Annette Boyle

Roche Holding AG revealed plans to launch its sequencing by expansion technology next year, raising the possibility that rival Illumina Inc. could face a real run for its money. Illumina has long dominated the next-generation sequencing and clinical markets and another – potentially superior – high-throughput system on the horizon could put planned purchases on hold.

Up to 50% of glaucoma cases have a genetic component, a factor which could significantly change the screening recommendations and monitoring of patients – if they know their risk. Seonix Pty. Ltd. has a vision for making that genetic information easier to obtain and use to guide care with its Sightscore saliva-based test.

Fifty percent of infertility cases arise from issues with the male partner, but standard protocols often delay the first assessment of males for at least two years. Posterity Health Inc. aims to usher in a new generation of fertility care starting with its just-closed $13 million series A financing round.

With rates of preeclampsia skyrocketing, the U.S. FDA’s510(k) clearance of Roche Holding AG’s Elecsys test for preeclampsia offers some hope of reducing the number of women and infants who die or experience life-long consequences from the development of dangerously high blood pressure during late pregnancy and in the days immediately following delivery.

Ziwig SAS, which leads the race for a simple diagnostic for endometriosis, picked up the pace with a fast-track reimbursement decision in France for its Endotest, the first saliva-based diagnostic assay for endometriosis.

Be (not too) still my heart: Kestra Medical Technologies Ltd., maker of a wearable cardioverter defibrillator for patients at high risk of cardiac arrest, filed an S-1 with the U.S. SEC on Feb. 9 to raise $100 million in an IPO. Kestra will be the fourth med-tech company to file for an IPO in 2025, setting a pace well ahead of the last three years. U.s.car

The Comma Collective Inc. raised $2 million in a seed round to support the launch of its secure period tracker and disease detection app, Sara, and further development of its products.

In keeping with the trend in med tech to return to basics, Becton, Dickinson and Co. plans to split off its biosciences and diagnostic solutions unit to create two pure-play companies. The ‘New BD’ or RemainCo. will be a focused medical technology company that will include the current company’s medication delivery, specimen management, patient monitoring, pharmaceutical systems, urology, critical care, peripheral intervention and surgery businesses.

Continuing a cascade of positive news for Stereotaxis Inc., the company reported the first order for its petite Genesisx robot in Europe. The system received CE mark in August, but management held off its launch until its Magic radiofrequency ablation catheter also received CE mark, which happened on Jan. 27. The two devices are used together to treat cardiac arrhythmias.

A pair of investor calls on Jan. 22 added clarity to the rapidly evolving cardiac ablation market with Abbott Laboratories and Johnson & Johnson providing updates on their pulsed field ablation programs. Both outlined challenges in the U.S. market that continue to place them at a disadvantage compared to current market leaders Boston Scientific Corp. and Medtronic plc, though bright spots also shone through.