What is the future of med-tech innovation in the wake of COVID-19? That was the question addressed during the Advanced Medical Technology Association’s Virtual Medtech Conference, with members of industry providing some insight. “I think … that this is going to be in many ways a turning point,” changing the way stakeholders look at devices and the evidence supporting them, said Tom O’Brien, of Johnson & Johnson’s (J&J) Ethicon unit.

LONDON – U.S. chipmaker Nvidia Inc. is investing £40 million (US$51.9 million) in building a supercomputer in Cambridge, U.K., to be dedicated to applying artificial intelligence in drug discovery and in health care.

LONDON – French venture capital firm Kurma Partners has announced the first closing at €50 million (US$58.6 million) of its second fund to be wholly devoted to seed and early stage investment in diagnostics. Kurma Diagnostics 2 (KDx2) will be invested in molecular and digital diagnostics technologies being spun out of universities and research centers across Europe, backing a total of 15 companies.

PARIS – Gleamer SAS has secured $8.75 million in series A financing for its CE-marked artificial intelligence (AI) application that automatically detects all types of fracture in radiography. “This funding will allow us to move forward with launching Boneview around the world,” Christian Allouche, CEO and co-founder of Gleamer, told BioWorld.

Sentiar Inc. received U.S. FDA clearance for its holographic guidance system, known as Commandep, for use in cardiac ablation procedures. The system allows electrophysiologists (EPs) to visualize 3D electroanatomic models in real-time, using augmented reality (AR), to seamlessly navigate invasive procedures. “The Commandep is intended for use as a medical imaging system that allows the review, analysis, communication and media interchange of multidimensional digital images,” Berk Tas, Sentiar’s CEO, told BioWorld.

More than 62% of the volume and 63% of the projected values of med-tech deals completed in 2020 are for one of two things: COVID-19 diagnostics and devices or digital health technologies that fall outside of the pandemic efforts. As of late September, BioWorld has tracked 1,012 deals this year – including licensings, collaborations and joint ventures – valued at $3.67 billion, as well as 272 completed mergers and acquisitions valued at $8.53 billion.

HONG KONG – Novartis AG was cited during the recent 2020 KoNECT-MOHW-MFDS International Conference as an example of a biopharma firm staying ahead of the artificial intelligence curve.

TORONTO – Toronto-based Oncall Health Inc. has raised CA$7.9 million (US$6 million) in series A funding to help health care organizations lessen COVID-19’s impact on their EMR and other operational programs. An even more ambitious goal, said CEO Nicholas Chepesiuk, is to streamline delivery of virtual health care across a range of small to large U.S.-based organizations “in a way that makes sense for their brand and their workflow.”