Gamma imaging is about to move out of the centralized nuclear medicine department and to the point of care, with the start of a U.S. study of a portable device Seracam, under development by Serac Imaging Systems Ltd. The study, at Ohio State University, will compare the performance of Seracam to its larger, fixed, counterpart in imaging the same patients, on the same day.

Vivolta BV raised €7 million ($US7.56 million) in new financing from existing shareholders and the Dutch government to expand its Medispin platform, an automated medical electrospinning production system, for high-throughput manufacturing of tubular electrospun products such as vascular stent grafts and prosthetic heart valves. The funds will also allow the company to continue to evolve into a medical electrospinning contract development and manufacturing organization as it transitions away from an equipment manufacturer.

Another brick in the ambitious Human Cell Atlas initiative has been put into place with the publication of the largest and most comprehensive cell map of the human lung. The open and freely available atlas catalogs the diversity of cells in the lung, including rare and previously undescribed cell types.

The French national authority for health (HAS) has provisionally set up CEDiag, a committee for assessing diagnostic, prognostic or predictive health technologies. This new national committee will cover the field of clinical procedures, including radiology, clinical biology and anatomo-cytopathology examinations, diagnostic drugs such as contrast agents used in medical imaging and radiopharmaceutical drugs, as well as medical devices such as self-testing kits.

There is a growing body of evidence showing prescription digital therapeutics (DTx) are effective, but slow progress in agreeing reimbursement and integrating them into care pathways is limiting access for patients and holding back commercial development in Europe.

Novo Nordisk A/S has entered into exclusive negotiations for a controlling stake in Biocorp SA, suppliers of Mallya, a Bluetooth-enabled smart add-on device for insulin pen injectors. The takeover will be phased over several stages. Novo Nordisk has initially negotiated with Bio Jag SAS, Biocorp’s principal shareholder, to purchase its entire stake in Biocorp, representing 45.3% of the share capital and 62.19% of the voting rights. Certain minority shareholders, including Nyenburgh Holding BV, Greenstock EIG and Vatel Capital SAS, who together account for 19% of Biocorp’s shares, have agreed to transfer their shares to Novo Nordisk once acquisition of the Bio Jag stake is complete.

Avacta Group plc has continued its growth through M&A strategy with the acquisition of Coris Bioconcept Sprl, a developer of rapid diagnostic test kits, for an up-front cash consideration of £7.4 million (US$9.3 million). The Coris deal comes on the back of its £24 million purchase of Launch Diagnostics Holdings Ltd last year, as Avacta works on building up its diagnostics division.

In a new health technology assessment, the U.K. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has voiced misgivings about the evidence behind the use of MRI/ultrasound fusion systems to perform needle biopsy for suspected prostate cancer. NICE said the evidence for these systems could be bolstered by additional research comparing fusion biopsy to cognitive fusion-directed biopsy, suggesting that companies working in this space have a significant evidentiary lift in front of them.

The U.K. government should speed up the approval process for medical devices and strengthen the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, as there is an opportunity for the country to provide global leadership in life sciences regulation in medical devices and medicines on the back of Brexit, according to a report.

Tissium SA reported the close of a series D funding round, raising $54 million from investors both new – such as Mérieux Développement SAS – and long-term, including Cathay Capital Co. Ltd., Crédit Mutuel Innovation SAS and original investors, Sofinnova Partners SAS.