Tech & industry

A New Zealand medtech developing a portable scanner to detect stroke at the bedside has raised NZ$7.28m (A$6.2m) in a first close of its pre-Series A round. Wellumio is developing a portable neuroimaging device designed to enable rapid, point-of-care stroke detection, when early treatment can improve outcomes. The technology, called Axana, aims to identify acute [...]

A musician with MND returned to the stage after AI recreated his singing voice. As reported by the BBC, Patrick Darling, 32, from Bristol, has been a singer and composer since the age of 14 but was diagnosed with the degenerative condition at 29. He described losing the ability to sing and play instruments as [...]

Aurum Biosciences, a stroke technology firm, has been selected for a UK government trade mission to India this month. Aurum Biosciences will join a Department for Business and Trade visit from 16 to 19 February, with events, round table meetings and pitching opportunities. One focus will be the BioAsia 2026 Summit in Hyderabad, described as [...]

A study will assess whether a cooling collar can improve recovery after traumatic brain injury. The device, named CB240 Aurora, is applied around the neck and aims to lower brain temperature in a targeted way. Brain cooling, or induced hypothermia, can limit swelling after stroke or head injury. Whole-body cooling can cause side effects such [...]

OpenAI has invested in co-founder Sam Altman's brain-computer interface startup Merge Labs. The generative AI provider was a major investor in the company's US$252m seed round. A brain-computer interface allows direct communication between the brain and external devices. The potential for an investment was rumoured in the middle of last year. OpenAI said [...]

Two companies are collaborating to develop AI-driven MS therapies targeting myelin repair in multiple sclerosis and related disorders. By combining two distinct artificial intelligence platforms, the companies hope to create the first treatment capable of actively restoring the protective myelin coating around nerve fibres, potentially reversing neurological symptoms that current medications cannot address. The collaboration [...]

Researchers validated a wireless EEG method to measure neuroplasticity, offering a non-invasive way to track how the brain responds to new treatments. The approach could provide an objective readout of brain response to therapies for psychiatric and neurodegenerative conditions. Neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to reorganise its connections after experience, injury or disease, for example [...]

Newcastle Hospitals and Newcastle University have announced plans for the UK’s new centre of neurotechnology innovation. The National Centre for Neurotechnology and Neurorestoration will support research and delivery of the latest neurotechnologies aimed at understanding the brain, restoring function and improving health. The centre will be the first UK facility dedicated to clinical trials using [...]

A major new initiative to accelerate the delivery of pioneering new treatments for paralysis in the UK has been launched by the charity Spinal Research with a £1m fundraising campaign. The Spinal Research Recovery Alliance will bring together the spinal cord injured, researchers, clinicians and industry partners to get breakthrough therapies to paralysed people at [...]

Neuro Rehab Times explores the latest business developments in the world of neurorehabilitation MedRhythms and Edwards Health Care Services enter into agreement MedRhythms, a neurologic and physical rehabilitation company with the world's first prescription music platform, has announced a strategic partnership with Edwards Health Care Services (EHCS), a provider of direct-to-home medical products. The partnership [...]