Healthcare Innovation

Columbia, Md. – September 15, 2026 -- The Foundation Fighting Blindness has renamed its venture philanthropy arm, formerly the Retinal Degeneration Fund (RD Fund), to the Gund Vision Fund, honoring more than 50 years of support from Gordon Gund and the Gund family.

Fund has deployed $100 million into 20 companies since 2018

Since launching in 2018, the vehicle has managed more than $140 million in strategic capital and deployed over $100 million directly into a portfolio of 20 companies. It has syndicated with more than $1.5 billion in institutional capital from over 60 co-investors, positioning it as one of the most active venture philanthropy models in the retinal disease space.

Toronto – September 15, 2026 -- A new viewpoint paper published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research argues that GLP-1 weight-loss drugs fail long-term without paired digital behavioral coaching, citing high patient dropout and rapid weight regain as persistent industry problems. The paper, authored by Noom CEO Geoff Cook, introduces a "habit window hypothesis" and calls for a formal research agenda to test whether digital health apps can extend the durability of pharmacological weight loss.

Windham, N.H. – September 15, 2026 -- SQAIRZ, a biomechanically driven performance footwear company, has launched SQAIRZ Medical, a new division targeting fall risk among aging adults through a combined footwear and clinical assessment platform.

Fall injuries cost the U.S. healthcare system more than $80 billion annually

One in four U.S. adults over age 65 falls at least once a year, a figure that rises to one in two for adults over 80, according to SQAIRZ. The company positions SENTRX, its purpose-built Balance & Stability footwear, as the centerpiece of a broader clinical framework aimed at reducing that risk.

Delft – September 15, 2026 -- AdJane Biosciences has published a White Paper outlining a strategy to add a proprietary intranasal booster to existing intramuscular respiratory vaccines, targeting the mucosal immunity gap left by current mRNA shots.

Phase I data show intranasal booster induced significant nasal IgA responses in mRNA-primed subjects

In a post-hoc subset of participants from AdJane's completed Phase I study who had previously received Pfizer and/or Moderna COVID-19 mRNA vaccines, a subsequent intranasal dose of an Nm-nOMV vaccine displaying SARS-CoV-2 Spike was well tolerated and generated significant nasal IgA responses. AdJane says this provides initial human evidence for a heterologous prime-boost approach: systemic priming via existing intramuscular vaccines followed by a mucosal Nm-nOMV booster delivered intranasally.

Durham – September 15, 2026 -- Seismic Pharmaceuticals has commenced a global Phase 3 trial of Istaroxime, aiming to deliver the first-ever approved drug for cardiogenic shock, a condition with no currently FDA-approved treatments.

Trial to enroll 600 patients across three continents

The study, named Rescue HF CS, will recruit approximately 600 patients at clinical sites in the United States, Europe and South America. It builds on four completed Phase 2 trials in which more than 340 patients received Istaroxime.

Palo Alto, Calif. – September 15, 2026 -- UpDoc has been selected by the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) as lead performer in the Agentic AI-Enabled Cardiovascular Care Transformation (ADVOCATE) program, securing an award of up to $9.2 million. Microsoft, OpenAI and NVIDIA are joining the UpDoc-led team as supporting partners.

Valencia, Calif. – September 15, 2026 -- Bioness Medical, Inc. and OneStep have struck a partnership that lets clinicians measure patient gait and mobility using only a smartphone, both in clinic and in daily life, the companies announced.

Data from 300 patients shows measurable gains in walking speed and stride length

More than 300 patients were evaluated on OneStep's gait analysis platform to gauge the immediate impact of functional electrical stimulation from Bioness' L300 Go and L300 Go Plus systems. Among adults using the L300 Go Plus, stride length increased by 5.9 cm and walking velocity rose from 0.68 to 0.74 m/s, with parallel gains in overall and symmetry-based gait scores.