LONDON – Owkin Inc. added a further $18 million to its series A, bringing the amount raised in the round to $70 million and equipping the company to push forward with its federated learning approach to applying artificial intelligence (AI) to the analysis of health data.

LONDON – Digital health startup Gendius Ltd. is to take a lead role in an Astrazeneca plc initiative to improve diabetes care in the Gulf states, after signing an agreement to deploy its Intellin diabetes management system in the region.

PARIS – Orixha SAS is developing new pulmonary ventilation technology for critical care scenarios. “Our total liquid ventilator could be of benefit through its ultra-fast ability to cool the vital organs of patients in cardiac arrest,” Fabrice Paublant, CEO of Orixha, told BioWorld. The aim is to improve survival rates and reduce the neurological complications of postcardiac arrest syndrome.

LONDON – Illumina Inc. has named the first three U.K. genomics startups to be backed by its accelerator program, after expanding the scheme from the San Francisco Bay Area to its European headquarters in Cambridge, U.K.

French startup Affluent Medical SA has launched a European pilot study in humans of its native-like transcatheter mitral valve technology. The Epygon valve is designed to restore the normal blood flow vortex in the left side of the heart and treat left ventricle disease, particularly in so-called “functional” patients. Coinciding with the launch of the pilot, the company announced €10.3 million (US$11.6 million) in new financing and the addition of three new members on its board of directors.

LONDON – Epidarex Capital announced the closure of its £102.1 million (US$126.3 million) third fund, which will invest in very early stage biomedical and med-tech spin-outs from high-class but “under-ventured” universities in regions of the country where venture money is in short supply.

PARIS – Stilla Technologies SAS, of Villejuif, France, is supplying a new, cost-effective approach for COVID-19 testing by combining its digital polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology with the group testing method. “This approach greatly increases testing capacity and meets the highest quality standards,” Rémi Dangla, co-founder and CEO of Stilla Technologies, told BioWorld.

Lausanne, Switzerland-based Debiotech SA and Neokidney BV, of Amsterdam, have created Nextkidney SA to lead the development and commercialization of Neokidney, a lightweight, plug-and-play, home hemodialysis device.

PARIS – Agfa-Gevaert Group NV, of Mortsel, Belgium, has sold parts of its health care information technology (IT) business to Italy’s Dedalus Holding SpA for $1.1 billion. The divested interests include health care information solutions activities and integrated care activities in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France and Brazil, as well as certain IT imaging activities in these territories. It represents about half of Agfa Healthcare’s business.

Medtronic plc, of Dublin, has gained CE-marking approval for its Minimed 780g system, a next-generation closed-loop insulin pump for people with type 1 diabetes between the ages of 7 and 80 years old. The advanced hybrid closed-loop system (AHCL) features an advanced autocorrection algorithm and Bluetooth connectivity.