KP Biomedical Engineering - Issue #18

-XGEN Venture Announces Final Closing of €180M ($190M) Life Sciences Fund MILAN--(BUSINESS WIRE)

--XGEN Venture, a leading venture capital firm specializing in life sciences investments, proudly announces the final closing of its XGEN Venture Life Sciences Fund. The fund has successfully raised about €180 million in total commitments, exceeding expectations and solidifying its position as a key player in the European life sciences investment landscape.

-Medical Lasers Market Report 2024-2029 - Low-light Laser Therapy a Promising Future Solution - ResearchAndMarkets.com DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)

--The "Medical Lasers Market - Focused Insights 2024-2029" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The Medical Lasers Market was valued at USD 5.30 billion in 2023, and is expected to reach USD 11.69 billion by 2029, rising at a CAGR of 14.09%. The global medical laser market report consists of exclusive data on 49 vendors.

-Mevion Receives Approval for First Compact, Integrated Proton Therapy System in China LITTLETON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)

--Mevion Medical Systems, a leading provider of compact proton therapy solutions, announced that it has received approval from the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) of China for its MEVION S250i Proton Therapy System. This marks the first time this advanced technology has been approved in China, making Mevion the first company to offer a compact, integrated proton solution to Chinese cancer patients.

-Gilgal Medical Supplies Transitions Business Model: No Longer Accepting Insurance for Medical Supplies ORLANDO, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)

--Gilgal Medical Supplies, a leading provider of medical supplies in Florida with locations throughout the state, has announced a strategic change in its operations. Effective immediately, the company will no longer accept insurance for medical supplies. This decision comes after years of increasing challenges and systemic difficulties associated with insurance reimbursement processes.

-Knipper Health Announces Transfer of Commercial Sample Management Business from Thermo Fisher Scientific LAKEWOOD, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)

--Knipper Health, Inc., the largest supplier of end-to-end pharmaceutical healthcare marketing services and solutions in the U.S. serving the biopharmaceutical and medical industries, announced the Company has been assigned the assets of Patheon Pharma Services sample and fulfillment services, from Thermo Fisher Scientific, located in Memphis TN.

-Getinge and 908 Devices Partner to Enhance Bioreactor Capabilities for Continuous Monitoring of Key Cell Culture Parameters BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)

--908 Devices Inc. (Nasdaq: MASS) and Getinge announce their collaboration to integrate Getinge’s bioreactors with 908 Devices’ MAVEN for automated control of glucose and lactate levels in cell cultures. The combined solution will help scientists measure critical process parameters in bioreactors, offering continuous, real-time analysis without the need for manual sampling.

-LimmaTech Awarded FDA Fast Track Designation for Vaccine Candidate Against Staphylococcus aureus SCHLIEREN, Switzerland--(BUSINESS WIRE)

--LimmaTech Biologics AG, a clinical-stage biotech company developing vaccines for the prevention of life-threatening diseases, announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Fast Track designation to LimmaTech’s multivalent toxoid vaccine candidate, LBT-SA7, designed to prevent skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) caused by the bacterial pathogen, Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus).

-SV Health Investors Promotes A.J. Rossi to Partner on Healthcare Growth-Buyout Team BOSTON & LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)

--SV Health Investors (“SV”), a leading healthcare-focused private equity firm, is pleased to announce the promotion of A.J. Rossi to Partner on the firm’s Growth-Buyout team. In this new role, A.J. will continue to lead investments and manage the SV portfolio, while helping to drive the firm’s growth initiatives across the healthcare sector.

-Vivani Medical Announces Initiation of First in Human Clinical Trial with GLP-1 Implant in Obese and Overweight Individuals in Australia ALAMEDA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)

--Vivani Medical, Inc. (Nasdaq: VANI) (“Vivani” or the “Company”), an innovative biopharmaceutical company developing novel, ultra long-acting drug implants, announced that screening and enrollment of the first-in-human clinical trial, known as LIBERATE-1?, has been initiated at two centers in Australia to investigate the safety, tolerability and full pharmacokinetic profile of an exenatide implant.

-Axoft to Begin Brain Implant Clinical Study, Marking the First Time Bio-Inspired Material is Authorized for Use in Humans CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)

--Axoft, a neurotechnology company, announced the approval of its first-in-human clinical study, which will take place in early 2025 at The Panama Clinic. The study will demonstrate the usability of Axoft’s novel soft materials that mimic the mechanical properties of brain tissue and are tailored to improve the stability of the tissue-electronics interface for implantable Brain-Computer Interfaces (iBCIs).

