As far as aspirations go, QuantuMDx is setting its sights high. The UK diagnostics start-up is still in the early stages of product development but one thing CEO Elaine Warburton has set her mind on is ensuring the company’s “lab-in-your-hand” device will emulate the sleek, simple and user-friendly designs that are iconic of the information technology giant Apple.

The deal combines two of the largest providers of sterilization and infection-prevention products to create a $4bn-plus-revenue business.

One of the few silver linings in a tumultuous year dominated by a global pandemic was the huge boost given to the diagnostics and telehealth sectors. But while new technologies for rapid testing for COVID-19 and remote monitoring tools dominated the headlines, there were also key developments in robotic surgery, early-stage cancer testing and cardiac arrhythmia treatment. Here are Medtech Insight’s most popular R&D stories in 2020.