Digital Health Weekly - 8 - 13 Feb, 2026

• HBF has launched a new $25 million corporate venture capital fund called HBF Ventures, aimed at investing in emerging health innovations.
• The fund will invest in early- and growth-stage companies working on digital health tools, new care delivery models, preventative health solutions, and technologies to strengthen Australia’s health system.
• HBF is partnering with investment firm Artesian to manage the fund, which has a 10-year investment horizon and expects to support around 15–20 companies.
• HBF hopes the fund will give it early access to emerging technologies that can improve health outcomes, member experiences, and the sustainability of healthcare services for its members.

• Perth-based OncoRes Medical successfully closed an AUD $27 million private funding round aimed at advancing its Elora™ Quantitative Micro-Elastography (QME) imaging system, a real-time tumour assessment tool for surgery.
• The round included lead investment from Brandon Capital Partners’ BB6 Fund, along with participation from Morgans, Radar Ventures, family offices, and The Table Club network, supporting clinical development and regulatory milestones.
• OncoRes has launched an Australian clinical trial across six hospitals (recruiting 110+ patients) and the device has previously received FDA Breakthrough Device Designation, facilitating progress toward US regulatory approval and commercial expansion.
• The company also added experienced healthcare leader Renee Ryan to its Board to support strategic growth and future regulatory and commercial efforts.

• Splose, an Adelaide‑based start‑up, secured $46 million from US venture capital firm Spectrum Equity, its first offshore backer. 
• The round brings total funding to over $51 million, adding to a $5 million investment from EVP in 2024. 
• Splose provides practice‑management software to more than 20,000 allied health professionals across Australia. 
• This is the largest Series A raise for a SaaS company in South Australian history, underscoring strong investor interest in health‑tech. 

• Huawei has introduced a diabetes risk assessment feature in its smartwatches, utilizing Photoplethysmography (PPG) to measure blood flow changes through the skin and provide users with a risk level of developing diabetes. 
• The feature, available on the HUAWEI WATCH GT 6 Pro, requires users to wear the device for 3–14 days and provides a risk assessment of low, medium, or high risk, advising users to seek medical consultation if they are at medium or high risk. 
• This non‑invasive digital biomarker aims to bridge the gap in early diabetes detection, particularly for asymptomatic individuals and populations that may not engage in routine screening, and is positioned as a preclinical risk awareness tool rather than a diagnostic solution. 
• The feature is part of Huawei's broader health research efforts, which include collaborations with medical institutions and a focus on preventive healthcare, digital health transformation, and early disease intervention, aligning with the UAE's national health priorities.

• The ADI Foundation and digital‑health firm Apeiro have built a blockchain‑based framework to add a trust and verification layer to healthcare insurance claim processes, aiming to cut fraud and duplicate claims. 
• Each claim step is given a unique “digital fingerprint” that is time‑stamped and recorded on the ADI Chain testnet, creating a tamper‑evident audit trail while keeping patient data off‑chain. 
• The first phase was successfully tested on the ADI Chain testnet, and the next phase will integrate the solution into real‑world insurance systems to improve auditability and accountability. 
• The partnership will target public‑sector healthcare stakeholders in the Middle East and Africa, seeking to modernise digital infrastructure, protect public funds, and expand access to high‑quality care. 

• The One Mind Accelerator has selected a cohort of 13 mental‑health startups for its 10‑week program, offering industry expertise, fundraising support, and coaching from a network of over 100 advisors. 
• Participants, including Biomia, Birches Health, Flow Neuroscience, Limbic AI, and Vitalic Health—are tackling areas such as CNS disorders, virtual addiction treatment, AI‑driven triage and diagnostics, and precision med‑tech for depression. 
• The accelerator emphasizes building scalable, sustainable business models with a focus on value‑based and measurement‑based care, leveraging AI and software to improve outcomes and margins. 
• Graduates may receive up to $300,000 from One Mind’s Catalyst Fund if they raise at least $2 million, and they will work with major payers and providers to secure pilots, contracts, and value‑based pricing agreements. 

• A clinical trial led by the Kirby Institute at UNSW Sydney found that point-of-care testing for hepatitis B DNA using fingerstick blood is as accurate as traditional laboratory testing. 
• The trial's results, published in the Journal of Clinical Microbiology, pave the way for faster diagnosis and treatment in hard-to-reach communities, particularly in resource-limited settings or remote areas. 
• The point-of-care test, which provides results within 60 minutes, can be performed by a broader range of healthcare workers using a fingerstick blood sample, potentially increasing access to testing and treatment for the estimated 254 million people living with chronic hepatitis B infection worldwide. 
• The study's findings support the World Health Organization's recent guidelines recommending the use of hepatitis B point-of-care DNA fingerstick tests globally, which could help enhance access to testing, monitoring, and treatment.