Researchers at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, the research arm of New York-based Northwell Health, have developed a noninvasive method for targeting stimulation of the vagus nerve. Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) offers promise for treatment of a wide range of conditions, given the nerve's extensive involvement in regulating many organs, but has been constrained by adverse effects caused by off-target activation of fibers.
The Lung Cancer Genomic Screening Project for Individualized Medicine in Asia (LC-SCRUM-Asia) has partnered with Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. to speed molecular profiling in two major studies. The project now uses Waltham, Mass.-based Thermo Fisher’s Ion Torrent Genexus system and Oncomine Precision assay as the sole system for conducting next-generation sequencing (NGS) to improve personalization of therapeutic approaches and better understand drug resistance in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLS).
Omnivision Technologies Inc. has developed the first all-in-one RGB-infrared image sensor designed for medical use. The OHO2A1S sensor offers simultaneous white-light RGB and infrared monochrome captures in one complementary metal oxide semiconductor sensor, enabling endoscopes used in oncology to be produced with just one sensor, reducing the size, cost and heat output of the devices.
Dexcom Inc. has partnered with the University of Virginia (U.Va.) to accelerate development of next generation continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) and automated insulin delivery technology. The five-year agreement will focus on expanding CGM use in type 2 diabetes, gestational diabetes and in-hospital settings.
Two studies seek to answer the most pressing question for physicians examining a patient with COVID-19: What's this person's risk of death? Mount Sinai researchers presented their clinical prediction model in The Lancet Digital Health and a team from Johns Hopkins published their risk calculator in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Pear Therapeutics Inc. has seen its efforts in the prescription digital therapeutics (PDT) space come to fruition with two new deals reported this week. The Hartford Financial Services Group Inc. now covers two of the company's therapeutics – Reset, for substance use disorder, and Reset-O, for opioid use disorder – for its employees and their beneficiaries. Preferredone will also cover the two PDTs for all its members.
Visby Medical Inc. emerged from stealth mode to secure emergency use authorization (EUA) from the U.S. FDA for its Personal PCR device for detection of COVID-19 infections. It is the first FDA-authorized portable device to use the polymerase chain reaction technology for COVID-19 testing. The San Jose, Calif.-based company was known as Click Diagnostics Inc. until March 2020.
Just weeks after rejecting Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.'s overtures, Qiagen NV completed its own deal – the acquisition of the final 80.1% of diagnostics instruments company Neumodx Molecular Inc. for $248 million in cash. Qiagen, based in Hilden, Germany, bought a 19.9% stake in Neumodx back in 2018 with the option to purchase the rest for $234 million. With U.S. regulatory approval recently obtained, the deal closed with an additional $14 million in customary adjustments for cash, indebtedness, and transaction costs.
Fitbit Inc. and Apple Inc. picked up the pace in their race to put health monitoring apps on wrists everywhere with Fitbit gaining 510(k) clearance from the U.S. FDA for its new ECG app for the Fitbit Sense and Apple revealing the blood oxygen sensor built into its Series 6 watch this week. The new apps join a growing array of technological advances that permit wearable devices to track and record a range of health metrics.
Siemens Healthineers AG snagged a key role in the mystery playing out across the world's pandemic stage – what do antibody test results mean in terms of immunity to SARS-CoV-2 and how do different tests assessing different proteins compare? The U.S. CDC and the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission tapped the Erlanger, Germany-based company to take the lead in developing a process to standardize antibody assays.
