motivated by the challenge of developing technologies that detect or predict illness at an early stage, as well as those which analyse disease progression pathways to calculate and optimise the likely outcomes of intervention. 

Digital therapeutics expertise

In a previous role at McLaren Applied, Matthew was responsible for health partnerships. This business area focused on developing digital therapeutics derived from innovative technologies from its  Formula 1 team. Solutions included wearable patient monitoring technology for the orthopaedic sector, to help surgeons and hospitals consistently track patients throughout the continuum of care.

Matthew also devised innovative commercial models, including co-development and shared equity deals. In January 2020 this resulted in the announcement of a new business venture with OrthoSensor. The venture, which Matthew joined as Corporate Development Director, focused McLaren Applied’s expertise in sensor technology on improving patient outcomes, by enabling clinical professionals to manage information and insights[1]. OrthoSensor was acquired by Stryker a year later along with the MotionSense™ remote patient monitoring wearables and mobile application[2].

“I’m fascinated with the ever increasing overlap between connected diagnostics and digital therapeutics, and the enormous potential this offers to transform the way healthcare is managed and delivered,” Matthew explains. “If we can detect illness early and make effective intervention before a significant event occurs, it improves the patient outcome and experience. What’s more, it massively reduces the burden on health services. Better still, by moving from descriptive to predictive analytical technologies we will be able to reduce and even prevent illness altogether, shifting services away from sick-care and towards the provision of true health-care. 

“Sagentia’s expertise in digital biomarkers is a key component of the solution. As the sector increasingly moves towards outcome focused models, the development and uptake of these technologies will only further accelerate. I’m looking forward to helping Sagentia’s clients make the most of this opportunity.”

IP strategies for digital health

Matthew is a named inventor on 20 granted patent families. He has a first class degree in mechanical engineering, a master’s in industrial design and a postgraduate certificate in IP Law.  With first-hand experience across the complexities of IP generation, management and protection, Matthew is a strong addition to the Sagentia team. As VP Medical, he will use his expertise to help clients protect the valuable assets that we develop for them.

“My goal is to help our clients generate, protect and then fully leverage their IP during this rich period of digital innovation in healthcare,” Matthew commented. “It’s about understanding where patents will be beneficial, then executing them in line with business need to drive commercial advantage.”  

[1] https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/orthosensor-and-mclaren-applied-announce-a-new-business-venture-1028809320

[2] https://investors.stryker.com/press-releases/news-details/2021/Stryker-acquires-OrthoSensor/default.aspx