PARIS – Mauna Kea Technologies SA, of Paris, is welcoming a major shareholder on board. The company, which developed Cellvizio optical biopsy technology for tissue imaging directly at the cellular level, reported an increase in share capital for the benefit of Johnson & Johnson Innovation, JJDC Inc. The venture capital arm of J&J has invested $8.3 million by subscribing to 5,357,142 new shares at a unit price of $1.56.

Check-Cap Ltd., of Isfiya, Israel, reported positive results from a U.S. pilot study of its C-Scan System, a preparation-free, ingestible scanning capsule-based technology aimed at preventing colorectal cancer (CRC) through early detection of precancerous polyps. The company is currently preparing an IDE submission with the U.S. FDA and plans to launch a pivotal clinical trial in late 2020.

BOGOTA, Colombia – A startup in Mexico has developed an intelligent glove to diagnose cardiac diseases in seconds just by touching a patient’s chest. The invention could become available on the market by the end of 2020, when Soluciones Kenko, from Jalisco, Mexico, expects to hit the Mexican market with a futuristic solution for the health care sector.

Health care-associated infections (HAI) pose a constant challenge for hospitals and health systems, resulting in increased morbidity and mortality and billions in costs each year. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 1 in 31 patients has at least one HAI at any given time. In 2016, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services set a 2020 goal of reducing HAIs by 50% below a 2015 baseline. To that end, Biotia Inc. plans to launch an artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled test to detect harmful bugs and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) early in the new year.

LONDON – Twenty years on from sequencing of the first draft of the human genome and the associated hype, 2019 was the year that the science of genomics truly began to make an impact in health care.

The screening of at-risk patients for Barrett’s esophagus, a precursor to esophageal cancer, has long been a goal for health systems. Currently, most patients with the condition remain undiagnosed, and more than 90% of individuals are identified after it has progressed into esophageal cancer via endoscopy, according to a 2018 paper in Digestive Diseases and Sciences.

HONG KONG – Pentax Medical Co., of Tokyo, has gained CE marking for its artificial intelligence-based polyp detector Discovery. The detector assists endoscopists in finding potential polyps during a colorectal examination. The software has been trained using more than 120,000 files from about 300 clinical cases.

Following lengthy consultations with industry, Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has released its new regulatory framework for in vitro companion diagnostics (IVD CDx) that becomes effective in February.

Rarecyte Inc., a Seattle-based company making products for tissue and cell analysis, reported picking up $22 million in a series F financing round led by Healthquest Capital. Also participating in the round were existing investors 5AM Ventures and Ron Seubert, Rarecyte’s founder and chief technology officer. The company plans to use the funds to expand global sales of its instruments and consumables platform in research clinical markets.