Alexander Blood, MD, is the associate director of the Massachusetts General Brigham Accelerator of Clinical Transformation, an instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School, and co-founder and CEO of AIwithCare.

AI Model Outperforms Clinicians in HCM Registry Data Extraction, With Alexander Blood, MD

The artificial intelligence (AI) model RECTIFIER (RAG-Enabled Clinical Trial Infrastructure for Inclusion Exclusion Review) outperformed physician abstractors in sensitivity in 

American College of Cardiology (ACC) Scientific Sessions 2026

, in New Orleans, Louisiana, by Alexander Blood, MD, associate director of the Massachusetts General Brigham Accelerator of Clinical Transformation, instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School, and co-founder and CEO of AIwithCare.

“The challenge with data extraction is that sometimes it’s in a scanned document and sometimes it’s in somebody’s notes somewhere and was never reported,” Blood told 

 in an exclusive interview. “The advantage of using AI in these situations is that AI can look at everything – it doesn’t get fatigued, it doesn’t get bored, it knows what it’s looking for, and it can be more comprehensive because of that.”

RECTIFIER was first developed at Mass General Brigham’s Accelerator for Clinical Transformation. A proof-of-concept study was published in June of 2024, followed by a randomized-controlled blinded trial in February of 2025. These publications have led to RECTIFIER’s expansion across >20 active and onboarding use cases in clinical operations and research in cardiology, oncology, gastroenterology, neurology, pathology, and psychiatry.

The program utilizes generative AI to screen electronic health records for any information that can determine a patient’s eligibility for a given clinical trial, including diagnoses, current or past medications, or key health indicators. RECTIFIER analyzes unstructured data from notes and reports, which are generally inaccessible without a significantly involved manual review process from both coordinators and clinical staff.

In the present study, Blood and colleagues adopted an HCM registry containing 423 questions, each of which reflected guideline-directed screening and management. RECTIFIER and a team of 3 physician reviewers were tasked with abstracting data from 44 patients with confirmed HCM. The program’s outputs were compared against consensus from the abstractors, with any discrepancies managed by a blinded cardiologist.

Ultimately, 18,612 individual questions were answered by both RECTIFIER and the team of abstractors. Mean agreement between the 3 physicians was 97.1 +/- 1.3% - in 1001 adjudicated disagreements, the cardiologist agreed with 544 (54.3%) of RECTIFIER designations and 457 (44.7%) of physician abstractor consensuses. Due to this discrepancy, RECTIFIER achieved higher overall accuracy and sensitivity compared to physician abstractors (

 <.05 each), while specificity was largely similar (

Blood also discussed the team’s plans for RECTIFIER moving forward. He acknowledged the existing data to support its broader implementation, but also noted that further clinical trials are necessary to determine the full scope of its capabilities and the degree to which it exceeds physician abstractors’ abilities.

“As an academic clinician, I very much believe this needs to be validated and studied as rigorously as possible to show that we’re doing high-quality evidence generation and that we’re not introducing any sort of biases into the research,” Blood said. “I think this type of research is essential to make sure that we’re putting out a high-quality product.”

Editors’ Note: Blood reports disclosures with AIwithCare, Astra Zeneca, Eli Lilly, Merck & Co., Novo Nordisk, Porter Health, and others.

Frost C, Bunn D, Lu J, et al. Automated Registry Completion Using a Retrieval Augmented Generation-Enabled Large Language Model: a Comparative Study in Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy. Abstract presented at the American College of Cardiology Scientific Sessions 2026, New Orleans, LA. March 28-30, 2026.

Jaslow R. Mass General Brigham Announces New AI Company to Accelerate Clinical Trial Screening and Patient Recruitment. 

. December 12, 2025. Accessed April 14, 2026. 

https://www.massgeneralbrigham.org/en/about/newsroom/press-releases/aiwithcare-mass-general-brigham-spinout-new-company

Videos

Blood discusses his recent study of the RECTIFIER AI model, highlighting its superior sensitivity and accuracy compared to physicians.

