Elixir Medical Corp. revealed that data from the Pinnacle I study has validated the safety and effectiveness of its Lithix Hertz contact intravascular lithotripsy system to treat moderate to severe calcified coronary artery lesions by percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty.

There should be no more excuses to the adoption of renal denervation (RDN) as a treatment for hypertension given the recent approval by the U.S. FDA of two technologies and a range of guidelines recommending the therapy, delegates heard at the EuroPCR conference in Paris. In a discussion on the technology, panelists argued that on the back of solid evidence, RDN should be offered as a treatment given that the therapy is a safe method to reduce high blood pressure.

Two-year data from Elixir Medical Corp.’s Bioadaptor randomized controlled trial showed that there is a significant clinical advantage in using its Dynamx coronary drug-eluting bioadaptor system over Medtronic plc’s Resolute Onyx drug-eluting stent in patients with coronary artery disease.

Researchers have developed a method to repair nerve connections in patients with spinal cord injuries using red and near-infrared light. The team from the University of Birmingham, U.K., are now planning to develop an implantable device to help surgeons protect and repair the spinal cord.

Angle plc recently signed an agreement with Astrazeneca plc to develop an androgen receptor (AR) detection assay for use in prostate cancer studies, based on its Parsortix system, which captures and harvest circulating tumor cells for subsequent analysis.

Researchers have developed a new blood collection device inspired by the behavior of a leech which attaches itself to a host, penetrates their skin with its teeth and swallows to create negative pressure drawing blood.

The U.K. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has posted an early value assessment review of digital technologies for the management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, giving the conditional nod to only one technology — the Mycopd app by London-based My Mhealth Ltd.

Lindis Blood Care GmbH recently revealed excellent data from the Remove study that showed that its Catuvab device was safe and effective in removing tumor cells from intraoperative blood during high blood loss cancer surgeries.

Despite a couple of med-tech deals transacted this year and more liquidity in the market, early-stage medical device companies in Europe continue to struggle to raise funds. To attract interest from Venture Capital (VC) funds, these companies must ensure they have a disruptive technology, be willing to change their story, and do the math to ensure that VC firms who back them can get an adequate return, investors advised at the recent LSX World Congress in London.

Precision medicine holds exciting promise for the medical device industry as it offers a range of solutions within diagnostics, digital devices and imaging, which could transform patient care, delegates heard at the LSX World Congress in London. However, there are a range of challenges ahead, including the population of clinical data, getting past the inertia of physicians and making it easier to run clinical studies.