An international consortium of thousands of scientists is creating the Human Cell Atlas, a three-dimensional map of all the cells in the body. The goal is to understand all the cells that make up human tissues, organs and systems, which will enable multiple medical applications. This collection of cell maps is openly available for navigation at single-cell resolution, identified through omics analyses that reveal the tridimensional distribution of each cell.

Three years after the U.S. FDA approval of Abbott Laboratories’ Amplatzer Amulet, results of its investigational device exemption trial failed to notably differentiate Abbott’s left atrial appendage occluder system from Boston Scientific Corp.’s market-dominant Watchman device beyond the ability to forego anticoagulants quickly after implantation.

Gender bias in cardiac treatment guidelines is putting women at risk because guidelines are written based on clinical trials conducted mostly in men. As previously reported in BioWorld, nearly 70% of female patients are underdiagnosed for cardiovascular disease as women are grossly under-represented in clinical trials.

Boston Scientific Corp.’s OPTION study demonstrated left atrial appendage closure with the Watchman Flx device reduced risk of stroke compared to management with direct oral anticoagulants or warfarin in patients with atrial fibrillation following cardiac ablation. Results were presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2024 and simultaneously published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

Eko Health Inc. recently won a category III CPT code for its Sensora platform for cardiovascular disease detection. While a “cat III” CPT code hasn’t traditionally excited industry, the company is convinced that payers will respond because of the massive costs associated with cardiovascular disease.

Device makers are not necessarily fond of the need to acquire Medicare coverage by picking off one Medicare administrative contractor at a time, but Cleerly Labs Inc. worked this path with gusto.

Boston Scientific Corp. resumed enrollment in the AVANT GUARD trial of the Farapulse pulse field ablation (PFA) system after a pause reported in October “to assess a few unanticipated observations.” The trial aims to expand the indications for the market-leading PFA system to include a new population, drug-naïve patients with persistent atrial fibrillation.

While the size of the market is enormous, drug development and treatments for women’s health care still lag behind what is offered for men. There has been a renaissance in the past few years, however, led by investors and companies that have wrestled with determining exactly what encompasses women’s health and how to meet its challenges.

Boston Scientific Corp. signed a definitive agreement to acquire Cortex Inc., from Ajax Health Inc. to develop an integrated mapping and ablation solution for cardiac arrhythmias. Cortex’s Optimap system employs a basket catheter and algorithm to identify active sources for atrial fibrillation beyond the pulmonary veins on which most mapping and ablation technology currently focus.

415 Capital Management GmbH launched its second fund as it looks to raise €150 million (US$165 million) to invest in companies developing medical technologies to address cardiovascular and neurovascular diseases.