Healthcare Capital Corp. (HCC), a special purpose acquisition company, will combine with Alpha Tau Medical Ltd. to create a Nasdaq-listed company with an implied pro forma equity value of approximately $1 billion. Gross proceeds from the transaction, expected to close by year end 2021, are projected to total $367 million.

Hyerfine Inc. and Liminal Sciences Inc. have joined a growing field of med-tech startups that are combining with blank check companies as an alternative path for venture-backed companies to an initial public offering (IPO). On Thursday, the companies announced a three-way combination with Healthcor Catalio Acquisition Corp., a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), in a deal valued at approximately $580 million.

A collaboration between Oncosec Medical Inc. and Merck and Co. that yielded positive phase II study data has paved the way for a phase III study between the two companies. Oncosec’s DNA-plasmid interleukin-12 (IL-12) Tavo (tavokinogene telseplasmid) will be combined with Merck's anti-PD-1 therapy Keytruda (pembrolizumab) in a randomized, global phase III study for treating late-stage metastatic melanoma.

GE Healthcare and Sophia Genetics SA partnered to develop new artificial intelligence (AI)-powered analytics and workflow solutions to improve patient matching with cancer therapies.

Surmodics Inc. has acquired Vetex Medical Ltd., a Galway, Ireland-based company focused on venous clot removal, for $39.9 million. The move gives Surmodics a second FDA-cleared mechanical thrombectomy device, Revene, to treat venous vasculature, adding to its Pounce arterial thrombus retrieval system. Founded in 2016, privately held Vetex’s sole product is the Revene thrombectomy catheter. The device received FDA clearance in December 2020 and CE mark approval in May for the mechanical declotting and controlled and selected infusion of physician-specified fluids, including thrombolytics – clot-busting drugs – in the peripheral vasculature.

KT Corp. took its first step into the digital therapies space by entering into an agreement with Neurosigma Inc. to develop electronic therapies to treat neurological and neuropsychological disorders, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), depression and epilepsy. KT will support the design and development of Neurosigma’s next-generation versions of external trigeminal nerve stimulation (eTNS) products that incorporate artificial intelligence (AI), big data and cloud capabilities.

Merck KGaA is partnering with Neuroloop GmbH, a subsidiary of B. Braun SE, to develop a neurostimulator device that can complement existing drug therapies for people with chronic inflammatory diseases. The collaboration aims to adapt Neuroloop’s neurostimulation platform to enable targeted treatment of chronic inflammatory ailments. The new bioelectronics program intends to open up new technologies and markets that are close to Merck’s electronics and health care business sectors.

PARIS – Aptargroup Inc. is negotiating to buy Voluntis SA in a move that would complement its existing digital solutions portfolio and expand services to address multiple conditions and chronic diseases. "By being part of Aptar, we will be able to pursue a common ambition aimed at providing a complete digital health platform combining connected devices and digital therapeutics," Pierre Leurent, CEO and co-founder of Voluntis, told BioWorld.

Boston Scientific Corp. has exercised an option as part of a 2020 agreement to acquire Farapulse Inc. in full, folding the startup’s pulsed electric field ablation technology for the treatment of atrial fibrillation and other cardiac arrhythmias into its own electrophysiology portfolio. With a 27% stake in Farapulse already, it will pay about $295 million for the remainder.

Brain Scientific Inc. plans to acquire Piezo Motion Corp. in an all-stock transaction expected to close in July 2021. The deal depends in part on the successful closing of a $5 million funding round. At closing, Brain Scientific will acquire 100% of Piezo’s outstanding shares along with its assets and liabilities. Piezo Motion’s shareholders will receive the number of shares of Brain Scientific’s common stock equal to 100% of its issued and outstanding shares immediately prior to closing on a fully diluted, as converted basis.