Lumithera Inc. has completed the acquisition of Diopsys Inc. to expand its footprint of ocular disease care. Under the terms of the agreement, Pine Brook, N.J.-based Diopsys is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Poulsbo, Wash.-based Lumithera, with its electroretinography technology adding to Lumithera’s photobiomodulation (PBM) Valeda light delivery system for dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD) treatment.

A thin film electrode platform technology developed by Neuroone Medical Technologies Corp. could be used to treat chronic back pain according to new tests. Eden Prairie, Minn.-based Neuroone said it concluded initial testing that demonstrate the electrode could provide chronic stimulation at typical stimulation parameters currently used to treat patients suffering with chronic back pain due to multiple failed back surgeries.

Several recent studies highlight the rapidly expanding applications for neuromodulation using bioelectronic devices. A pair of articles in the Journal of the American Heart Association and Journal of the American College of Cardiology focused on the benefits to patients with heart failure and those at risk of post-operative atrial fibrillation, respectively. A study published in Brain Stimulation found that 85% of tinnitus patients experienced resolution of their symptoms when using a neuromodulation device.

PERTH, Australia – Impedimed Ltd.’s L-Dex bioimpedance technology could quickly become the standard of care for measuring cancer-related lymphedema following clinical trial results that showed a 59% relative reduction in progression compared to the standard of care, Impedimed CEO Rick Carreon told BioWorld.

Inivata Ltd. published new data from a prospective clinical study assessing its Radar diagnostic test in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Results from the Liquid Biopsy for Minimal Disease Detection in HNSCC (LIONESS) study suggest the assay demonstrated 100% specificity in patients with no recurrence and 100% sensitivity in patients with clinical recurrence. The personalized assay can track up to 48 tumor-specific variants in a patient using a blood sample. Last year the test was granted breakthrough device designation by the FDA.

Paragonix Technologies Inc. will soon release performance data from sterile, temperature-controlled systems for transporting donor organs to recipient patients, this after a breath-taking transport last year of a donor lung and heart from Alaska to Washington and North Carolina. Paragonix’s organ preservation technology provides thermal protection for donor organs for up to 40 hours, making them ideal for transportation over long distances, said the company.

Abbott Laboratories reported the commencement of a pivotal clinical trial for its Aveir pacemaker in a two-device configuration to provide dual-chamber pacing without the need for leads to deliver the charge. This configuration required the development of i2i technology to ensure that the two Aveirs communicated in a manner that ensures consistent pacing, but the 500-enrollee study has a long road ahead of it before the company can finalize the application with the FDA.

A bioelectronic device developed by U.K. startup Ceryx Medical Ltd. has shown potential to restore cardiac performance in preclinical studies. The Cardiff, Wales-based company published data showing its Cysoni technology increased cardiac output by 20% compared to current pacemakers.

LONDON – Orthox Ltd. is primed for an assault on the mountain that is knee cartilage repair after raising $12.5 million in a series A funding round. After more than a decade of translational and preclinical research, these funds will allow the company to start a trial of Fibrofix, a tissue regeneration product derived from silk, in the middle of this year. An initial cohort of six patients in the U.K. will be treated for sports injury-related cartilage damage, with six months follow up to demonstrate safety. Assuming positive results, that will be followed by treating a further 75 patients in the U.K., Hungary and elsewhere in mainland Europe.

Know Labs Inc. has received approval from an independent institutional review board for an internal clinical study of its noninvasive glucose monitoring technology. The aim is to further validate the Bio-RFID (radio frequency identification) platform’s ability to accurately measure and detect changes in blood glucose levels. The study will be conducted at the Seattle-based company’s new research and development laboratory and include 200 subjects.