In Vitro Diagnostics

Thena Capital, the first UK-based early-stage specialist medtech firm, has made its first investment since closing its £50m fund. Medtech Insight spoke with general partner Pamela Walker Geddes to gain insight into Thena Capital’s investment strategy.

The Milner Institute, the on-campus hub for start-up acceleration at Cambridge University, hosted its annual Pitch Day on July 1. Start-ups Panakeia, PathwayBio and Sentinal4D presented diagnostic technologies.

Dxcover sets up new Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) lab in Franklin, Tennessee.

The US FDA has announced classifications for five device types, including four diagnostics as well as a hand cream to protect healthcare workers exposed to radiation. Two of the products are newborn screening tests.

NHS England will offer at-home cervical cancer self-testing kits to people who are overdue for routine screening by six months. The Department of Health and Social Care identified four HPV collection and testing combinations with highest accuracy.

Ahead of the ADA conference, Abbott announced Tandem as the fourth partner to integrate Abbott’s dual glucose-ketone sensor with automated insulin delivery. Expanded Medicare CGM coverage, FDA label expansions and new ADA guidelines position Abbott to grow its CGM footprint in a competitive market.

The new AI Precision Medicine platform supports the company’s flagship product, EvoLiver, which received US FDA breakthrough device designation in April.

Now that the US FDA has chosen not to appeal a March ruling effectively killing the agency’s efforts to regulate lab-developed tests as medical devices, will the agency adopt a different strategy to flex its regulatory muscle?

Cecilia Lindgren, Aneira Health’s co-founder and chief science officer, said that the company has “redesigned the diagnostic model.” The subscription-based platform offers clinical-grade and AI diagnostics alongside clinical consultation.

Guardant Health’s methylation-based blood test – Shield MCD – showed a specificity of 98.6% and sensitivity of 75% across eight cancer types in its clinical validation data presented at ASCO.

The US FDA has given up on its effort to regulate lab-developed tests as medical devices, at least for now. The agency will not appeal a decision from the Eastern District of Texas that tossed out the FDA’s final rule, leaving the agency with few cards.

SAGA Diagnostics has launched its breast cancer residual and recurrence detection test – Pathlight – in the US. The test’s ultrahigh sensitivity and specificity is rare to see in oncology, the company claimed.

The US FDA’s device center sent warning letters to three domestic device manufacturers and one German firm for failing to adhere to protocol on several issues.

Guardant Health introduces a new germline panel test to help guide cancer treatment, assess the risk of secondary cancers in patients and identify family members at risk of cancer.

A Texas court's decision against US FDA regulation of lab-developed tests (LDTs) has introduced new uncertainties for clinical labs. Industry stakeholders are now worried about potential future regulations while also managing existing compliance requirements. Recent conference discussions underscored the complexities of FDA oversight.

A study from Babson Diagnostics published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Applied Laboratory Medicine showed that capillary blood sample volume issues can overcome historical challenges, such as poor quality, through a technique called assay miniaturization.

Fujirebio Diagnostics' Alzheimer's disease test, Lumipulse G pTau217/ß-Amyloid 1-42 Plasma Ratio, has been cleared by the US FDA.

Mirvie launched Encompass, a blood test to help identify women over age 35 who are at moderate risk for preeclampsia, and will conduct additional studies to support reimbursements from payers.

Israeli-based SpotitEarly hopes to bring an early cancer-detection test, which uses dogs’ noses to detect compounds in exhaled breath and AI analysis, to US homes in 2026.

The US FDA has approved the Teal Wand, the first at-home cervical cancer screening device. Capable of detecting preclinical cancer with 96% accuracy, it will launch in California in June and expand nationwide soon after.