Access Biologicals LLC brought online newly released seroconversion panels that measure the level of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 in blood samples, allowing researchers to determine vaccine efficacy. The panels can detect the point when seroconversion occurs and assess the efficacy of a vaccine against new and existing strains of the novel coronavirus. To build the panels, the Vista, Calif.-based company collected blood samples prior to vaccination and after the first and second doses. The plasma was then tested for IgG antibodies to the S1 and S2 spike proteins of the novel coronavirus using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) and chemiluminescent assays (CLIA).

LONDON – Memed Diagnostics Ltd. has adapted the point-of-care test it developed to distinguish bacterial from viral infections to enable rapid assessment of the severity of COVID-19 infections in patients being admitted to the hospital. The triaging tool, Memed COVID-19 Severity, has received a CE mark in Europe and is ready for commercial rollout. After securing the CE mark, Memed is now pursuing emergency use authorization for the test from FDA.

Researchers from Finland and Italy published a biomarker-based algorithm for the diagnosis of dementia in the journal Diagnostics. The algorithm enables clinicians to distinguish between various neurodegenerative diseases with shared clinical presentations and select appropriate treatment. The algorithm relies primarily on blood biomarker measurements to diagnose the type of dementia much earlier than is possible with the diagnostic tools in use today.

TORONTO – What do ER doctors want most for their patients? Never to return to the ER, said Giovanni Ferrara, a professor at Edmonton’s University of Alberta Hospital's Division of Pulmonary Medicine. Ferrara is heading a feasibility project to see if a wearable device developed by Rochester, N.Y.-based Heath Care Originals Inc. can predict with scientific certainty when the condition of a patient with lung disease is worsening and requires another visit to the hospital.

PARIS – Royal Philips NV is working with the Spanish National Center for Cardiovascular Research (CNIC) on an ultrafast cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) protocol that could reduce scanning times to just a few minutes.

LONDON – An attempt to develop an alternative sampling method to replace unpleasant nasopharyngeal swabbing in COVID-19 diagnosis has failed, with researchers at Owlstone Medical Ltd. finding the number of viral particles that can be collected from the breath of hospitalized patients is below the limit of detection. Owlstone is a specialist in collecting and analyzing breath samples to look for volatile organic compounds that are biomarkers of disease, such as lung cancer and asthma.

Lunit Inc. snagged a $26 million investment from precision oncology company from Guardant Health Inc., closing its series C tranche B funding round. Lunit is planning to use the funds to develop more artificial intelligence (AI) solutions and improve existing ones.

Foresight Diagnostics Inc. has developed a circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) detection platform for detecting minimal residual disease (MRD) in B-cell lymphomas, a form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma and the most common lymphoma in the U.S., accounting for about 85% of all cases. Now, it has published data showing its phased variant enrichment detection sequencing (PhasED-Seq) nearly doubled the identification of patients with aggressive lymphoma who were not cured by standard therapy and need new treatment options.

DUBLIN – Panakès Partners SGR SpA has raised €150 million (US$177 million) in a first close of its second fund and is looking to secure a final tally of €180 million by year-end. That would represent more than twice the size of its first fund of €80 million and reflects its move into therapeutics investing.