Molli Surgical Inc. has won the FDA’s nod for its wire-free localization technology for breast cancer surgery. The company said the Molli system helps radiologists tag cancerous lesions quickly and precisely, facilitating surgical excision and eliminating a source of anxiety associated with breast tumor removal.
Onlume Inc. has secured $7 million in a series A round led by Cambridge Investment Group. Other investors participating in the round included WARF Ventures (Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation) and Wisconsin Investment Partners. The proceeds will support the commercial launch of the company’s FDA-cleared fluorescence-guided surgery (FGS) imaging system.
HONG KONG – Researchers at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) have developed an artificial intelligence (AI)-based system for the automated, rapid and accurate detection of COVID-19 infections in chest computed tomography (CT) images. The system can provide immediate results, without the need for clinicians to interpret images. It could be potentially used in radiology imaging departments in hospitals.
A study led by Chinese radiologists at Peking University in Beijing has shown that positron emission tomography imaging of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) expression is a predictor for the abscopal effect, whereby nonirradiated cancers respond to radiotherapy.
TORONTO – Exact Imaging Inc. has secured C$5.1 million (US$4 million) from the Business Development Bank of Canada and federal Export Development Canada to drive adoption of its Exactvu micro-imaging platform for real-time imaging of the prostate. Company CEO Randy Aucoin said it’s been a slow process getting street cred for his prostate imager, investing “tens of millions of dollars” in a direct sales force that eventually installed 100 systems in the U.S., Europe and Canada.
PERTH, Australia – Ferronova Ltd. has developed an injectable magnetic and fluorescent tracer that can map the spread of cancer in the lymph nodes more accurately for improving the staging of complex cancers. The polymer-coated iron oxide nanoparticles show more detailed assessment of sentinel lymph nodes and detect micro-metastasis and isolated tumor cells that would otherwise not be detected.
Thirteen months after establishing a strategic alliance to distribute 7D Surgical Inc.’s machine-vision, image-guided surgery platform, Seaspine Holdings Corp. (NASDAQ:SPNE) signed an agreement to acquire the Toronto-based company. 7D Surgical shareholders will receive $27.5 million in cash plus $82.5 million in Seaspine stock and will hold approximately 13% of Seaspine’s shares at completion. The deal is expected to close in the second quarter of 2021.
Medi-Scan Inc. has emerged from stealth mode with cloud-based software that converts the data on ultrasound analog 2D grayscale images into a digital 3D high-definition (HD) format in less than two minutes. The company is currently focusing its efforts on the heart and lungs, with the aim of providing quick, point-of-service evaluation and triaging of patients with heart disease and other conditions, including COVID-19.
Medical device startup Promaxo Inc. has received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. FDA for its office-based MRI system. The portable system is intended for use by urologists and interventional/urologic radiologists who are performing surgical localization of prostatic lesions under Promaxo MRI guidance. It can be used in the office or outpatient surgical setting without the need for significant facility upgrades.
PARIS – Median Technologies SA has unveiled a new clinical development plan for its Ibiopsy platform to provide early diagnosis of lung cancer in at-risk populations using low dose CT scans. Median executives said they hope to demonstrate the potential of deep learning in identifying lung lesions and characterizing them as malignant or benign.