Better Therapeutics Inc. has closed on a $50 million debt facility that advances the company’s push into the market for digital therapeutics for type 2 diabetes, a market that seems poised to expand drastically in the next few years. The $50 million debt facility by Hercules Capital is just one of several important financial benchmarks for Better, which is also planning to go public thanks to a merger with a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) that may raise well in excess of $100 million, all of which seem to promise a bright future for Better and those with type 2 diabetes.

PERTH, Australia – The Australian government is investing AU$79 million (US$56.75 million) in medical research and innovation projects to develop new drugs, devices and digital health technologies through its AU$20 billion Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF).

PERTH, Australia – The Australian government is investing AU$79 million (US$56.75 million) in medical research and innovation projects to develop new drugs, devices and digital health technologies through its AU$20 billion Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF).

PERTH, Australia – Tali Digital Ltd. inked a licensing deal worth A$51 million (US$37.5 million) for its new digital therapeutic that could be the first line in early intervention to treat the underlying conditions of attention deficit disorders. Akili Interactive Labs Inc. will hold an ongoing license to Tali’s technology to become the exclusive commercialization partner for all pediatric cognition products in the U.S.

Fujifilm Holdings Corp. has bagged the Japanese Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA)’s approval for CXR-AID, its artificial intelligence (AI) powered chest X-ray analysis system developed in collaboration with Lunit Inc.

Verily Life Sciences LLC, a division of Alphabet Inc., took its first major step to fulfill its goal of transforming clinical trials with the announcement of an agreement to buy Signalpath LLC for an undisclosed sum. The deal is Verily’s first major acquisition since the company spun out of Google Inc. in 2015. It’s likely not the last deal for the company in the short-term, however, as it raised $700 million in December 2020 to fund its aggressive expansion plans.

Opya Inc., a provider of integrated autism services, secured $15.4 million in a series A fundraising round. New investors in the round included Panoramic Ventures, Softbank’s Opportunity Fund, Disability Opportunity Fund, and Raven One Ventures. Divergent Investments and Altitude Ventures added to their existing investments in the company.

Using a minimally invasive brain implant, Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research scientists produced tingling sensations in the fingers of patients who lacked the sense of touch as a result of nerve damage, according to a study published in Brain Stimulation. A second study by the team, which appeared in Frontiers in Neuroscience, used stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG) electrodes to decode neural signals to improve the hand control algorithms in brain-computer interfaces.

Scientists at Cleveland-based Case Western Reserve University have used artificial intelligence (AI) to identify biomarkers contained in naturally occurring collagen that could predict whether breast cancer will return after treatment. Identified from standard tissue biopsy slides of early-stage breast cancer, collagen-based assays could also be less expensive than gene expression-based assays typically conducted at highly specialized labs in California.

PERTH, Australia – Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) is warning device manufacturers that new regulations for software-based medical devices may have changed the classification of devices currently on the market, and these devices will need to be re-registered if they are to stay on the market.