NEW ORLEANS – The Apple Heart study has accumulated data from more than 400,000 participants in its evaluation of the ability of an algorithm to detect abnormalities that may be indicative of atrial fibrillation (AF), although the enrollment came up short of the target of half a million users. Nonetheless, Mintu Turakhia, a cardiologist at Stanford, Calif.-based Stanford University, said that while the study has some significant limitations, "we now have a footprint for evaluating technology such as this, and how to do this in an appropriate and scalable way."

LONDON – Themis Bioscience GmbH has announced positive phase II results for its vaccine against Chikungunya virus, as it moves to complete an IPO later this week to raise up to €55 million (US$62.6 million) to fund the launch of a pivotal phase III trial.