On the heels of enrolling the first patient in a pivotal trial of a ventricular restoration system to treat symptomatic heart failure patients in January, Ancora Heart Inc. closed $80 million in new financing on Monday. The startup company plans to use the new funding to speed up this pivotal trial in preparation for FDA approval of its Accucinch ventricular restoration system.

A research team from the National University Health System (NUHS) was awarded a translational grant of S$4.9 million (US$3.6 million) from the National Research Foundation Singapore Central Gap Fund to further develop its personalized mitral valve bioprosthesis. Currently, around 500 patients in Singapore and more than 1 million around the world require mitral valve surgery annually.

French biotech Pep-Therapy SAS is taking its potentially first-in-class cancer cell penetrating peptide technology into the clinic, after raising €5.4 million (US$6.4 million) in an extended series A funding round. The series A fundraiser initially brought in €2.6 million, but the extension brought in a further €1.6 million in equity from Anaxago, i&i Prague and Badge as well as a €1 million loan from Bpifrance.

SD Biosensor Inc. made a splash in its KOSPI board debut on July 16, raising a total ₩776.4 billion (US$679.26 million). The company will now use the funds to mass-produce and promote the company’s diagnostic machines for various indications, including COVID-19.

Myopia, or near-sightedness, is a growing public health problem, often beginning in childhood. Severe cases can lead to serious complications including cataract, glaucoma and retinal detachment. Now, Dopavision GmbH has raised a €12 million (US$14.2 million) series A round to advance its digital childhood myopia therapeutic aimed at nipping this lifelong problem in the bud.

Three companies that began trading on Nasdaq on July 16 are contributing to this year’s record-setting pace of biotech IPOs. Erasca Inc., which is looking to raise $300 million, led the pack with shares (NASDAQ:ERAS) ending the day at $17.43, an 8.94% rise from the opening asking price of $16.