Oxford Nanopore Technologies plc secured a £70 million (US$85 million) investment from Biomérieux SA. The investment comes on the back of a partnership formed between the two companies earlier in the year. The funds will support the development of products in Oxford Nanopore’s portfolio to serve in vitro diagnostics (IVD) markets.
Researchers have for the first time used human neural stem cells to print 3D brain tissues that mimic the architecture of the brain’s outer layer, the cerebral cortex. This breakthrough technique, developed by a team from the U.K.’s University of Oxford, could one day be used to provide tailored repairs to the millions of people who suffer from severe brain injuries, for which there is no effective treatment.
Olink Holding AB likely has some euphoric investors following Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.’s announcement of an agreement to acquire the proteomics company for $26 per share in cash. The price represents a premium of nearly 75% on its recent trading average and brings the deal’s value to a stunning $3.1 billion, with net cash of $143 million.
The recent greenlight from European regulators to Tasso Inc. to market its Tasso+ device in the EU brings another solution to the market for blood collection Tasso has developed the Tasso+, a single-use blood lancing device that collects a microliter capillary blood from the upper arm. Tasso claims that it is the first device of its kind to get both CE mark and U.S. FDA approval.
The European Commission (EC) has ordered Illumina Inc. to sell Grail Inc. after it closed the acquisition without approval from EU regulators. The EC said that if Illumina fails to comply with the order, the company faces fines of up to 5% of its daily aggregate revenue or up to 10% of its annual worldwide revenue.
Concerns over the EU’s agonizingly clunky roll-out of the Medical Device Regulation (MDR) has largely focused on the capacity of notified bodies to manage the task of recertifying CE marks for legacy devices, but a new problem has emerged that promises to add yet more drag to the process. Amie Smirthwaite, senior vice president for innovation at RQM+, said EU member states’ competent authorities seem bent on pressing notified bodies (NBs) to treat guidance by the Medical Device Coordination Group (MDCG) as regulation, with the net result that “you almost need guidance for the guidance” in order to successfully navigate the EU market.
Rhythm Diagnostic Systems SA (RDS) received €1 million (US$1.1 million) from Capital Grand Est, the first venture capital (VC) firm to join its investor pool, taking its total seed capital raised to €13 million. RDS will use the funds to progress toward the next stages in the development of its Multisense product, a remote patient monitoring solution, including market launch, once it receives CE mark from the European authorities expected by the end of the year.
The U.K. has launched the first-of-its-kind national total-body positron emission tomography (PET) imaging platform that will be ‘game-changing’ for clinical research. Funded with £32 million (US$39 million) from the government, the National PET Imaging Platform (NPIP) will enable clinicians and researchers to access never-before-seen data that will improve the detection, diagnosis and treatment of complex, multi-organ diseases.
Boston Scientific Corp.’s plan to acquire Relievant Medsystems Inc. is part of its ongoing effort to address chronic pain which is significantly impacting the quality of life of millions of people. Relievant’s Intracept intraosseous nerve ablation system will give Boston Scientific another tool in its armory to tackle chronic pain which already includes radiofrequency ablation (RFA) solutions and spinal cord stimulator (SCS) systems.
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