COVID-19 may not be the first pandemic the world has faced, but the virus' challenge comes amidst widespread skepticism of longstanding public health institutions. Government-led responses to outbreaks have varied from country to country, and incongruent messaging between political leaders, health agencies and other sources of information have fueled varying levels of concern and distrust among...
Swedish firm Joint Academy has raised $23 million in Series B funding for its clinical evidence-based digital treatment for chronic joint pain, which connects patients with licensed physical therapists.
The round was led by international investment company Kinnevik and participated in by existing investors Karl-Johan Persson (H&M chairman) and Alfvén & Didrikso. To date, the company,...
The increased adoption of virtual care technologies during the COVID-19 public health emergency is fairly well documented by this point, but a widespread embrace of health technologies is providing a similar upswell on individual niches within the digital health landscape.
One such group of beneficiaries are the companies working to develop, validate and distribute digital therapeutics. Speaking...
Recent investigations of smartphone app-based activity interventions suggested that these approaches have a positive, but not significant, impact on individuals' daily physical activity, according to a recent meta-analysis of published randomized controlled trials (RCTs).
Despite the limited gains, the evidence does suggest that the effect differs based on how the interventions are deployed and...
While Apple’s big announcement yesterday was around a new blood oxygenation sensor, the company also rolled out a new video fitness class offering which could turn out to be even more impactful for the company.
WHAT HAPPENED?
Apple Fitness+, a diverse subscription platform of fitness videos designed to be used in conjunction with an Apple Watch and its activity-tracking functions, brings Apple...
A new survey conducted among consumers and IT professionals by data security company SecureAge Technology suggests that the clear majority of these groups believe COVID-19 contact-tracing technologies put individuals' personally identifiable information at risk. Despite this, both groups generally believed that these types of tools could help cut down the impact of the disease, and would support...
Apple announced today at a virtual event that its upcoming Series 6 Apple Watch will include a blood oxygenation sensor, a first for the Apple Watch (but not for the wearable space). As it did with the ECG, Apple is launching a set of partnered research studies using the new capabilities of the Watch. Additionally, WatchOS7 will use existing sensors to measure a lower range of VO2 Max values....
British startup iAbra has launched a screening device which can deliver COVID-19 test results in 20 seconds.
After a successful three-week trial at London’s Heathrow Airport, CEO John Holland-Kaye urged the UK government to fast-track the Virolens system, which he says is quicker and cheaper than the currently used polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests.
The technology, which is about to undergo...
FUNDING BOOST FOR AI-BASED EPILEPSY MONITORING
University spinout company Neuronostics has received funding to develop an AI-based system for more accurate diagnosis of epilepsy and to monitor response to treatment of anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs).
The platform is called BioEp and works by creating mathematical models of the brain using segments of electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings.
The...
Credit: Hospitech Respiration
As Israel faces a second wave of COVID-19, the Sheba Medical Centre is one of several major hospitals across the country to introduce a new respiratory guard system to prevent ventilator-associated complications in patients.
Israeli medical device startup Hospitech Respiration offered the AnapnoGuard system to hospitals in the country, on a free loan-basis in March. The solution was first...
