Two-Photon Research Inc. (TPR) has launched a diagnostics platform it said improves coronavirus detection via aptamers, small molecules that change shape when binding to a protein at the surface of the SARS-CoV-2 molecule that causes COVID-19. Light shone onto a vial containing a patient’s saliva and the Aptamer Molecular Photonic Beacon (AMPB) generates negative or positive results that are instantly displayed on a smartphone and stored for planning purposes by public health officials.

Neurotech startup Nēsos Corp. has emerged from stealth with a novel approach for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Using wireless earbuds, the technology delivers electrical fields to targeted areas of the brain to help regulate immune function. The company recently raised $16.5 million in a series A round to advance clinical development of its first e-immunotherapy product.

It might not have helped Iron Man survive use of the Infinity gauntlet, but for individuals with chronically iron-poor blood, Sanguina Inc. ’s new mobile app could be a lifesaver. Atlanta-based Sanguina released Anemocheck Mobile, an app that measures hemoglobin levels, for the Google Play Store and will shortly add the app for iOS. Anemocheck analyzes a photo of the user's fingernail beds and provides the hemoglobin level on the screen. Hemoglobin levels provide the most common measure of anemia.

Preclinical startup Tavotek Biotherapeutics Ltd., with operations in Pennsylvania and Suzhou, China, boasts two technology platforms for discovering and developing molecular-targeted biologics for cancers and autoimmune diseases and is working to push its candidates, including a bispecific antibody, to the clinic next year.

Preclinical startup Tavotek Biotherapeutics Ltd., with operations in Pennsylvania and Suzhou, China, boasts two technology platforms for discovering and developing molecular-targeted biologics for cancers and autoimmune diseases and is working to push its candidates, including a bispecific antibody, to the clinic next year.

DUBLIN – Noema Pharma AG closed a €54 million (US$59.8 million) series A round to take forward four clinical-stage assets it has in-licensed from Roche Holding AG. The drug candidates are being lined up for orphan neurological indications that fall outside of Roche’s strategic focus.

Kantaro Biosciences LLC, a joint venture between the Mount Sinai Health System and RenalytixAI, has received emergency use authorization from the U.S. FDA for its semi-quantitative SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibody test kit. Known as COVID-Seroklir, the test determines the presence and precise level of IgG antibodies. It has demonstrated 98.8% sensitivity and 99.6% specificity for detecting SARS-CoV-2 specific IgG antibodies against two virus antigens, the full-length spike protein and its receptor-binding domain.

PARIS – Ganymed Robotics SAS reported the successful completion of functional prototype testing for its surgical robotic assistant used in total knee arthroplasty. According to a systematic review of the literature, published in the Journal of Arthroplasty, more than 2 million patients undergo knee arthroplasty each year after suffering arthritis of the knee.

KARACHI, Pakistan – Pakistan is taking steps to produce coronary stents domestically as a way to improve the delivery of health care at home and, perhaps, tap into a growing global market. N-ovative Health Technologies Pvt. Ltd., spun out of the National University of Science and Technology (NUST), started mass production of cardiac stents and angioplasty balloon catheters in October. It is the first such manufacturing facility in the country.

LONDON – Myricx Pharma Ltd. has launched with £4.5 million (US$5.9 million) seed funding to advance a new approach to targeting Myc, an oncogene that has defied long years of effort to drug it. The company will take a synthetic lethal approach, developing small-molecule inhibitors of N-myristoyltransferase to perturb pathways that Myc drives, causing cancer cell death.