• Advanced Medical Institute (Sydney, Australia) reported that Intelligent Medical Technologies Pty, a subsidiary of its wholly-owned Australian operating company, has completed two of its final prototypes suitable for mass production for an ultrasonic nebulizer device to be used in the treatment of sexual dysfunction, and has filed worldwide patent and design applications covering its technology. The company said it intends to begin a pharmacokinetic clinical trial to test the ability of the nebulizer to deliver drugs. It also expects to file an application to include the device on the register of medical devices with the Therapeutic Goods Administration and the European Medicines Agency within the next three months.

• Artimplant (Stockholm, Sweden), a biomaterials company focused on solutions to problems in orthopedic, odontological and reconstructive surgery, said it received approval to market the Artelon TMC Spacer in Canada. Artelon TMC Spacer is an implant for treatment of thumb base osteoarthritis that preserves the bone anatomy of the hand and buffers the bone on bone contact that results from osteoarthritic joint degeneration. Compared to current therapy, it offers: better grip strength; stable joints and no subluxations; reduced pain; a fast and easy procedure with requiring no general anesthesia; and a tissue preserving approach. The Artelon TMC Spacer is made of Artelon, a long-term degradable biomaterial that acts as a temporary scaffold to facilitate formation of new host tissue. Small Bone Innovations (New York) will market the product.

• Cytori Therapeutics (San Diego) reported the publication of a summary of peer-reviewed research, authored by Cytori scientists, on the potential of adipose stem cells in cardiac cell therapy. The article, which appears in the March 3 Cardiovascular Medicine Supplement of Nature Clinical Practice, highlights the proposed mechanisms by which adipose stem cells contribute to the repair of damaged cardiac muscle, specifically the angiogenic effects and the prevention of cell death as primary mechanisms as well as differentiation into new cardiac muscle. Additionally, the article points to the ability to obtain a high yield of adipose stem cells from patients in real-time with relative ease compared to bone marrow and other adult stem cell sources. The functional benefit has been observed in multiple preclinical studies.