News

news page, resources on the topics of disease- and specialty-specific medical news and expert insight can be found. Content includes articles, interviews, videos, podcasts, and breaking news on health care research, treatment, and drug development.

Clinical

clinical page is a resource for content on every specialty, disease, and topic available on our medical news site.

Cardiology

Cardiology condition center page is a comprehensive resource for clinical news and insights on cardiovascular and cardiometabolic diseases. This page consists of interviews, articles, podcasts, and videos on the research, treatment and development of therapies for heart disease and cardiovascular events, as well as associated diabetes, renal failure, and more...

Cardiomyopathy

Conference

 conference coverage page features articles, videos, and expert-led live coverage from major medical meetings throughout the year.

Strategic Alliance Partnership

Pranav Garimella, MBBS, MPH, is chief medical officer of the American Kidney Fund.

Rebuilding Trust, Increasing Living Donor Transplant In Black Kidney Candidates, With Pranav Garimella, MBBS, MPH

While recent national policy aimed to repay a historical debt for black kidney transplant candidates who were disadvantaged by race-based eGFR, the structural barriers to living donor kidney transplants remain.

“The study improved overall transplantation rates in persons who identify as Black, particularly for preemptive transplantation, but it did not increase living donor transplants,” Pranav Garimella, MBBS, MPH, Chief Medical Officer of the American Kidney Fund and an associate professor of medicine at UC San Diego, told HCPLive. “That highlights a persistent gap driven in part by historic mistrust in the medical system, and underscores the need to build trust and improve access to living donor transplantation.”

Historically, these patients had been marginalized by race-based kidney function equations for decades, which misrepresented the measure of their kidney function. The 2023 Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) national policy restored waitlisting time, and successfully saw an increase in transplants for Black kidney candidates of 

. Meanwhile, the OPTN data also pointed out that after the initial spike, 

transplant rates have begun to decline again

, with experts suggesting structural barriers remain a looming challenge in getting historically marginalized patients onto transplant lists.

While the number of patients who would benefit from a living donor kidney transplant continually outpaces the number of available organs, access remains disproportionately available to those based on their race.

For example, despite increased rates of end-stage kidney disease in patients who are black, these patient recive living donor kidney transplants significantly less frequently than those who are white. Furthermore, black patients are less likely to be referred for kidney transplant evaluation and less likely to be added to a waitlist.

“A critical bottleneck in transplantation is the limited availability of donor kidneys—especially from living donors—so expanding access through community engagement, supportive policies, and addressing financial concerns for donors will be essential to meaningfully increase transplant rates, particularly in historically marginalized populations,” concluded Garimella.

Editor’s Note: Garimella has relevant disclosures with Otsuka and the PKD Foundation.

Khazanchi R, Fleishman A, Eneanya ND, et al. Wait Time Modifications for Black Transplant Candidates Affected by Race-Based Kidney Function Estimation. 

. Published online September 2026:e260001. doi:

https://doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2026.0001

Garimella P. How Rewriting Race-Based GFR Equations Changed Kidney Transplant Access, With Pranav Garimella, MBBS, MPH. HCPLive. Published March 31, 2026. 

https://www.hcplive.com/view/rewriting-race-based-egfr-equation-changed-kidney-transplant-access

Garimella P. OPTN Policy Gave Back Time, Increased Transplants for Black Kidney Candidates So Why Have Rates Plateaued? HCPLive. Published April 2, 2026. 

https://www.hcplive.com/view/optn-policy-gave-back-time-to-waitlisted-black-kidney-candidates-but-transplant-rates-are-declining

Suah A, Saunders MR. Racial Disparities in Living Donor Kidney Transplantation—How Can We Bridge the Gap? 

https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.47808

Pranav discusses the necessity for addressing the structural barriers that remain for living donor kidney transplantations in black patients. 

Nephrology

The HCPLive nephrology page is a resource for medical news and expert insights on kidney disease. This page features expert-led coverage, articles, videos and research on the therapies and development of treatments in nephrology, and more.

