On the last day of this year’s Molecular Targets meeting, an annual joint conference of the American Association for Cancer Research, the National Cancer Institute and the European Organization for the Research and Treatment of Cancer, the final plenary went from molecular to macro in a lively discussion of the biggest roadblock in cancer drug development, and what can be done to improve it.

Limbix Health Inc. released data demonstrating a 21% remission rate and 29% response rate for Sparkrx, its prescription digital therapeutic, in adolescents who completed the program as recommended. The company presented study results on Oct. 8 at the 2021 American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference in San Francisco.

LONDON – Fixed and constant deep brain stimulation has been successful in treating Parkinson’s disease and epilepsy, but heterogeneity in individual response means that despite promise, clinical studies in serious depression have to date delivered inconsistent results. U.S. researchers have now developed a method for identifying the neural circuits underlying symptoms of depression in individual patients and applied this to deliver tailored therapy, using a commercially available device to stimulate the brain when these circuits are activated.

PARIS – M.A. Med Alliance SA (Medalliance), along with its Japanese partner MDK Medical, has completed enrollment following acceptance of a clinical trial notification from the Japanese Pharmaceutical Products and Medical Device Agency (PMDA) in June 2020.

LONDON – Industry-sponsored clinical research in the U.K. took a big hit in the pandemic and is still struggling to catch up – and to capitalize on innovative trial designs and delivery approaches that were so successful in speeding up COVID-19 studies.

Shanghai Wision AI Co. Ltd. (Wision AI) has shared positive data from a first-of-its-kind study on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) computer-aided polyp detection (CADe) system during colorectal cancer screening in a U.S. patient population. Published in the journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, it marks the world’s first external independent randomized controlled trial of AI in the medical field conducted in the U.S.

With fresh funds and a pivotal trial underway, Sommetrics Inc. may be about to shed its sleeper status. Executives at the Vista, Calif.-based company hope to provide a quiet, effective solution to obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) that’s less obtrusive and better tolerated than the continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machines that currently dominate the market.

LONDON – A large-scale analysis of U.S. data shows that 57% of patients with a recorded diagnosis of COVID-19 subsequently presented to their physicians with symptom(s) of long COVID. In 37% of those patients, the symptoms were not reported until three to six months after they contracted COVID-19, indicating they are not persisting acute symptoms.

Reports of increased alcohol use began early in the pandemic and, with many counseling services and physicians’ offices closed or more difficult to access, therapists worried that an increasing number of patients with substance use disorders would be unable to find effective treatment. In that gloomy setting, San Francisco-based Woebot Labs Inc. reported cheering news in the October issue of Drug and Alcohol Dependence.

Prophet, Oncohost Ltd.’s artificial intelligence-driven proteomics profiling platform, predicted response to immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy in non-small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) patients in a study presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology Virtual Congress 2021. While ICI can generate a significant positive response in some patients with advanced NSCLC, in others the therapy promotes tumor growth, making identification of likely responders prior to treatment critical.