-How brain connectivity and machine learning enhance understanding of human cognition

--Researchers provide new insights into human cognition by prioritizing interpretability in predictive modeling of intelligence from brain connectivity.

-How AI is advancing mammographic density-based breast cancer risk prediction

--Innovative AI techniques are uncovering mammographic features that enhance breast cancer risk prediction, crucial for effective screening and risk mitigation.

-Sleep Cycle partners with Cambridge and UCL for new Alzheimer's study

--Sleep Cycle, the leading sleep technology company, is thrilled to announce its partnership with researchers from the University of Cambridge and University College London (UCL) on a pioneering Alzheimer’s study.

-First NHS heart patients monitored with Philips wearable ePatch and AI ECG analysis platform Cardiologs

--Royal Philips, a global leader in health technology and University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust (UHSussex) have completed a pilot project using Philips ePatch.

-LPE adds Axtra3D Lumia X1 to its fleet for medical device manufacturing

--During Formnext 2024, LPE, a leader in additive manufacturing, announced the addition of a second Axtra3D Lumia X1 printer to its fleet. This milestone makes LPE the first company worldwide to operate two of these machines.

-Scientists create blood test to enhance cancer treatment effectiveness

--Scientists from RMIT University and the Doherty Institute have developed a new blood test that could screen cancer patients to help make their treatment safer and more effective.

-New method detects Parkinson's disease through emotional brain responses

--A joint research team from the University of Canberra and Kuwait College of Science and Technology has achieved groundbreaking detection of Parkinson's disease with near-perfect accuracy, simply by analyzing brain responses to emotional situations like watching video clips or images.

-Promising ultrasound therapy for Alzheimer's disease licensed to new start-up

--A promising ultrasound therapy to potentially restore brain function in people with Alzheimer's disease has been licenced to a new start-up spun out of The University of Queensland.

-Breakthrough microchip technology enables multi-disease detection

--In a world grappling with a multitude of health threats -; ranging from fast-spreading viruses to chronic diseases and drug-resistant bacteria -; the need for quick, reliable, and easy-to-use home diagnostic tests has never been greater. Imagine a future where these tests can be done anywhere, by anyone, using a device as small and portable as your smartwatch.

-Federal funding boosts effort to make eye transplants a reality

--A federal funding agency that supports high-impact research capable of driving biomedical and health breakthroughs has awarded up to $47 million for a project aimed at moving eye transplants to restore vision closer to reality.

-Dual screening for liver fibrosis and retinopathy in type 2 diabetes

--Retina scanning with vibration-controlled transient elastography could predict metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease.

-EU Consultation on Procurement Reform: A Call for Value-Based Procurement

--Chris Whitehouse, a political consultant and expert on medical technology policy and regulation at Whitehouse Communications highlights the importance of a new EU consultation on procurement and the opportunities it presents for the MedTech sector.

-Advancements in reinforcement learning for personalized patient care

--Reinforcement Learning, an artificial intelligence approach, has the potential to guide physicians in designing sequential treatment strategies for better patient outcomes but requires significant improvements before it can be applied in clinical settings, finds a new study by Weill Cornell Medicine and Rockefeller University researchers.

-New app offers relief for parents mourning the loss of a child

--A new study shows that an app can help parents who are mourning the loss of a child. Parents who used the app for three months reported reduced symptoms of prolonged grief and post-traumatic stress, and also had fewer negative thoughts.

-Study shows chatbots’ cognitive limitations using dementia screening

-Almost all leading large language models or "chatbots" show signs of mild cognitive impairment in tests widely used to spot early signs of dementia, finds a study in the Christmas issue of The BMJ.

-LLMs show potential as aids for clinicians during physical exams

--Physical examinations are important diagnostic tools that can reveal critical insights into a patient's health, but complex conditions may be overlooked if a clinician lacks specialized training in that area.

-Miniature VR headsets unlock insights into spatial memory and brain disorders

--In recent years, mice have entered a new arena – virtual reality – and now Cornell University researchers have built mini VR headsets to more fully immerse them.

-Breakthrough in antigen recognition: TRACeR-I enhances immune targeting

--Researchers describe TRACeR-I, a protein platform that can be used to engineer immune responses.

-SMART software offers new solution for modeling cell-signaling networks

--Researchers at University of California San Diego have developed and tested a new software package, called Spatial Modeling Algorithms for Reactions and Transport (SMART), that can realistically simulate cell-signaling networks -; the complex systems of molecular interactions that allow cells to respond to diverse cues from their environment.

-AI model enhances early detection of skin cancer with high accuracy

--Skin cancer remains the most common form of cancer worldwide, often presenting as benign skin conditions that are difficult to differentiate, even for experienced dermatologists.