Chronic Kidney Disease

Tim Smith joined the MJH Life Sciences team in 2022 and is currently an associate editor for HCPLive. He is also the executive producer of two podcasts: Skin of Color Savvy and The Medical Sisterhood. Previously, he was the producer of the Lungcast podcast. He graduated from UC Berkeley and worked in multimedia journalism as a staff writer prior to joining MJH. You can contact him at tsmith@mjhlifesciences.com.

Insmed Incorporated has announced its phase 2b CEDAR trial evaluating brensocatib, a dipeptidyl peptidase 1 (DPP1) inhibitor, in adults with moderate to severe 

 failed to achieve both its primary and secondary efficacy endpoints.

In their April 2026 release, the failure of brensocatib to meet its efficacy endpoints in this new analysis and led the company to discontinue any further development of the therapy for this indication. Despite this, Insmed is slated to present full study results at a future scientific meeting.

"The CEDAR study was designed as a proof-of-concept study to determine whether brensocatib could provide benefit for patients with HS—a disease where the lack of established animal models makes clinical development particularly challenging," Martina Flammer, MD, MBA, Chief Medical Officer of Insmed, said in a statement.

The CEDAR analysis was designed as a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study evaluating the efficacy and safety of brensocatib across a global cohort of 214 patients, all of whom were enrolled at 72 sites. Those involved were given an assigment, in a 1:1:1 ratio, to once-daily receive brensocatib either at a 10 mg or 40 mg dose or placebo. This treatment schedule took place over an initial 16-week treatment period.

Following this phase of CEDAR, investigators had subjects either continue their assigned brensocatib dose or, if originally assigned to placebo, re-randomized them to be given active treatment. CEDAR’s primary endpoint was the percent change from the point of baseline in participants’ total abscess and inflammatory nodule (AN) count by the 16-week mark. At that time point, reductions in AN count were observed across all groups.

However, the investigative team noted outcomes in the active treatment arms did not surpass those observed among patients treated with placebo. Those on brensocatib 10 mg and 40 mg experienced mean reductions of 45.5% and 40.3%, respectively. This was compared with a 57.1% reduction among those in the placebo arm of the study.

Despite the lack of demonstrated efficacy, the team highlighted brensocatib’s consistent safety profile with prior clinical research. The CEDAR investigators reported a lack of new safety concerns, including in the higher 40 mg dosing arm, which represents the highest dose evaluated by Insmed to date. Rates of treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) were noted as comparable across study cohorts.

During the placebo-controlled period, TEAEs took place among 41 individuals in the 10 mg arm, 30 in the 40 mg arm, and 32 on placebo. Severe adverse events (AEs) were rare, with a single event reported in the 10 mg arm and none in the other arms. Serious AEs were identified by the investigators in 3, 1, and 1 individuals in the 10 mg, 40 mg, and placebo arms, respectively.

Brensocatib previously received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of adult and pediatric patients aged 12 years and older with non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis at doses of 10 mg and 25 mg.

 While it discontinued its HS program for this drug, the company’s release highlights the benefits of these findings.

"While we are disappointed in the results, we hope that insights gained from this study will contribute to the broader scientific understanding of HS,” Flammer said in a statement.

 “We are grateful to the patients and investigators who participated in this study."

Insmed Provides Clinical Update on Phase 2b CEDAR Study. Insmed. April 7, 2026. Accessed April 14, 2026. 

