Australia’s Speedx Pty Ltd. is launching a new rapid polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) test for 14 different respiratory viruses in a single test that works on almost every commercial PCR platform in half the time and at a fraction of the cost of what its competitors charge.

In what represents its first patenting, Halifax, Nova Scotia-based Hollo Medical Inc. seeks protection for its product that is designed for inhaler users who are frustrated with cumbersome valved holding chambers and desire something more compact and portable.

Paragonix Technologies Inc. expanded access to its U.S. FDA-cleared Baroguard donor lung preservation system following a successful limited release with a handful of top transplant centers. In addition to critical temperature control, the new system provides active airway management to keep donor lungs in the best condition possible.

Chiesi Farmaceutici SpA presented data for novel lung-targeted muscarinic M3 receptor antagonists/β2-adrenoceptor agonists (MABAs) as candidates for the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

South Korean medical software firm Coreline Soft Co. Ltd. said it gained U.S. FDA 510(k) clearance for its artificial intelligence-based coronary artery calcification assessing solution, Aview CAC, while raising ₩18 billion (US$13.33 million) in a private placement.

Avicenna.AI SAS received clearance from the U.S. FDA for two of its artificial intelligence (AI)-based solutions, Cina-Ipe and Cina-Aspects, which provide for the detection of pulmonary embolism (PE) and the assessment of stroke severity in CT scans, respectively.

Deep learning algorithms have enabled the discovery of molecular structures of interest in biomedicine to design treatments against aggressive diseases such as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Scientists at Insilico Medicine Inc. selected a target for IPF using artificial intelligence (AI), then designed an inhibitor to block it, and tested it in vitro, in vivo, and in clinical trials.

The U.S. FDA posted notice of a medical device correction of Abiomed Inc.'s Impella series of left-side blood pumps because of the risk of perforation of the left ventricle during device placement. The FDA noted that it has received 129 reports of serious injury and 49 reports of fatalities associated with these devices, but did not indicate whether device malfunction was the source of these adverse events. Abiomed advises customers that the device should be implanted “with special care” in patients during active cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and to review some updated warnings in the product’s instruction for use statement.

Researchers from Shenyang Pharmaceutical University have discovered novel β2-adrenoceptor (β2-AR) agonists for the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).