Liquid biopsy startup Freenome Inc., of South San Francisco, reeled in $160 million in a series B financing that was led by RA Capital Management and Polaris Partners. The funds are earmarked to advance Freenome's multiomics blood testing platform for early cancer detection and to grow its laboratory and software capabilities.
Liquid biopsy startup Freenome Inc., of South San Francisco, reeled in $160 million in series B financing that was led by RA Capital Management and Polaris Partners. The funds are earmarked to advance Freenome's multiomics blood testing platform for early cancer detection and to grow its laboratory and software capabilities. Founded in 2014, Freenome applies machine learning technology to fragments of DNA and RNA, known as freenomes, that are circulating in the blood after being sloughed off by dying cells in the body. The aim is monitor immune system, metabolic and other changes in the body's reaction to malignant cells.
When lung lesions are suspected, surgeons often perform biopsies after reviewing the results of CT scans, but pinpointing the exact location of a cancerous growth can be tricky, leading to mistakes and misdiagnoses. Having a tool that creates a blueprint of the lung, visualizing even its tiniest airways, could reduce the risk of false negatives, as well as unnecessary damage to healthy lung tissue.
Durham, N.C.-based Med-El North America received a thumbs up from the FDA for use of its cochlear implant systems in people with single-sided deafness (SSD) and asymmetrical hearing loss (AHL). The July 19 approval marks the first time that Americans with these two indications are eligible for the surgically implanted electronic device, which until now has been limited to people with profound or severe bilateral hearing loss.
Pharmaceutical and life sciences giant Bayer AG scored another indication for its MRI contrast agent, Gadavist (gadobutrol) injection, this time in adults with suspected coronary artery disease. The FDA nod makes Gadavist the first and only contrast agent approved for use in cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging.
Pharmaceutical and life sciences giant Bayer AG scored another indication for its MRI contrast agent, Gadavist (gadobutrol) injection, this time in adults with suspected coronary artery disease. The FDA nod makes Gadavist the first and only contrast agent approved for use in cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging.
With the ongoing push toward value-based care, providers are looking for ways to improve patient outcomes while also lowering health care costs. Los Angeles-based Dearhealth Inc.'s artificial intelligence-powered software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform aims to do meet that demand by helping physicians better manage patients with chronic conditions. Now Philips Health Technology Ventures and other large investors are putting their money behind the company, seeing an opportunity to generate real movement in advance population health.
The U.S. FDA has granted 510(k) clearance to Livanova plc's Lifesparc system, a compact, advanced circulatory support (ACS) pump and controller with ready-to-deploy kits to support a variety of cannulation strategies. The new system replaces the old pump and controller for the company's Tandem system with a streamlined user interface and 40% greater power output and smaller, lighter controller that is half the size of the previous version.
