Israeli startup Zebra Medical Vision Ltd. has partnered with Johnson & Johnson’s Depuy Synthes to develop artificial intelligence (AI)-based algorithms to reduce the costs and radiation risks associated with imaging to prepare for orthopedic surgery.
The screening of at-risk patients for Barrett’s esophagus, a precursor to esophageal cancer, has long been a goal for health systems. Currently, most patients with the condition remain undiagnosed, and more than 90% of individuals are identified after it has progressed into esophageal cancer via endoscopy, according to a 2018 paper in Digestive Diseases and Sciences.
Roseville, Calif.-based US Kidney Research Corp., formerly Curion Research Corp., has been working on its waterless renal replacement technology since its inception in June 2015. Its latest research efforts using its novel blood purifying technology have led to the production of the first ‘synthetic urine,’ which mimics the body’s natural production and the kidney’s filtration capability.
Gainesville, Fla.-based startup Etectrx Inc. has secured an FDA clearance for its ingestible event marker system, the ID-Cap system. The startup is following in the footsteps of Redwood City, Calif.-based Proteus Digital Health Inc., which pioneered the category.
Gainesville, Fla.-based startup Etectrx Inc. has secured an FDA clearance for its ingestible event marker system, the ID-Cap system. The startup is following in the footsteps of Redwood City, Calif.-based Proteus Digital Health Inc., which pioneered the category. The Etectrx approach, however, obviates the need for a skin-worn patch to monitor a signal from an ingestible sensor delivered with medication that’s been taken. It is the first to transmit a signal directly from within the body to a receiver that’s worn on a lanyard.
San Francisco-based Velano Vascular Inc. has closed the second tranche of a $25 million financing that is slated to back ongoing commercialization of its PIVO device that uses an existing peripheral IV line for a blood draw. It also aims to roll-out a new, undisclosed product in 2020.
Aspen Neuroscience Inc. hopes to get into the clinic to test autologous neuron replacement in Parkinson’s disease with a $6.5 million seed round. The financing featured several established life sciences venture investors; it was led by Domain Associates and Axon Ventures and included Alexandria Venture Investments, Arch Venture Partners, Orbimed, and Section 32.
There is no FDA-approved medication for Alzheimer’s disease. But there is some hope that if the blood-brain barrier could be more easily penetrated by drug candidates they would prove more effective. That is the line of research being pursued by Israeli company Insightec Ltd. via its Exablate Neuro that provides low-intensity focused ultrasound treatment.
Irving, Texas-based Caris Life Sciences Inc. has launched an AI-based genomic profiling test to better characterize cases of cancer of unknown primary origin (CUP) and atypical cases and offer appropriate treatment options. Known as the MI GPS (Genomic Profiling Similarity) Score, the analysis is based on an AI analysis of a 592-gene panel of all the clinically relevant genetic biomarkers for cancer.
A pair of Israeli health tech companies, Beyond Verbal and Healthymize, plan to merge to form Newton, Mass.-based Vocalis Health. The company will be focused on developing vocal biomarkers, which track voice patterns via phone calls or smart devices to screen for various voice-indicating ailments including chronic respiratory and cardiac conditions, as well as depression. Vocalis has raised a $9 million financing led by Israeli health tech and life science venture firm Amoon to accumulate additional clinical data and enhance its voice database.
