Hydrocephalus involves the buildup of excess fluid in the brain. It affects more than 1 million people in the U.S. – most of them children – and can result in brain damage and related neurological impairments. Shunt implants are the standard treatment to drain that fluid, but more than half of them fail within the first couple of years of placement.

TORONTO – Toronto-based Epineuron Technologies Inc. reported the completion of a financing round to develop and clinically validate neuroregenerative technology intended for the recovery of patients suffering from peripheral nerve injuries. Designated a breakthrough device by the U.S. FDA, the “nerve bandage” uses brief bioelectronic stimulation of injured nerves to “upregulate” associated genes that accelerate nerve regeneration.

Doctors are reporting a proliferation of dangerous blood clots in the lungs and other major organs of COVID-19 patients, raising the risk of stroke and other life-threatening complications. While anticoagulant medications can reduce that risk, patients need careful monitoring to ensure their blood is neither too thick nor too thin. To that end, Los Angeles-based startup Neural Analytics Inc. is deploying its robotically assisted transcranial doppler (TCD) system for real-time identification of blood clots and disruptions in blood flow to the brain.

Balt USA LLC, of Irvine, Calif., has received a thumbs up from the FDA to begin an IDE trial of its Squid liquid embolic device for the treatment of chronic subdural hematoma (cSDH). The nonadhesive agent offers a minimally invasive option for a disabling neurological condition that often requires brain surgery to correct.

C2n Diagnostics LLC has received a $20 million investment in its Alzheimer’s blood test, APTUS-Aβ, from the philanthropy group GHR Foundation. The test measures various types of amyloid beta in the blood and then factors in additional data, such as age, to develop a probability score for amyloid-related pathology in the brain.

The FDA granted Setpoint Medical Corp. an investigational device exemption (IDE) approval to study its bioelectronic platform in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. The Valencia, Calif.-based company expects to begin enrollment in a multicenter, double-blind, randomized, sham-controlled pivotal trial in patients with RA in the third quarter of 2020, Setpoint President and CEO Murthy Simhambhatla told BioWorld.

Palo Alto, Calif.-based Limbix Health Inc. secured $9 million in series A funding for development of Spark, its prescription digital therapeutic (PDT) designed to treat depression in adolescents. GSR Ventures led the round with additional funding from other existing investors, including Sequoia Capital, Storm Ventures, Nextgen Venture Partners and Bixink Therapeutics.