COVID-19 has shined a spotlight on the vast potential of digital health, from pandemic response to how clinicians protect and care for patients. Now, Israel-based venture capital firm OTV has closed a $170 million fund aimed at fueling future growth in digital health technologies. In conjunction with the closing, OTV also reported that it has changed its name from Olive Tree Ventures and named Jose Antonio Urrutia Rivas as head of Asia Pacific operations.
Endoscopic ultrasound-guided biopsy startup Limaca Medical Ltd. has raised $1.25 million of a $1.5 million round to advance its next-generation Precision device. The company said it will use the funds to complete first-in-human procedures, conduct postmarket clinical studies and gain regulatory approvals of Precision for gastrointestinal (GI) system and adjacent organ tumors.
As cases skyrocket and more questions arise about the high rate of false negatives returned by rapid testing in COVID-19 cases, a simple, new diagnostic test offers far greater accuracy. Researchers around the globe have found that artificial intelligence can detect coronavirus infections in recorded forced coughs, with nearly 100% accuracy in asymptomatic or presymptomatic cases, making it an ideal quick screening test. Forced cough or voice analysis shows strong results in other conditions, too, including pulmonary hypertension and, surprisingly, Alzheimer's disease.
By analyzing patients’ reactions to treatment, Oncohost Ltd.’s proteomics-based platform enables earlier prediction of paradoxical responses to immunotherapy that promote tumor growth in certain cancers. The artificial intelligence-powered host response profiling platform, called Prophet, could help identify the best combination of therapies and minimize adverse effects from treatments that are unlikely to be beneficial.
Researchers at Israel’s Ben-Gurion University have launched a machine learning platform that aims to streamline the clinical trial process using predictive analytics. The technology has been licensed to Panacea, a startup company formed by BGN Technology.
Butterfly Medical Ltd. could be on the verge of metamorphosis into a major player in the benign prostatic hyperplasia treatment field. The Yokneam, Israel-based company just raised $7 million in a series B financing led by New Rhein Healthcare Investors LLC, of Philadelphia.
HONG KONG – Israel’s Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) has set up a company to further develop and commercialize its technology into a wearable device for predicting epilepsy-related seizures.
Israeli startup Olive Diagnostics Pvt. Ltd. is aiming to disrupt at-home urinalysis testing with a hands-free, noninvasive, artificial intelligence (AI)-based solution that provides remote diagnostics by detecting urine’s molecular composition. K2, as the device is called, attaches easily to the toilet rim to generate secure, personalized diagnostic data that directly links to a mobile app.
Israeli startup Envizion Medical Ltd. said it is partnering with one of the largest private U.S. hospital chains to deploy its electromagnetic fields-guided feeding tube placement navigation technology in 150 hospitals nationwide. The company received U.S. FDA 510(k) clearance for the Envue navigation device and Envizion feeding tubes in April 2019.
Vessi Medical Ltd. has scooped up $1.7 million in series A funding to move forward with a first-in-human study of its minimally invasive bladder cancer device. The trial is set to launch in the first quarter of 2021. Leading the funding round are the Trendlines Group Ltd. and Agriline Ltd. The Trendlines Group already counts Misgav, Israel-based Vessi Medical as part of its portfolio of medical startups.