United Therapeutics Corp. signed an agreement to acquire Miromatrix Medical Inc. for up to $140 million in cash, buying its way into additional organic growth. The deal would add Miromatrix’s comprehensive portfolio of bio-engineered organs to United’s existing organ production platform.
The U.K. government has launched a £100 million (US$122 million) fund that will accelerate the development of artificial intelligence (AI) tools to help tackle some of the biggest challenges in health care.
Hypnovr SAS recent takeover of Oncomfort SA will bring digital therapeutic solutions to a larger patient population suffering from pain and anxiety. Oncomfort has developed Digital Sedation, a non-pharmacological method of relieving patients’ pain and anxiety. This therapy, coupled with Hypnovr’s own virtual reality (VR) solution will help reduce medication use and improve the care pathway for patients undergoing medical procedures.
Sofinnova Partners hauled in $200 million in investment for its digital health fund as investors’ appetite for companies developing solutions for health care using digital technology continues to grow.
Ventric Health Inc. received U.S. FDA 510(k) clearance for its Vivio system, a mobile, non-invasive medical device that can aid in the diagnosis of heart failure. With early diagnosis crucial for treating and managing the condition, Vivio uses advanced algorithms to detect elevated left ventricular end diastolic pressure (LVEDP) in less than five minutes and can therefore improve clinical and health outcomes.
Phasev Inc. has raised $15 million in a funding round that will allow the company to further develop its machine learning (ML) technology that aims to revolutionize clinical trial design, execution and analysis. The funding round was led by Viola Ventures and Exor Ventures and included participation from Lionbird and a group of prominent angel investors.
Oxford Nanopore Technologies plc secured a £70 million (US$85 million) investment from Biomérieux SA. The investment comes on the back of a partnership formed between the two companies earlier in the year. The funds will support the development of products in Oxford Nanopore’s portfolio to serve in vitro diagnostics (IVD) markets.
Wandercraft SAS has begun commercial operations of its exoskeleton, Atalante X, in the U.S., offering another solution to the millions of people living with mobility impairments. The company also formed a partnership with the Kessler Foundation whose research team will investigate the possible benefits of the Atalante X for neurologically impaired patients, including those recovering from stroke, spinal cord injuries and motor neuron disease.
Researchers have for the first time used human neural stem cells to print 3D brain tissues that mimic the architecture of the brain’s outer layer, the cerebral cortex. This breakthrough technique, developed by a team from the U.K.’s University of Oxford, could one day be used to provide tailored repairs to the millions of people who suffer from severe brain injuries, for which there is no effective treatment.
Microsure BV recently secured €38 million (US$40 million) in a series B2 funding round that will allow it to finalize the development of its microsurgical robot, the Musa-3. The robot system is designed to give microsurgeons the precision, stability and control that are currently beyond human capabilities. “We want to make a super microsurgeon from every microsurgeon,” Sjaak Deckers, CEO of Microsure, told BioWorld.
