Serac Healthcare Ltd.’s imaging agent, 99m Tc-maraciclatide, enables visualization of early-stage endometriosis, preliminary data from a study presented last week at the Society for Reproductive Investigation conference in Vancouver demonstrated. With millions of women suffering from the debilitating condition globally, maraciclatide has the potential to not only help with diagnosis but also with the development of new therapeutics, David Hail, CEO of Serac, told BioWorld.

Aska Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., a subsidiary of Aska Pharmaceutical Holdings Co. Ltd., and Red Arrow Therapeutics Inc. have signed a joint research agreement to develop a new treatment for preeclampsia using advanced nanotechnology.

Japanese researchers from Chiba University are spearheading new research into Peace of Mind Co. Ltd.’s portable Angel Touch device (AT-04), approved for neurological disorders, to treat endometriosis-related pain.

The U.S. FDA granted Edap Tms SA breakthrough device designation for its Focal One system to treat deep infiltrating rectal endometriosis. The company believes that the Focal One high intensity focused ultrasound technology can offer relief to the thousands of women suffering from the debilitating condition.

Researchers from Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) are seeking patent protection for a transcervical delivery device that may provide clinicians with a simple, inexpensive office-based procedure for the assessment of tubal patency or delivery of a permanent contraceptive agent to the fallopian tube.

In a potential godsend for women struggling with infertility and painful periods, Hera Biotech Inc. acquired the endometriosis diagnostic assets of Scailyte AG, consolidating the two leading tissue-based diagnostic programs for the disease. The combination of the companies’ non-surgical diagnostic options could significantly speed time to treatment for millions of women, who on average spend 10 years in search of the cause of chronic pelvic pain before being diagnosed with endometriosis.

Listening to conversations between a mother and her unborn child on the cellular level could inform how the pregnancy is going and prevent complications. Three scientific groups from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), in collaboration with Wayne State University and Michigan State University, have used single-cell RNA sequencing techniques to decipher these words, identify the cellular language of these interactions in the placenta and establish a cellular atlas.

With the use of 3D printing and microfluidics, Fertilis Pty Ltd. hopes to triple the success rates of in vitro fertilization (IVF) by improving embryo quality and quantity.

Royal Philips NV received a second round of funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to speed adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms on the Lumify hand-held ultrasound device, bringing its total commitment to the project designed to reduce maternal mortality to $60 million.