Swiss scientists developed hydrogel implants that could help prevent and treat endometriosis by blocking the fallopian tubes and stopping the passage of endometrial cells. The implants, though in their early stage of development, bode well for the millions of women suffering from the chronic condition.
Paige AI Inc.’s partnership with Microsoft Corp., announced last September, appears to have paid off quickly, with a study published in Nature Medicine demonstrating that their jointly developed image-based artificial intelligence model, Virchow, detects 16 cancer types as well or better than tissue-specific clinical-grade models.
A team of researchers from the University of Northumbria filed for protection of a flexible transdermal patch taht uses surface acoustic wave technology they believe offers distinct advantages over traditional transdermal patches.
Spotlight Medical SAS recently raised €6.2 million (US$6.7 million) in seed funding to bring its first artificial intelligence-powered cancer test to the market as it looks to transform treatment of the disease. “We believe our personalized testing approach will revolutionize cancer treatment, providing everyone with the best possible chance to beat cancer,” Sylvain Berlemont, CEO of Spotlight told BioWorld.
There is no doubt that artificial intelligence, automation and robotics are transforming today’s laboratories. At the forefront of these changes is Automata Technologies Ltd., which has developed the Linq platform to digitally and robotically connect all the components of a modern life sciences lab to create fully automated end-to-end workflows.
GE Healthcare Technologies Inc. entered into a conditional agreement to acquire the clinical AI business of Intelligent Ultrasound Group plc for £40.5 million (US$51 million). The deal is part of GE Healthcare’s effort to bolster its portfolio of artificial intelligence-enabled devices and strengthen its ultrasound business.
Loci Orthopaedics Ltd. raised €12.8 million ($14 million) in an oversubscribed series A funding round that will help bring its Indx implant system for thumb base joint arthritis to the market. “There is a major unmet clinical need in orthopedics extremities and thumb base joint arthritis is a highly and increasingly prevalent condition,” Brendan Boland, co-founder and executive chairperson of Loci, told BioWorld.
Catalym GmbH has closed a $150 million series D to take its first in class immune potentiator visugromab into phase IIb development in a number of solid tumors. The round follows on the heels of data from a phase I/IIa trial which showed visugromab in combination with the PD-1 inhibitor antibody Opdivo (nivolumab, Bristol Myers Squibb) increased T-cell infiltration and generated durable antitumor responses in patients who had exhausted all other treatment options.
Asceneuron SA has raised $100 million in an oversubscribed series C to take its lead small molecule, ASN-51, into phase II, with aim of demonstrating it prevents the formation of tau tangles and slows the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.
The lively antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) space chalked another collaboration as Taipei, Taiwan-based Foreseen Biotechnology Co. Ltd. scored a global licensing agreement worth as much as $1.03 billion with Ipsen SA, of Paris, for antibody-drug conjugate FS-001, which is said to bear first-in-class potential. The drug takes aim at a novel tumor-associated antigen that is overexpressed in many solid tumors and plays a critical role in tumor proliferation and metastasis, the companies said.