Variants in the APOE gene are the strongest genetic risk factor for developing Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Now, researchers at Rockefeller University have demonstrated that APOE variants also affected the risk of progression and metastasis as well as the response to immunotherapy, in melanoma.

Transmedics Group Inc. reported a proposed public offering of $60 million of its shares of common stock (NASDAQ:TMDX). The Andover, Mass.-based company expects to grant underwriters a 30-day purchase option for additional shares of its common stock up to 15% of the number of shares sold in the offering. J.P. Morgan and Morgan Stanley are jointly managing the proposed offering with Canaccord Genuity acting as lead manager.

Navidea Biopharmaceuticals Inc. CEO Jed Latkin said positive findings from the second interim analysis of the phase IIb study called NAV3-31 “were certainly better than what we were looking for” and will “make our partnering discussions a lot more interesting.”

HONG KONG – A researcher at Israel’s Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) has developed a test that identifies those carrying the COVID-19 virus in less than a minute. And it is both affordable and works with greater than 90% accuracy to boot.

Balt USA LLC, of Irvine, Calif., has received a thumbs up from the FDA to begin an IDE trial of its Squid liquid embolic device for the treatment of chronic subdural hematoma (cSDH). The nonadhesive agent offers a minimally invasive option for a disabling neurological condition that often requires brain surgery to correct.

Dry eye disease is a common problem, and Sight Sciences Inc., of Menlo Park, Calif., is looking to help those who suffer from the condition. Now, the company has seen the presentation of positive clinical data from the multicenter OLYMPIA study of Tearcare, which the company has heralded as the first wearable and intelligent eyelid technology for dry eye treatment.

BOGOTA – Mexican home appliances manufacturer Mabe Sa De Cv, from Mexico City, became a new member of the med-tech sector after taking the leap forward and joining the scores of companies around the world shifting their traditional manufacturing lines to develop med-tech products to fight COVID-19.

Quanterix Corp., of Billerica, Mass., reported that researchers have developed a COVID-19 antibody test with 1,000 times the sensitivity of current tests using its Simoa bead-based immunoassay platform.

ERTH, Australia – A recent study conducted at the University of Western Australia (UWA) Centre for Sleep Science shows that facial features analyzed from 3D photographs could predict the likelihood of having obstructive sleep apnea.

LONDON – Support is growing for human challenge trials in COVID-19 to be approved in order to speed up development of effective vaccines against the pandemic infection.