Magstim Co. Ltd. reported that the U.S. FDA cleared its Magstim Rapid magnetic stimulation system for the treatment of chronic pain. The clearance provides a clinically validated therapy that directly targets neural pathways involved in pain processing to deliver a non-invasive, drug-free treatment for chronic pain.

A four-way interagency initiative in South Korea, started in 2020, is working to bolster funding for the local medical device industry and grow homegrown devices for the global market.

Synchron Inc.'s recent $200 million raise for its Stentrode brain-computer interface platform comes at a pivotal time for the technology. Advances in BCI development, ongoing clinical trials and growing market demand are drawing increased investor interest in the technology which has the potential to transform the lives of millions of people. At the same time, government agencies are closely monitoring the field, recognizing the potential while urging caution about the risks involved.

Medical Microinstruments Inc., reported the U.S. FDA approval of an investigational device exemption for a study using its Symani surgical system for treating Alzheimer’s disease, one of its earliest forays into the brain.

Despite the formidable challenges for developing precision psychiatry, the approach is notching its first successes in the preclinical and even some clinical settings. Many individual studies as well as large projects like the Psychiatric Ratings using Intermediate Markers studies and the Psychiatric Biomarkers Network have been looking at multiple biomarker types, and have begun to identify predictors of specific symptoms, or disease progression.

Psychiatry has struggled to enter the precision medicine era. But through a mix of innovations and bootstrapping, progress is coming to the field. Scientists are working on improving diagnoses by investigating potential biomarkers and collection methods.

Two in five preclinical studies on subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) published in peer-reviewed scientific journals contain problematic images. A team of researchers from Radboud University Medical Center, who had previously identified several such cases, analyzed the literature in this field to assess the scope of the issue. They found that 40% of the studies included suspicious images.

Scientists in the U.K. are developing glucose-powered bioelectronics to advance the use and capabilities of implantable medical devices. A research team, led by the University of Bath, received £2.1 million (US$3.3 million) in funding from the government to develop miniature, lightweight and long-lasting glucose fuel cells to help address the invasiveness and limitations of current battery-powered implants.

Australian scientists have developed a simpler, less invasive way to detect Alzheimer’s disease that could make it easier for patients to access emerging disease-modifying therapies. Researchers from Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation have identified blood-based biomarker tests capable of confirming amyloid plaque in the brain with accuracy comparable to the current gold standards using positron emission tomography scans and lumbar punctures.

The largest study ever conducted on light therapy for Parkinson’s disease has found that long-term use of Symbyx Biome Pty Ltd.’s non-invasive, at-home photobiomodulation (PBM) devices significantly improved mobility, anxiety, and overall symptom severity.