TORONTO – Breath analytics technology developed by Picomole Inc. and University of New Brunswick (UNB) researchers promises to identify lung cancer long before it reaches the most advanced stages of the disease. Machine learning sits at the heart of the system, evaluating raw spectral data from a patient’s breath for early diagnosis of lung cancer, Steve Graham, CEO of Moncton, New Brunswick-based Picomole, told BioWorld.

PERTH, Australia – Advanced Human Imaging Ltd. (AHI) has created an algorithm that allows users to take a few quick scans on a smartphone to create a human avatar of themselves that can calculate risk for certain diseases and help diagnose conditions earlier, while also saving money. The Perth-based company is attracting a lot of attention, announcing three deals in the last week. The imaging technology has a myriad of uses from providing digital health scans to personal training to diagnosing skin cancers.

PARIS – Imageens SAS just raised a $1.4 million seed round to develop its two artificial intelligence (AI) systems in the field of medical imaging in Europe. Its first solution Artfun+, an AI software application, makes it possible to anticipate cardiovascular pathology thanks to new prognostic biomarkers. Its second product is Label, an algorithm which automatically classifies and assesses medical imaging data.

TORONTO – Perimeter Medical Imaging Inc. has been awarded an FDA breakthrough device designation for a machine learning medical platform it said drives ultra-high-resolution, real-time imaging of breast cancer. Data collected from multiple pathology labs in Texas this past year were fed through the optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging system which now is at the stage where its Imgassist artificial intelligence (AI)-based algorithms can be tested.

Tesseract Health Inc. has closed an oversubscribed series B financing, reeling in $80 million with support from Foresite Capital, Glenview Capital and Opaleye. The proceeds will be used to advance the company’s Tesseract Ic eye-imaging diagnostic technology platform, including U.S. and overseas regulatory clearances. This is the first independent financing round for the Guilford, Conn.-based startup, which is developing a platform capable of diagnosing a range of diseases without a single blood draw. The company received prior seed funding as part of the 4Catalyzer med-tech incubator.

HONG KONG – Beijing Stonewise Technology Co. Ltd., a med-tech firm that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to aid in the discovery of small molecule drugs, closed series B and B+ financing rounds that added $100 million to its pocket. The company intends to use the proceeds to upgrade its AI-enabled drug discovery platform.

Just six weeks after receiving FDA 510(k) clearance for its optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging system (v2.1), Perimeter Medical Imaging AI Inc. received breakthrough device designation from the FDA for its next-gen product, the OCT imaging system with integrated artificial intelligence (AI).

HONG KONG – Beijing Stonewise Technology Co. Ltd., a med-tech firm that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to aid in the discovery of small molecule drugs, closed series B and B+ financing rounds that added $100 million to its pocket. The company intends to use the proceeds to upgrade its AI-enabled drug discovery platform.

Microsoft Corp. will purchase Nuance Communications Inc. for $19.7 billion in cash in a move that demonstrates a massive commitment to building out the Microsoft Cloud for Healthcare reported in late 2020. The acquisition, which is expected to close by the end of 2021, doubles the Redmond, Wash.-based company’s total addressable market in the health care provider space, bringing it to nearly $500 billion. The size of the transaction is notable even for a company with the active acquisition history of Microsoft.

Cosmo Artificial Intelligence Ltd. received the FDA’s nod for its GI Genius intelligent endoscopy system. The device – the first of its kind, according to the agency – uses artificial intelligence (AI)-based on machine learning to improve the detection of lesions during colonoscopy. It will be rolled out in the U.S. by Medtronic plc, which has exclusive worldwide distribution rights.