Texas Children's Hospital and The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have announced a collaboration on pediatric cancer care. Approved by the Texas Children's Board of Trustees and the UT System Board of Regents, this first-of-its-kind joint venture will unite the nation's largest comprehensive pediatric system and a top pediatric cancer program with the nation's leading comprehensive cancer center. Collaborative operations and patient care will launch in early 2026. A focus on new facilities is required to offer patients and their families a best-in-class healing environment with the latest medical technology designed specifically with them in mind. Press release.

MedTech Innovator (MTI) announced the addition of Minnetronix Medical, PRIA Healthcare, Prolucid Technologies, RegNav, and Veeva to its Industry Partners, joining 23 other leading service providers and manufacturers. In addition to their financial support of MTI, Partners bring to the program specific industry knowledge and experience from working with startups as well as established medical device companies. Minnetronix Medical brings technical engineering and manufacturing expertise; PRIA Healthcare will help the startups determine their value proposition to ensure reimbursement and market access; RegNav testing services will help startups understand regulatory compliance requirements; Prolucid will advise on the requirements for software design, development, and maintenance; and Veeva will help the startups identify the software R&D, quality and commercial strategies for life sciences companies. Press release.

Artificial intelligence (AI) can rapidly screen patients for clinical trial enrollment, according to a new study published in JAMA and led by Mass General Brigham researchers. Their novel AI-assisted patient screening tool significantly improved the speed of determining eligibility and enrollment in a heart failure clinical trial compared to manual screening. These findings suggest that using AI can be cheaper than conventional methods and speed up the research process, which could mean patients get earlier access to proven, effective treatments. Press release.

LINDIS Biotech and Pharmanovia announced that catumaxomab has received marketing authorization from the European Commission (EC), making the drug the only approved drug therapy for malignant ascites (MA) for patients living with this debilitating condition across Europe. Under a licensing agreement, LINDIS has granted Pharmanovia the exclusive rights to bring catumaxomab to market and spearhead its launch across Europe. Catumaxomab, a first-in-class therapeutic, is specifically designed to treat malignant ascites in adults with certain types of cancer (epithelial cellular adhesion molecule (EpCAM)-positive carcinomas) who are not eligible for other systemic anticancer therapies. Malignant ascites is a serious complication of advanced-stage cancers, characterized by the buildup of fluid in the abdomen, causing significant discomfort and severely impacting quality of life. The condition leads to considerable symptoms such as abdominal distension, pain, shortness of breath, fatigue, and fever. Press release.

Lindus Health announced their collaboration with the Clinical Data Interchange Standards Consortium (CDISC) to accelerate the generation of standardized concepts using AI. CDISC is an organization that develops data standards to streamline the collection, sharing, and analysis of clinical trial data on a global scale. The collaboration is intended to accelerate the generation of Biomedical Concepts across both the CDISC Foundational Standards, as well as the Therapeutic Area Standards. The traditional approach to this process is highly labor-intensive and time-consuming. Lindus' AI-driven solution has the potential to dramatically streamline this process, enabling the generation of a significantly greater number of Biomedical Concepts with efficiency. Press release.

A nasal vaccine for COVID-19—based on technology developed at Washington University in St. Louis—is poised to enter a Phase 1 clinical trial in the US after an investigational new drug application from Ocugen, Inc. was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The nasal vaccine technology is designed to induce strong immunity in the nose and upper respiratory tract, right where the virus enters the body, thereby potentially stopping transmission of the virus in addition to reducing serious illness and death. Most COVID-19 vaccines are injected into the arm or leg, and while they are effective at reducing illness and death, they do not halt transmission. Press release.

Flatiron Health and Exact Sciences announced a strategic partnership aimed at accelerating clinical evidence generation for Exact Sciences’ molecular residual disease test (MRD), Oncodetect. The partnership leverages Flatiron’s leading-edge clinical research platform to study a broad range of solid tumor types. The companies have already achieved first patient enrolled. They aim to generate clinical evidence within a real-world setting and diverse patient populations by utilizing community care settings, typically underrepresented in clinical trials. This is particularly important in the emerging space of MRD, where oncologists continue to explore how these tests can integrate into delivering high-quality, precision cancer care. Press release.