Industry news in brief

The latest Digital Health News industry roundup features UK healthtech platform Florence expanding into the Canadian market, and leading provider of artificial intelligence (AI), Qure.ai, being awarded European Union Medical Device Regulation for its solutions.

Cydar Medical raises $11.5m in Series A funding round

Cydar Medical, a global cloud-based surgical software company, has announced that it has successfully completed a $11.5 million Series A funding round including a $3.7 million cornerstone investment by Pembroke Venture Capital Trust.

Proceeds will enable the company to advance its pioneering AI surgical maps platform and also bolster its ongoing commercial expansion. It will support the expansion of its operations, science and development, business development and customer onboarding and service teams.

The funding will ultimately support the successful execution of key strategic collaborations announced last year, including the planned release of the first version of Cydar EV Intelligent Maps.

This will enable clinicians planning their minimally invasive surgery cases to compare patient anatomy with prior cases undertaken globally and will, over time, provide predictive procedure planning capabilities.

The goal is to allow patients, regardless of geographical location, to benefit from access to the experience of the world’s leading clinicians globally.

Wetherspoons donates over £200,000 to fund frontline healthcare apprenticeships

Pub chain Wetherspoons has invested in the health and care sector through a significant donation to pioneering home healthcare provider Cera, as part of the Apprenticeship Levy.

Cera has been awarded over £200,000 to spend by April 2023 on frontline apprenticeships, following a guarantee of funs last December. This will cover the recruitment, training, and deploying of 68 Adult Care Apprentices, to achieve between a Level 2 and Level 5 Diploma in Care.

Each level, funded by Wetherspoons’ donation, will include the apprenticeship standards plus an industry-recognised qualification, tailored to suit the needs of the individual, depending on their area of specialisation.

To date, over £100,000 of Wetherspoons’ donation has already been allocated.

Annabel Nash, chief people officer at Cera, said: “All of us at Cera are delighted to receive such significant investment from Wetherspoons as part of the Apprenticeship Levy.

“Being selected as the recipient for this generous donation is testament to Wetherspoons’ understanding of just how important funding is for the health and care sector.

“This sizeable donation will go a long way in growing the talent pool and attracting new recruits to a rewarding, lifelong career in care.”

Methinks receives CE Marked Certification for AI-based stroke triage software

Methinks, a digital health company that specialises in early detection and management of Acute Stroke (AS), using AI, has announced that is has received a CE mark for its medical imaging software, Methinks Stroke Suite, following a milestone year of development progress, enabling commercialisation in Europe and to assist in emergency settings for the benefit of AS patients.

It is the first CE marked medical device that assists in finding large vessel occlusions both hyperdense and not.

Paul Rodriguez, CEO at Methinks, said: “We are delighted with the CE mark approval for our medical imaging software, Methinks Stroke Suite, which paves the way to enhance stroke patient outcomes by decreasing detection time and reducing disabilities.

“Our software has the potential to be used in every hospital globally to improve the standard of care of patients. The approval comes at a pivotal time ahead of US FDA submission and launching a series A financing to accelerate our growth plans by leveraging and personalizing imaging-software.”

Florence announces expansion into Canada

Florence, one of the UK’s fastest-growing healthcare technology companies, has revealed its expansion into the Canadian market.

After experiencing standout growth year on year in the UK since 2017 and a $35 million Series B funding round in 2022, the healthcare technology company plans to continue its mission to solve the global healthcare staffing crisis by launching in Canada.

The Florence app empowers nurses and other healthcare professionals to find flexible, fair, and transparent work options, and enables long-term care homes, hospitals, and other organisations to sustainably fill open shifts in their schedule with highly skilled and vetted healthcare workers.

To lead the Canadian business, Florence has appointed Shelly-Ann Rampersad as the managing director. She has over a decade of experience in the healthcare sector and was formerly the vice president of clinical operations at Toronto-based technology start-up, Maple.

Rampersad said: “Health human resourcing is one of the largest issues facing the Canadian healthcare system today. I’m thrilled to be joining the team at Florence to tackle this challenge, and I look forward to working alongside nurses, health workers, and healthcare organisations to create a more sustainable path forward.”

Qure.ai awarded EU MDR certification for its AI solutions

Qure.ai, a leading provider of artificial intelligence (AI) software for medical imaging, has announced that its solutions were awarded the CE Class IIb certification for medical devices under the European Union (EU) Medical Device Regulation (MDR).

Qure.ai now offers one of the most comprehensive, certified portfolios of AI-based detection devices for radiology in the EU, spanning over 31 countries.

Qure’s AI helps detect abnormalities from multiple radiology modalities including Chest X-rays, Chest CT, Head CT, and Musculoskeletal X-rays. These medical devices are cutting-edge AI software that assist radiologists in interpreting radiological scans in different healthcare settings.

Concerning the newest milestone, Prashant Warier, co-founder and CEO at Qure.ai, said: “The EU MDR certification will allow us to expand our reach in the EU market and enable better patient outcomes with our imaging AI solutions.

“We will continue to work closely with regulatory bodies to ensure compliance with the EU MDR and other relevant regulations.”