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/insmed-provides-clinical-update-on-phase-2b-cedar-study-302736190.html

FDA Approves BRINSUPRI™ (brensocatib) as the First and Only Treatment for Non-Cystic Fibrosis Bronchiectasis, a Serious, Chronic Lung Disease. News release. Insmed. August 12, 2025. Accessed April 14, 2026. 

https://investor.insmed.com/2025-08-12-FDA-Approves-BRINSUPRI-TM-brensocatib-as-the-First-and-Only-Treatment-for-Non-Cystic-Fibrosis-Bronchiectasis,-a-Serious,-Chronic-Lung-Disease

Articles

Insmed’s phase 2b CEDAR trial of brensocatib, an oral DPP1 inhibitor, in moderate-to-severe hidradenitis suppurativa missed both primary and secondary efficacy endpoints, prompting discontinuation of development in HS. In a 214-patient, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled design (10 mg, 40 mg, placebo), abscess and inflammatory nodule counts decreased across all arms at 16 weeks, but placebo numerically outperformed active treatment. Safety was consistent with prior experience, with comparable TEAEs and few severe/serious events.

This phase 2b study on brensocatib did not meet its primary or secondary efficacy endpoints, causing Insmed to discontinue their HS program.

Hidradenitis Suppurativa

Hidradenitis Suppurativa condition center page, audiences can find a variety of coverage mediums for medical news and updates, including articles, video interviews, podcasts, and breaking news on dermatology research, treatment, and drug development.

Dermatology

The HCPLive dermatology page is a resource for medical news and expert insights on skin disease. This page features expert-led coverage, articles, videos and research on the therapies and development of treatments for dermatologic conditions, and more.

Brensocatib Phase 2b Study in HS Does Not Meet Endpoints, Program Discontinued

Neurological and Psychiatric Manifestations in Wilson Disease

In this episode, 'Neurological and Psychiatric Manifestations in Wilson Disease,' the panelists explore the complex and often nonspecific neurological and psychiatric landscape of Wilson disease. Dr. Peter Hedera describes the condition as a "great imitator" because it frequently mimics more common movement disorders such as Parkinson's disease, dystonia, and essential tremor. This clinical overlap often leads to significant diagnostic delays, sometimes lasting two years or longer. The experts stress that a high index of suspicion is required for any patient under the age of 40 or 50 presenting with unexplained movement symptoms.

The discussion also delves into the psychiatric side of the disease, noting that approximately 10% of patients may present with psychosis. This can create a diagnostic trap where neuroleptic treatments for psychiatric symptoms cause extrapyramidal side effects that further mask the underlying Wilson disease. In pediatric populations, the panelists shift the focus to neuropsychiatric indicators, such as sudden changes in school performance, cognitive shifts, or hyperkinetic movements like chorea.

Finally, the panel addresses the overlap between hepatic and neurological symptoms. While adults frequently show signs of both, pediatric patients under age 10 rarely exhibit neurological symptoms. However, that frequency increases to roughly 30% in adolescents. The experts conclude that while the coexistence of elevated liver enzymes and movement disorders is a major red flag, clinicians must rely on thorough laboratory confirmation to navigate these overlapping clinical presentations and ensure the best patient outcomes through early diagnosis.

The next episode in this series, 'Understanding Pathophysiology and Copper Transport in Wilson Disease,' features the panelists advancing their conversation on Wilson disease and focusing on the genetic and cellular mechanisms of the condition. Dr. Peter Hedera explains how mutations in the ATP7B gene disrupt copper homeostasis, leading to toxic accumulation in the liver and brain.

Panelists discuss the often misdiagnosed neurological and psychiatric manifestations of Wilson disease, highlighting its overlap with common movement and mental health disorders, the need for high clinical suspicion, and the importance of early diagnosis through careful evaluation of overlapping symptoms.

Video Series

Hepatic Symptoms and Clinical Presentations of Wilson Disease

Welcome back to another HCPLive Peer Exchange series. In this episode titled, 'Hepatic Symptoms and Clinical Presentations of Wilson Disease,' the moderator Dr. Frederick Askari, and expert panelists, Dr. Peter Hedera and Dr. Rima Fawaz, discuss the clinical spectrum of hepatic symptoms associated with Wilson disease.

The panel emphasizes that the majority of patients, particularly in the pediatric population, are often asymptomatic at the time of initial discovery. These cases are frequently identified through routine laboratory work that reveals unexplained elevations in liver enzymes. While patients might occasionally exhibit mild hepatomegaly or splenomegaly during an episode of acute hepatitis, many remain feeling generally well despite underlying pathology.

