A team of international researchers is investigating whether a finger-prick blood test could be used to help diagnose Alzheimer’s disease before symptoms appear. With current diagnostic methods relying on expensive brain scans and invasive lumbar punctures, the trial is exploring whether the simple test could offer a faster, cheaper, and more accessible route to identifying the disease.
Boston Scientific Corp.’s intent to acquire Penumbra Inc. for $14.5 billion will not only allow it to expand its minimal invasive care portfolio in areas such as embolization and peripheral vascular disease, but to also reenter the neurovascular space, Kathleen Van Vlierberghe, vice president of Peripheral Interventions EMEA, told BioWorld.
Investors continue to pour capital into AI-driven health care technologies, from drug discovery and diagnostics to personalized medicine and clinical decision-support tools. However, there remain issues with the quality and reliability of the data underpinning these systems, as well as the viability of their business model.
As the momentum and interest in brain-computer interface (BCI) technologies continue to accelerate, Merge Labs has emerged with an investment from OpenAI in its seed round. Merge Labs says it plans to develop next-generation BCIs capable of interacting with the brain at high bandwidth, integrating with advanced AI, and doing so in ways that are safe and accessible to everyone.
Distalmotion SA recently secured a strategic investment from Johnson & Johnson for its robotic-assisted surgical system Dexter, amid an increase in demand from ambulatory surgery centers for such platforms. The deal follows Distalmotion’s $150 million in a series G financing, and coincides with J&J’s recent submission of its own robotic surgical system, Ottava, to the U.S. FDA., for clearance.
Affluent Medical SAS is becoming Carvolix after it entered into binding agreements to acquire Caranx Medical SAS for €16.6 million (US$19.34 million) and Artedrone SAS for €11.4 million. The aim is to create an integrated med tech company which will focus on revolutionizing cardiac valve replacement and stroke treatment through AI-driven autonomous mini-robots and innovative implants.
Smith+Nephew plc (S+N) has agreed to acquire Integrity Orthopaedics Inc. for up to $450 million in a bid to strengthen its shoulder repair portfolio. The move comes as the company looks to accelerate its growth with strategic investments, with the deal expected to be an important step in its ambition in becoming a global leader in sports medicine.
Cellbxhealth plc, previously called Angle plc, appointed CEO Peter Collins along with several non-executives to its board as it embarks on a new strategic direction. Over the past few months the company overhauled its management team, reduced its workforce by 60% and raised £8.2 million (US$11 million) as it changes focus from research to commercialization of its Parsortix system, a platform that captures and harvests circulating tumor cells (CTCs).
Investors poured a further $13 million into Vicentra BV for Kaleido, its insulin patch pump system, taking the total raised in the company’s series D financing round to $98 million. The funds come amid significant changes across diabetes technology, particularly the acceleration of patch pumps. Kaleido is one of the smallest, lightest, and most precise insulin patch pumps available.
Tensive Srl reported positive data from its pivotal trial confirming the safety profile of Regenera, its bioabsorbable breast implant, and its potential to transform breast reconstruction. The pivotal trial, evaluating the Regenera in patients undergoing lumpectomy, found it to be safe, biocompatible and feasible for volume replacement in breast-conserving surgery.
