There have been numerous improvements in the treatment of cardiovascular disease since the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) first met in 1950, but unmet medical need remains and the science continues to advance, as delegates heard at the 75^th annual meeting in Madrid, Spain, Aug. 29-Sept. 1.

The Danish-German Cardiogenic Shock trial found that men implanted with Johnson & Johnson’s Impella CP after experiencing a heart attack with cardiogenic shock gain 600 days of life, on average, compared to usual care at 10 years. The study demonstrated no benefit for women.

Cyted Health Ltd. raised $44 million in a series B financing round to expand the reach of Endosign, its capsule sponge technology, in the U.S. Endosign is a minimally invasive device used to collect cell samples from the esophagus for the early detection of esophageal diseases, offering the potential to transform early cancer detection and improve health outcomes.

The U.K. Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency announced a new pilot program for modifications to clinical trials that allows for automatic approvals of those changes based on the risks those changes present.

Bio-Thera Solutions Inc. announced Aug. 26 that the European Commission cleared Usymro (BAT-2206) as a biosimilar to Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc.’s Stelara (ustekinumab). The EMA issued marketing authorization for Usymro on Aug. 14, following the EMA’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use adopting a positive opinion on June 19.

Charm Therapeutics Ltd. is heading to the clinic after closing an oversubscribed series B, which will fund initial development of a menin inhibitor that is AI-designed to circumvent shortcomings of first-generation molecules.

Seluna Ltd. launched a clinical study to validate its sleep diagnostic software, designed to support doctors to rapidly diagnose childhood sleep disorders and prioritize treatment for those who urgently need it. The study follows Seluna’s recent securing of nearly £650,000 (US$875,000) in funding.

Mitochondrial transfer is known to occur from the tumor microenvironment into cancer cells, but now, Swiss researchers have shown a possible precursor to this is that cancer cells smuggle their mitochondria into healthy connective tissue cells, prompting their reprogramming to cancer-associated fibroblasts.