The experts transition to discussing more advanced liver involvement, noting that while asymptomatic presentation is the norm, clinicians must remain vigilant for signs of cirrhosis and portal hypertension. The liver is described as a sneaky organ that can mask significant damage. In some instances, Wilson disease is uncovered during diagnostic workups for other conditions, such as obesity related liver issues or suspected autoimmune hepatitis.

Finally, the discussion addresses the most severe and rare presentations. Although infrequent in children, Wilson disease can manifest as acute liver failure or present with complications like ascites and variceal bleeding. Dr. Fawaz points out that a high index of clinical suspicion is required for these cases, especially when accompanied by Coombs-negative hemolytic anemia. The segment concludes by reinforcing the primary clinical goal: early diagnosis and intervention before patients progress to these life-threatening stages.

In the next episode, 'Neurological and Psychiatric Manifestations in Wilson Disease,' panelists will continue their discussion on Wilson disease and highlight the diagnostic challenges of neurological and psychiatric presentations. The experts explain why the disease is often misdiagnosed as Parkinsonism or essential tremor and emphasize the importance of identifying neuropsychiatric shifts in pediatric patients.

Panelists discuss the often subtle and asymptomatic hepatic presentations of Wilson disease, emphasizing the importance of early detection, awareness of advanced complications, and maintaining clinical suspicion to prevent progression to severe liver outcomes.

Delainey Wescott, PhD, is a postdoctoral scholar in the Translational Research Training in Sleep and Circadian Science T32 program at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

Wescott discusses ADAA 2026 findings linking sleeping less than usual to next-day depression in high-risk youth, with interpersonal reactivity emerging as a potential mechanism.

Psychiatry

Psychiatry condition center page is a comprehensive resource for clinical news and insights on mental illnesses. This page consists of interviews, articles, podcasts, and videos on the research, treatment and development of therapies for depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, anxiety, and more.

Major Depressive Disorder

Major Depressive Disorder condition center page, resources on the topics of medical news and expert insight into depression can be found. Content includes articles, interviews, videos, podcasts, and breaking news on MDD research, treatment, and drug development.

Sleep

On the HCPLive sleep page, resources on the topics of medical news and expert insight into sleep medicine can be found. Content includes articles, interviews, videos, podcasts, and breaking news on sleep apnea, insomnia, narcolepsy, and more.

Short Sleep Tied to Next-Day Depression in Suicidal Youth, With Delainey Wescott, PhD

Howard Trachtman, MD, is an adjunct clinical professor of pediatrics at the University of Michigan.

A DUPLEX study investigator explains the data behind sparsentan's approval by the FDA. 

Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis

The HCPLive focal segmental glomerulosclerosis page is a resource for medical news and expert insights on FSGS. This page features expert-led coverage, articles, videos and research on the therapies and development of treatments in FSGS, and more. 

FDA News

Why Sparsentan’s FDA Approval Marks a Turning Point in FSGS, With Howard Tratchman, MD

Vinod E. Nambudiri, MD, MBA, MPH, is affiliated with Brigham and Women's Hospital and specializes in Dermatology and Internal Medicine.

Podcasts

In this new episode of the Skin of Color Savvy podcast, Nambudiri speaks on-site at the AAD 2026 meeting in Denver about the clinical image collection.

Skin of Color Savvy: The Art and Science of Treating Patients of Color

Hosted by Skin of Color Society and produced by HCPLive, 

 delves into the latest research, clinical insights, and culturally intelligent care practices in dermatology with leading experts. 

Whether it’s groundbreaking research, practice-changing insights, or highlights from the SOCS community, this twice-monthly program provides dermatologists and care providers with expert perspectives on treating patients with skin of color.

podcasts page features a feed of medical news and interview podcast series, including DocTalk, Lungcast, Derm Discussions, and Heart Trials.

