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.

Do men’s and women’s brains age equally? Women are more often diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) than men. Age is the primary known risk factor for AD prevalence, and both aging and AD are associated with brain atrophy, but it is still not clear whether men and women differ regarding brain decline in aging.

SK Biopharmaceuticals Co. Ltd. and Eurofarma Laboratórios SA launched a new joint venture (JV) called Mentis Care Inc. Oct. 21, dedicated to developing an AI-powered platform for epilepsy management.

The U.K’s Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council provided the University of Oxford with £11 million (US$ 14.7 million) in research funding to develop technologies that will reduce or eliminate chronic pain.

Interim results from the PRIMAVERA study published in the New England Journal of Medicine demonstrated that Science Corp.'s Prima retinal implant restored vision, enabling 80% of patients to read at 12 months. Participants had age-related macular degeneration-related geographic atrophy resulting in total loss of central vision.

Comind Technologies Ltd. secured $60 million in funding for its optical neuromonitoring device which non-invasively measures key physiological parameters of the brain to provide critical information on its health. The technology could significantly improve the way the brain is monitored by addressing key challenges of current methods such as inaccuracy, invasiveness and limited availability when needed.

Boston Scientific Corp. moved to acquire the balance of Nalu Medical Inc. in a $533 million cash deal, expanding its chronic pain portfolio with the addition of peripheral nerve stimulation. The Nalu neurostimulation system delivers mild electrical impulses to interrupt aberrant pain signals from nerves in the shoulder, knee and lower back before they reach the brain.

Digital mental health tools are popping up with some regularity lately, but both Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration and the U.S. FDA have enough concerns about these products that they are taking a closer look at their risks and benefits.

Who knew? In addition to adopting a new name, Kneu Health Ltd. recently raised $5.6 million in a seed funding round for its smart-phone-based platform which helps to monitor neurological disorders to enable timely intervention. The funds secured will be used to expand commercial operations in the U.S., scale deployments for Parkinson's disease and advance the monitoring capabilities of the platform for dementia.