The mortality rate of patients with kidney failure can be significantly reduced if they are treated with high-dose hemodiafiltration compared with the more commonly used high-flux hemodialysis, according to a study recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The results from the CONVINCE trial pave the way for the increased adoption of hemodiafiltration as a therapeutic option to treat patients with end-stage kidney disease.
A group of international partners with expertise in therapeutics, technology, health data management and data science have joined forces to develop a range of digital tools that will predict and monitor dementia. The two-year pilot project launched in the U.K. will see the unique group focus their initial efforts on developing data and digital solutions to complement existing treatments as well as solving issues related to the prediction, prevention, management and treatment of dementia related disorders.
The European Society of Hypertension (ESH) has recommended that renal denervation (RDN) be offered as an adjunctive therapy to patients with resistant hypertension. Releasing new and updated guidelines on the management of arterial hypertension, the ESH said recent randomized controlled trials showed that endovascular RDN can be associated with a significant, albeit not marked, office and ambulatory blood pressure reduction in patients with uncontrolled hypertension.
Israeli venture capital fund, Shoni Health Ventures, launched a new fund focused on startups specializing in digital health and medical devices. Recognizing that innovative solutions with the potential to improve global health may go unrealized as health tech startups struggle to attract early-stage investors, the fund is focused on investing in companies at the pre-seed and seed-stage.
The U.K. government created a new £21 million ($US26.55 million) fund to accelerate the roll out of artificial intelligence (AI) diagnostics and treatment tools across the NHS. The AI Diagnostic Fund will enable hospitals to bid for funding to speed up the deployment of the most promising AI imaging and decision support tools to help patients with cancers, strokes and heart conditions.
Carthera SA raised €37.5 million (US$40 million) in a series B funding round that will allow the company to embark on the first pivotal trial of its Sonocloud technology. The Sonocloud-9 is the only implantable ultrasound device that can repeatedly open the blood-brain barrier and deliver effective treatment in patients with recurrent glioblastoma, Frédéric Sottilini, CEO of Carthera, told BioWorld.
The near $50 million cash injection Nvision Imaging Technologies GmbH recently received is “instrumental” as it will allow the company to take its hyperpolarized magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology to labs worldwide, CEO Sella Brosh told BioWorld. The German startup’s quantum technology makes MRI imaging up to 100,000 times more precise which will allow for the earlier diagnosis of cancer, better assessment of the risks involved and the ability to assess in a matter of days, whether treatment is working.
The early detection of chronic liver disease (CLD) could help in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases (CVD), according to a study published in the Journal of Hepatology. Using Perspectum Ltd.’s Livermultiscan, a noninvasive MRI scan, researchers analyzed liver data and found that liver disease activity measured by MRI corrected T1 (cT1) is associated with higher risk of major CVD events.
Corwave SA raised €26 million (US$28 million) in the second close of its series C funding round taking the total amount to €61 million. The funds will go toward the industrial development of the company’s facilities as well as entry into clinical trials for its heart pump, the Corwave LVAD, which is based on its wave membrane biomimetic technology, inspired by the undulating movement of marine animals.
A graphene-based electronic biosensor platform from Paragraf Ltd. simultaneously detected both protein antigen and RNA biosignals from samples in real time, according to a study published in Advanced Materials Technology. Paragraf claimed that the achievement is a world first, and the development of the platform, which can be quickly adapted for multiomics and multiplexed diagnosis of continuously evolving biothreats and global pandemics, is a major breakthrough.