Skin of Color Savvy: Updates on the AAD Clinical Image Collection, With Vinod Nambudiri, MD, MBA, MPH

Stephan Weidinger, MD, PhD, professor and chair for Dermatology at the Christian-Albrechts-University and director of the Department of Dermatology and Allergy at the University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein.

This interview with Stephan Weidinger, MD, PhD, at AAD 2026 highlights new data on lebrikizumab 

Atopic Dermatitis

Atopic Dermatitis condition center page, audiences can find a variety of coverage mediums for medical news and updates, including articles, video interviews, podcasts, and breaking news on dermatitis research, treatment, and drug development.

ADlong: Phase 3b Findings on Lebrikizumab in Atopic Dermatitis, With Stephan Weidinger, MD, PhD

Alex Hillenbrand is an assistant editor for 

. She earned her BA in English from Lafayette College in 2023 and went on to write for pop culture, entertainment, and sports media outlets before joining MJH Life Sciences in 2025. In her free time, Alex enjoys cooking, going on walks, and meeting new people. Contact her at mjhlifesciences.com.

FDA fully approves sparsentan for FSGS, offering the first oral non-immunosuppressive option that targets podocyte injury and cuts proteinuria.

FDA Approves Sparsentan for Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis

Suyog Mokashi, MD, is the director of strategy at the Temple Heart and Vascular Institute and the director of aortic and endovascular surgery in the Division of Cardiovascular Surgery at Temple University.

Mokashi discusses 2 recent studies which he co-authored, investigating the socioeconomic impacts on health across America and the healthcare sector’s growth.

Socioeconomic Pressures and Clinical Gains in Heart Disease, With Suyog Mokashi, MD

Jose Clemente, PhD, associate professor of Genetics and Genomics and Immunology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Early allergen introduction, microbiome research, and immune programming studies suggest food allergy prevention may begin during infancy.

Dynamic Video

Allergy

Allergy condition center page is a comprehensive resource for clinical news and insights on allergic and inflammatory diseases. This page consists of interviews, articles, podcasts, and videos on the research, treatment and development of therapies for food and seasonal allergies, as well as allergic asthma and related conditions.

Food Allergy

 The Early-Life Window: Can Food Allergy Be Prevented Before It Begins?

Professor and Chair of the Department of Dermatology and Professor of Internal Medicine in the Division of Rheumatic Diseases and in the Peter O'Donnell Jr. School of Public Health at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas

The combination showed efficacy in a predominantly female, treatment-experienced, high-BMI population.


Plaque Psoriasis

The HCPLive plaque psoriasis page is a resource for medical news and expert insights on psoriasis. This page features expert-led coverage, articles, videos and research on the therapies and development of treatments for psoriatic disease, and more.

Joints, Weight, and Mental Health: Ixekizumab + Tirzepatide for PsA, With Joseph Merola, MD

Sophia Schneider, MD, MS, is an internal medicine resident at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

Schneider discusses her analysis of the FINEARTS-HF trial, noting the apparent efficacy of finerenone regardless of sleep apnea presence.

Heart Failure

The HCPLive heart failure page is a resource for medical news and expert insights on HF. This page features expert-led coverage, articles, videos and research on the therapies and development of treatments for heart disease, reduced and preserved ejection fraction, and more.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Sleep Apnea Associated With Worsening HF Outcomes, With Sophia Schneider, MD, MS

This Q&A interview from AAD 2026 covers a number of notable tips for clinicians in dermatology regarding topical therapies.

Latest News

AI Model Outperforms Clinicians in HCM Registry Data Extraction, With Alexander Blood, MD

Rebuilding Trust, Increasing Living Donor Transplant In Black Kidney Candidates, With Pranav Garimella, MBBS, MPH

Brensocatib Phase 2b Study in HS Does Not Meet Endpoints, Program Discontinued

Neurological and Psychiatric Manifestations in Wilson Disease

Hepatic Symptoms and Clinical Presentations of Wilson Disease