PERTH, Australia – Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has cleared Speedx Pty Ltd.’s PlexPCR SARS-CoV-2 test, which detects all current circulating variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus at a time when most of the country is in lockdown as the delta variant circulates.

While the increased use of virtual appointments has made care more accessible for many people during the pandemic, it has created challenges for providers who often lack a means to gather basic health data from patients. Advanced Human Imaging Ltd. (AHI), formerly Myfiziq Ltd., tackled the problem with a scanning technology that eliminates the need for basic vital sign equipment during telehealth visits by calculating blood pressure, heart and respiratory rate, and body mass index with a quick scan performed on a smartphone or webcam.

PERTH, Australia – Bioinformatic and cell technology company Genieus Genomics Ltd. is using the power of the human genome to build a platform for neurodegenerative diseases to develop diagnostic tests for personalized medicines.

The Make in India initiative will be a long-term driver of local medical device manufacturing and will boost exports as well as a production linked incentive scheme, according to a report by market research firm Fitch Solutions.

Pulse Medical Imaging Technology (Shanghai) Co. Ltd. has raised more than $100 million in a series C funding round to accelerate the R&D, clinical trials and commercialization of its products. “Pulse plans to use the funds to accelerate the commercialization of its fractional flow reserve (FFR) estimating systems,” Xiaojie Lin, marketing director of Pulse, told BioWorld. FFR is a method to measure blood pressure and flow within a coronary artery to check on the possibility that the stenosis impedes oxygen delivery to the heart muscle.

PERTH, Australia – The Australian government’s Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) has funded a new program called the Artificial Heart Frontiers Program that aims to develop and commercialize a world-first durable total artificial heart. The Medical Research Future Fund has provided A$1 million (US$739,000) in funding that will establish the program over the next five years.

Microport Scientific Corp.’s cardiac rhythm disorders subsidiary, Microport Cardiac Rhythm Management Ltd. (Microport CRM), has confirmed agreements for a series C financing that would net it total investment proceeds of $150 million. Hillhouse Capital Group and Microport will co-lead the series C investment with investments of $20 million and $47 million, respectively.

Burning Rock Biotech Ltd. has formed a global strategic partnership with Impact Therapeutics Inc. to develop companion diagnostics for a pipeline of drugs in the field of synthetic lethality.

Researchers from The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) have developed a blood test to detect Alzheimer’s disease (AD) early. They said the test has an accuracy level of over 96% and can also monitor disease progression. This is a new approach to detecting AD compared to the commonly used cognitive tests and invasive methods that detect changes in the brain caused by AD.

Brain-wide genome editing via a single systemic dose of modified adeno-associated virus variants that cross the blood-brain barrier may represent a promising new approach for the development of disease-modifying treatments for familial Alzheimer's disease. This strategy could also be applicable to other central nervous system (CNS) disorders, according to a proof-of-concept (PoC) study led by researchers at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST).