Cureosity GmbH has raised €3.8 million (US$4.1 million) in growth financing to expand the use of its virtual reality therapy which promotes the sensorimotor and cognitive rehabilitation in patients who have suffered a stroke or with neurodegenerative diseases. The funding came from existing and new investors including Techvision Fonds and Nomainvest, a Belgian family office.

A team of researchers have developed a blood test which uses artificial intelligence to predict Parkinson’s disease in patients up to seven years before symptoms appear. The test, based on the identification of eight biomarkers in the blood, will be able to identify patients who can be treated earlier with therapies to slow down the progression of the disease or even prevent it from occurring.

Newco Yellowstone Biosciences Ltd. has been formed to develop soluble bispecific T-cell receptors against a novel class of tumor-specific antigens it has discovered in leukemia patients who were cured by a donor stem cell transplant. The company has proprietary access to a biobank of over 10,000 samples from more than 3,000 acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients. A small number of these patients were cured by an allogeneic bone marrow transplant, whilst unusually, having no sign of graft-vs.-host disease.

Scientists spread across Europe and the U.S. filed for protection of an implantable electrode array including a plurality of microneedles, which may be implanted into the auditory nerve bundle and stimulate the auditory nerve in response to receiving electrical signals representative of observed sounds.

Ionctura SA closed a €80 million (US$86 million) series B round as it prepares to accelerate development of lead asset roginolisib in the treatment of uveal melanoma. That follows publication of phase Ib data showing roginolisib, an orally available allosteric modulator of the delta isoform of PI3K (phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate kinase), is distinguished from other drugs in this class, in being well-tolerated over long periods, with patients having been treated for up to 38 months.

Dexcom Inc. and Insulet Corp. both reported introductions of their products into new countries on the eve of the 2024 American Diabetes Association annual meeting in Orlando, Fla. The two firms also announced the U.S. launch of Insulet’s Omnipod 5 tubeless automated insulin delivery system with connectivity to Dexcom’s G7, the company’s latest generation continuous glucose monitor.

As new treatment options are being continually investigated and trialed against Parkinson’s disease, the possibilities offered by deep brain stimulation (DBS) risk being overlooked. Though not a cure, the therapy could vastly improve the quality of life for patients with the disease.