In a post-pandemic world, South Korean molecular diagnostics firm Seegene Inc. is looking to ignite a new paradigm in the diagnostics business. Seoul-based Seegene is rolling out a new strategy of open innovation under its newfound initiative coined the “SG Onesystem,” which pledges to not only accelerate global partnerships for novel diagnostics but also “free the world of all disease.”
A new wearable “hip-assist” robot developed by Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. significantly improves gait, balance and dynamic movement in older adults and has the potential to not only enhance physical function but also mitigate the risk of falls.
Biosense Webster Inc. scored approval from Japan’s Ministry of Health Labour and Welfare’s (MHLW) for its Varipulse pulsed field ablation platform to treat symptomatic drug-refractory recurrent paroxysmal atrial fibrillation on Jan. 9., making it the first PFA system approved in the country.
Researchers from the University of Auckland have developed a smartphone app called Mindear that reduced the impact of tinnitus in two-thirds of users over eight weeks.Tinnitus, often referred to as ringing in the ears, is the perception of sound without an external source and affects 10% to 15% of the global adult population. Previous studies to treat tinnitus have focused on neuromodulation devices, but a smartphone app could make treatment more accessible to a wider population.
After flying high in 2022, digital therapeutics (DTx) companies crashed to Earth in 2023 and scrambled to identify a path to profitability, or at least continued viability.
A recent survey on the performance of publicly listed Korean health care firms in 2023 unveiled a still floundering med-tech sector, although local pharmaceutical companies seemed to rebound after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nearing the end of 2023, South Korea’s National Assembly approved hiked-up budgets for three of its major health care agencies. Its health policy think tank also forecast an uptick in industry exports in 2024.
Asia continues its push to be the global leader with precision health and artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML) models for diagnosing disease. Most health care systems in Asia’s major markets include universal health care coverage and are leaning toward electronic health records, paving the way for seamless use of data. At the same time, AI/ML is making its way across the entire health care spectrum, including applications to diagnose breast cancer, kidney disease, cognitive decline, depression and even retinal imaging to detect cardiac disease.
Metastatic colorectal cancer remains the second leading cause of cancer-related mortality globally, but treatment options are generally limited to RAS mutation status for anti-EGFR therapies. Researchers at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (WEHI) in Melbourne developed a method to grow organoids from patient-derived tumor samples that achieved 83% accuracy in predicting patient responses to different therapies.
Robocath SAS said it performed the world’s first-in-human remote robotic coronary angioplasty between two cities in China, Beijing and Urumqi, located 1,700 miles apart. The procedure was carried out using the company’s R-One robotic platform, via a 5G connection, and paves the way for long-distance endovascular procedures.
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