Researchers have shown that glucocorticoids, a type of steroid hormones, target both neuroplasticity-related genes and genes related to ciliary function in the brain. However, the effects on the different processes are mediated via different receptors, and in response to different stimuli. A study investigated the specific targets of glucocorticoids, giving new insights into the biological mechanisms of stress adaptations, and how they are linked to neural plasticity.

LONDON – Researchers at Birmingham University are looking for commercialization partners after finding a happy medium between the speed but limited accuracy of COVID-19 lateral flow antigen tests, and the use of slower but more accurate PCR and other RNA amplification diagnostics.

PARIS – Screenpoint Medical BV has just closed $28 million in series C funding to scale its latest generation of the Transpara system, which uses fusion AI for 2D and 3D mammography.

A less controversial option than aducanumab may be available soon to help individuals with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease-related dementia. Researchers at the Medical University of Vienna and the University of Toronto have developed a technique using ultrasound that reverses cognitive decline and they say it could be available for clinical use shortly.

The European Commission’s Medical Device Coordination Group has posted several guidances for unique device identifiers (UDIs), the most recent of which is related to a company’s quality management system. While most regulators have developed policies related to UDIs, this MDCG guidance recommends that device makers formally incorporate those requirements into their QMS programs, and that notified bodies will examine the manufacturer’s compliance with these requirements during inspections.

LONDON – Birmingham University spinout 4D Biomaterials Ltd. has raised initial funding of £1.6 million (US$2.2 million) to commercialize a new shape-changing biopolymer for use in soft tissue repair.

PARIS – At some point, scientists reported, it may be possible to quarantine viruses rather than humans. For the last two years, European research consortium Virofight has been working on a form of nanotechnology intended to neutralize viruses such as SARS-CoV-2, HIV, influenza and hepatitis viruses.

LONDON – Relaxing of control measures such as mask wearing and social distancing at a time when most of a population has been vaccinated against COVID-19 greatly increases the probability of the emergence of a vaccine-resistant strain, according to a new modeling study.

PARIS – Peek Health SA raised $3.5 million in series A funding to ramp development of its 3D pre-op digital planning tools used in orthopedic surgery. This investment was led by two Portuguese venture capital firms: Grosvenor House of Investments SCR SA and Portugal Ventures SA.

PARIS – French sovereign bank Bpifrance SA, the Digital Health Agency (ANS) and Impact Healthcare SAS have just published results from the first survey on progress being made by digital health startups in France. The survey, with financial support from Astrazeneca plc from the U.K. and French law firm Delsol Avocats Selarl, was carried out among roughly 100 founders of digital health startups in France. It reveals a lot of information relating to the progress made by digital health projects 18 months following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. “It is a matter of recognizing there are barriers to the French market even though e-health products and services are booming following the COVID-19 crisis,” Jean-Yves Robin, managing director of Impact Healthcare and co-author of the study, told BioWorld.