South Korean researchers from Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology invented SPINDLE — a virtual reality-based robotic rehabilitation system — as a potential breakthrough therapy for tremor patients.
Cureosity GmbH has raised €3.8 million (US$4.1 million) in growth financing to expand the use of its virtual reality therapy which promotes the sensorimotor and cognitive rehabilitation in patients who have suffered a stroke or with neurodegenerative diseases. The funding came from existing and new investors including Techvision Fonds and Nomainvest, a Belgian family office.
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.
Responding to the burgeoning field of digital health, the U.S. FDA reported the creation of a new Digital Health Advisory Committee that it expects to be up and running in 2024.
Ottawa-based start-up Realize Medical Inc. reported U.S. FDA clearance of virtual reality (VR) surgical planning software to help physicians create and share complex patient anatomy from CTs and MRIs in an immersive 3D environment. Company CEO Justin Sutherland told BioWorld clearance of the Elucis platform “is a crucial milestone” that will benefit hospitals and his company well into the future.
The U.S. FDA’s two-day meeting of the patient engagement advisory committee (PEAC) covered a range of issues surrounding augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) products, but patient information and education was one of the key considerations. Naiem Nassiri of Yale Medicine cautioned, however, that a 15-minute briefing between doctor and patient during a face-to-face encounter would likely create more confusion than clarity, a conclusion that would suggest that other patient education methods will likely be needed.
Neuton Health Co. Ltd.’s virtual reality (VR)-based therapy for acrophobia has been given class II medical device approval from China’s NMPA. The VR therapy, known as Specific Fear Rehabilitation Training Software, was co-developed with the Shanghai Mental Health Center. The digital therapy company said it is the first VR device of its kind for a specific phobia approved in the world.
TORONTO – Numalogics Inc. has entered a partnership deal with Sawbones Inc. to develop computational modeling and simulation software for small and medium sized orthopedic manufacturers. Adding Montreal-based Numalogics’ computational simulation software to Seattle-based Sawbones’ biomechanical test line is intended to help customers optimize their orthopedic device designs more quickly and efficiently. The software is expected to be market ready in 2022.
TORONTO – Neupath Health Inc. and Cynergi Health Partners have signed a memorandum of understanding that could see Cynergi’s virtual reality (VR) software combined with Neupath’s remote pain management platform. The platform is expected to benefit from the therapeutic potential of Austin, Texas-based Cynergi’s Rilaxta VRx to lower patient anxiety and perception of pain as they walk through restful, VR-created landscapes. “We don’t see another group taking a similar, holistic approach to pain management that we are,” Neupath CEO Grant Connelly told BioWorld.
TORONTO – Health Canada has green-lighted an all-in-one virtual reality (VR) platform for use in diagnostic radiology. Software developer Luxsonic Technologies Inc. said the award of a class II medical device license to its mobile Sievrt suite of diagnostic tools is the first time a VR system of this kind has been approved by a national regulatory agency.
