Neko Health AB reported it has secured $67 million in investment capital to develop its artificial intelligence (AI)-driven full body scanner beyond its home country, Sweden. This series A round was led by Berlin-based Lakestar Advisors GmbH, with participation from Atomico (UK) Partners LLP from London and General Catalyst Group Management LLC from Cambridge, Mass. “Our new concept in body digitization technology, capable of rapidly collecting large amounts of health data, will enable us to identify illness at an early stage and take preventive action,” Hjalmar Nilsonne, CEO and co-founder of Neko Health told BioWorld.
Using direct current to stimulate a chronic wound can help it to heal up to three times faster, researchers from Chalmers Institute of Technology, Sweden, and the University of Freiburg, Germany, found. Working from a well-known hypothesis that the skin is electrostatic, the researchers engineered a microfluidic biochip on which skin cells were cultured. They then made tiny wounds in two cells. One was allowed to heal naturally while the other was stimulated with electricity.
A new method for imaging microvascular blood flow which will allow for better diagnosis of vascular diseases such as diabetic foot ulcers has been developed by researchers from the department of biomedical engineering at Linkoping University, Sweden, in cooperation with Perimed AB.
Elypta AB has devised new multi-cancer early detection technology leveraging plasma and urine glycosaminoglycans which can detect more than a dozen types of cancer in adults showing no symptoms.
Syntach AB has been awarded up to $17 million in equity financing by the European Innovation Council (EIC) for the development of its cardiac support system, a breakthrough device for heart failure patients. This approval follows the $2.67 million EIC grant announced in December 2021 constituting the equity portion of the $18.7 million of blended finance under the EIC accelerator program. “Thanks to this funding, we are on the way to offering our treatment on a global scale,” said Tor Peters, CEO of Syntach.
Vicore Pharma Holding AB and its partner Alex Therapeutics AB reported positive results from the U.S. pilot phase of a study assessing the effects of digitally delivered cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in treating anxiety in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). The four-week study in 10 patients found the digital therapeutic, called Almee, functioned properly, was safe and the user experience was favorable.
Genomics is moving out of the research lab to become a routine element of health care, particularly in oncology to detect gene variants that indicate a patient will respond to a targeted cancer drug, and in the diagnosis of rare diseases.
The U.S. FDA has applied a class I designation to the recall of Flow-c and Flow-e anesthesia systems manufactured by Getinge AB of Gothenburg, Sweden, due to reports of faulty on-off switches, which could lead to a failure to provide the needed suction. While no injuries or fatalities have been reported in connection with the problem, the FDA said one possible consequence of device failure is pulmonary obstruction that could ultimately lead to death.
Getinge AB is acquiring 100% of the equity in fluorescence imaging company Fluoptics SAS, a company using the technology as an aid to surgery. Getinge will, through its subsidiary Getinge Infection Control SAS, acquire all outstanding shares in Fluoptics and will pay around $27 million in cash on closing the deal.
Investors have injected $8.4 million into Swedish startup Sigrid Therapeutics AB to speed development of its oral medical device Sipore15. The technology is a tasteless and odorless white powder taken with water to reduce blood sugar levels in people at risk of developing diabetes.