Dxcover Ltd. raised $9.25 million (£7.5 million) in a series A fundraising round and received a grant of $2.7 million (£2.2 million) from the European Innovation Council to support development of the company’s liquid biopsy platform for the detection of multiple early-stage cancers. Existing investors Eos Advisory LLP, Mercia Asset Management plc, Scottish Enterprise, University of Strathclyde, SIS Ventures and Norcliffe Capital led the round, which was also joined by Mark Banforth of Thairm Bio. Read More
The Medical Device Manufacturers Association (MDMA) has led the policy charge for smaller medical device manufacturers for decades, but each year brings its own unique set of hazards and opportunities. In an interview with BioWorld, MDMA President and CEO Mark Leahey said that while the Medicare policy for coverage of breakthrough devices has gone through some unanticipated twists and turns, that policy is not yet fixed and thus there is still some prospect that such a policy will not devolve into a stew of leftovers drawn from existing coverage mechanisms. Read More
Epigenetic testing company Trudiagnostic LLC has linked up with Rejuve.AI, an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered longevity research network, to develop more accurate tools for predicting chronological age. Specifically, the collaboration seeks to shed new light on the biology of aging and connectedness of DNA methylation (DNAm), metabolomics and proteomics. Read More
Orthogen AG received an investigational device exemption (IDE) from the U.S. FDA for its Orthogen technology device. This approval allows the company to start a pivotal trial on the device, used for treating patients with mild stage (II) to severe stage (IV) knee osteoarthritis. The trial will compare improvements in pain levels and function using standalone glucocorticoid injection, the current standard of care, against the Orthogen device. Read More
Researchers at Indiana University School of Medicine are exploring avenues to heal wounds by identifying proteins that are active in fetuses, but largely inactive in adults and absent in diabetic adults. They have identified a protein called nonselenocysteine-containing phospholipid hydroperoxide glutathione peroxidase, or NPGPx, that fits the bill and could be the basis for therapies aimed at diabetic wound healing. NPGPx is a direct transcriptional target of miR-29. miR-29 is downregulated in fetal tissue, thus NPGPx is active in fetal tissue but becomes mostly inactive in the skin after birth. Read More
Med-tech happenings, including deals and partnerships, grants, preclinical data and other news in brief: Biofourmis, Neurent Medical, Precon Health, Thorne Healthtech. Read More
Regulatory snapshots, including global submissions and approvals, clinical trial approvals and other regulatory decisions and designations: Boston Scientific, Varian. Read More
