Mindup, an Israeli digital health incubator, added Phenofast Ltd. to its portfolio this week, banking on the startup’s ability to resolve a critical, ongoing problem for hospitals and community physicians treating patients with urinary tract infections (UTIs). Phenofast hopes to bring clarity to antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) and relief to patients in record time.
Acutus Medical Inc. scored big with regulators in recent weeks. The company, which focuses on devices to diagnose and treat cardiac arrhythmias, received FDA approval to launch an investigational device exemption clinical trial for its Acqblate Force sensing ablation catheter and system in atrial fibrillation just two weeks after gaining CE mark approval for a broad suite of electrophysiology products.
Hemex Health Inc.’s newborn screening for sickle cell disease substantially reduces the labor involved for parents and providers in testing for the potentially fatal condition. The test had previously been able to test infants 6 weeks and older on the company’s Gazelle platform.
10x Genomics Inc. began distribution of its new Visium Spatial Gene Expression for FFPE (formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded) assay in the U.S., giving researchers access to whole transcriptome spatial gene expression across entire FFPE tissue samples. The assay allows researchers to overcome the challenges in transcriptome analysis created by FFPE processing.
The FDA granted Neurescue a "two-fer" on its intelligent balloon catheter for aortic occlusion with 510(k) clearance for emergency control of hemorrhage and investigational device exemption for use in cardiac arrest. By inflating a soft balloon at diaphragm level, the device dramatically increases perfusion to the heart, brain and lungs within a minute of deployment via the femoral artery.
Medtronic plc snagged FDA premarket approval for its recharge-free implantable neurostimulator (INS), Vanta, for patients with intractable pain. The spinal cord stimulator offers up to 11 years of device life, with optimal programming. That represents a 10% improvement on the Dublin-based company’s previous longest-lasting INS, Primeadvanced, and a near doubling of device life compared to Abbott Laboratories’ Proclaim and Boston Scientific Corp.’s Wavewriter Alpha, using the settings recommended in the clinician manuals.
Cymedica Orthopedics Inc. received FDA clearance for its Intellihab system to reduce pain associated with osteoarthritis in the knee. The system uses neuromuscular electrical stimulation to strengthen muscles supporting the knee without requiring typical exercises such as squats that could increase pain and further degrade the joint. Intellihab includes a knee brace that emits the pulses and a smartphone app patients use to track and manage the therapy.
Ortho Regenerative Technologies Inc. received a clinical hold letter from the FDA in connection with its investigational new drug (IND) application to begin a phase I/II trial for Ortho-R. The FDA asked for additional information on chemistry, manufacturing and control for the drug/biologic combination that the company is evaluating as an adjunct to rotator cuff repair surgery.
Synchron Inc. landed $40 million in new funding through a series B fundraising round led by Khosla Ventures. This round brings the total amount raised by the company to $59 million since its founding in 2016. Other participants in the round included Forepont Capital Partners, ID8 Investments, Shanda Group, General Advance, Subversive Capital, and Re.mind Capital as well as Arani Bose and Thomas Reardon. Returning investors included Neurotechnology Investors, Metis Innovative, and the University of Melbourne.
With the rollout of its Avagen test, Avellino Lab USA Inc. hopes to see a significant change in the diagnosis and management of keratoconus, a common cause of blindness. The test quantifies the risk of keratoconus and definitively diagnoses other corneal dystrophies, which are frequently misdiagnosed or undiagnosed until late in their development, when treatment is less effective and vision already impaired.
