In recent years, Israel has proven to be a hot spot for med-tech innovation. The country boasts more than 1,500 companies in the health care and life sciences sectors, roughly 70% in medical devices and digital health. More than a hundred new companies focused on medical technology launch each year.

Perkinelmer Inc. is aiming to boost its infectious disease testing footprint with the acquisition of Oxford Immunotec Global plc for $591 million in cash. The purchase, reported Thursday, will allow Perkinelmer to expand its current offerings with solutions for tuberculosis (TB) detection. Perkinelmer shares (NYSE:PKI) hit a high of $162.16 Thursday morning, before closing at $160.53 – up 2.66% from the Wednesday’s close of $156.37.

Emboline Inc., which is developing technology to reduce the chance of stroke during transcatheter heart procedures, completed a $10 million series C financing. The funds are earmarked to gain initial commercial approval of the company’s Emboliner device and to launch a U.S. pivotal study. The round, which included new and existing investors, follows a $5 million bridge round of financing that closed last January.

Hologic Inc., which focuses on women’s health, said Jan. 4 that it has completed the acquisition of Somatex Medical Technologies GmbH for roughly $64 million. Based in Berlin, Somatex focuses on minimally invasive devices for tumor diagnostics, biopsy and interventional specialties. Somatex’s portfolio includes biopsy site markers and localization technologies, including Trumark markers. The company was previously owned by E-Med Solutions GmbH, a group of investors led by German private equity firm Westlake Partners.

Clinical-stage oncology company Nuview Life Sciences Inc. is developing a cancer diagnostic test and treatment delivery system that could reduce the need for costly, less accurate tests and surgical biopsies. The binary – yes/no – test employs a proprietary peptide construct, NV-VPAC1, that targets a specific receptor, called vasoactive intestinal peptide receptor type 1 (VPAC1), that is overexpressed on the surface of cancer cells.

Neurotech startup Nēsos Corp. has emerged from stealth with a novel approach for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Using wireless earbuds, the technology delivers electrical fields to targeted areas of the brain to help regulate immune function. The company recently raised $16.5 million in a series A round to advance clinical development of its first e-immunotherapy product.

Royal Philips NV is expanding its cardio footprint with the acquisition of Biotelemetry Inc., a manufacturer of remote medical technologies, for $2.8 billion, or $72 per share. The proposed deal, announced Friday, furthers Philips’ goal of providing integrated solutions across the care continuum, with Biotelemetry’s cardiac diagnostics and monitoring tools joining Philips’ line of hospital-based patient monitoring solutions. Philips expects the Biotelemetry business to contribute to sales growth and EBITA margin in 2021 and deliver double-digit growth and improve profit margins to more than 20% by 2025.

As COVID-19 cases surge across the U.S., there is growing demand for greater access to testing to rein in the pandemic. On Wednesday, the U.S. FDA granted an emergency use authorization (EUA) to Abbott Laboratories for at-home use of the company’s Binaxnow COVID-19 Ag Card Home Test. Abbott has teamed up with Miami-based telehealth provider Emed to distribute and administer the tests, with an expected 30 million in the first quarter of 2021.