Oso-AI SAS raised $10.7 million to develop its artificial intelligence (AI)-driven augmented ear for frail people and their caregivers. This series A financing round was led by its historical shareholders Innovacom SAS, Novinvest Partners SAS and Breizh-up, which is the co-investment fund of Brittany region financed by the European Regional Development Fund and managed by UI Investment SAS. Cemag Invest Partners SAS has joined these three historical investors. This operation follows a first round of financing of $4.4 million which closed in September 2020.
Xeltis AG reported the first-in-human results for its fully synthetic electrospun vascular access graft, showing 100% patency at six months in 20 patients with end stage renal disease who were not suitable for arteriovenous (AV) fistula creation.
A heart-protective cardiac myosin inhibitor and two biologics – one for a type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma and another for an inflammatory skin condition – were among the therapies recommended for approval by the EMA’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use this week.
An electronic pen that tracks upper limb and hand motions to diagnose Parkinson’s disease is to be repurposed to detect neurotoxic side effects of immunotherapy for cancer, following the award of a grant from Johnson & Johnson Innovation.
The neonatology unit at Bonn University Hospital (UKB) in Germany conducted the world’s first study of portable magnetic resonance imaging at the bedside on children undergoing extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) therapy. This procedure involves oxygenating the blood outside the body. The 10-strong neonatology team demonstrated that it is safe and feasible to perform portable MRI at the bedside in this patient population.
The industry has hit out at the European Commission’s proposals for new pharmaceuticals regulations, saying they risk “sabotaging” life sciences in Europe. “Today’s proposals manage to undermine research and development in Europe while failing to address access to medicines for patients,” said Nathalie Moll, director general of the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations.
The €15 million (US$16.45 million) loan Smart Reporting GmbH recently received from the European Investment Bank (EIB) will take the company a “long way” as it looks to expand the use of its artificial intelligence (AI)-based medical documentation technology which “helps clinicians improve their workflow and patients to get better care,” co-CEO Peter Vanovertveld, told BioWorld.
Swiss biotech firms raised CHF1.3 billion (US$1.5 billion) in equity and debt financing in 2022, a fall of 60% from the previous year’s total of over CHF3.3 billion. But it’s still ahead of historic pre-pandemic levels of funding.
The gastroenterology team at the Paoli-Calmettes Institute in Marseille, France is conducting a therapeutic trial using G-Eye, the latest generation of colonoscope from Hanofar, Israel-based Smart Medical Systems Ltd. “The aim is to increase the detection rate of polyps thanks to a new type of device that can be connected to the current colonoscopes on the market,” Jean-Philippe Ratone, the principal investigator of the study and gastroenterologist at the Paoli-Calmettes Institute told BioWorld.
The European Commission is bringing out rules designed to further simplify and streamline procedures for pharmaceutical companies planning on merging under EU Merger Regulation rules. The commission assesses mergers and acquisitions of companies whose turnover exceeds certain thresholds to prevent concentrations that would significantly impede effective competition in the European Economic Area or in a substantial part of it.