The mechanical removal of clots from the brain has become increasingly standard in ischemic stroke cases. Last year, the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association guidelines expanded the recommended window for its use up to 24 hours an event. Aspiration-based device stroke treatment startup Imperative Care Inc. has now raised an $85 million series C round to back the marketing of two recently cleared products on this front.
Researchers are hopeful that within three to five years the first once-a-month oral contraceptive could reach human testing. They achieved an early step on that path with the publication of research testing the long-lasting drug delivery device from Watertown, Mass.-based startup Lyndra Therapeutics Inc. in the Dec. 4, 2019, issue of Science Translational Medicine.
Researchers are hopeful that within three to five years the first once-a-month oral contraceptive could reach human testing. They achieved an early step on that path with the publication of research testing the long-lasting drug delivery device from Watertown, Mass.-based startup Lyndra Therapeutics Inc. in the Dec. 4 issue of Science Translational Medicine.
Edwards Lifesciences Corp. added more than $20 billion so far this year to its market cap to exceed a $50 billion valuation. Executives worked to convince Wall Street that 2020 and beyond are lining up to be additional banner years for the cardiovascular med-tech giant at the company’s annual investor meeting. While the newly introduced guidance for next year from Edwards was largely in line or a bit better than analysts had anticipated, its share price remained relatively flat on the event.
Spinal cord stimulation to treat pain has long been associated with mixed efficacy and substantial side effects such as paresthesia, which is an unpleasant tingly or prickly sensation. Redwood City, Calif.-based Nevro Corp. famously has built a multi-billion-dollar business on next-gen, pain neurostimulation technology that improves efficacy and reduces side effects. Sommerville, Mass.-based Micro-leads Medical Inc. hopes that it could be next in successfully further refining spinal cord stimulation.
Ann Arbor, Mich.-based startup Endra Life Sciences Inc. started out focused on a photoacoustic imaging tool for mice in the lab, but in recent years it has shifted gears. Now, it aims to secure the go-ahead next year from European and U.S. regulators to launch a thermo-acoustic enhanced ultrasound system designed to quantitatively assess liver fat, known as TAEUS.
Boston-based conglomerate GE worked to make the case for its health care business to investors at a Dec. 2 event, but Wall Street seemed underwhelmed. The company’s share price remains hovering around lows not seen since the 2008-2009 financial crisis.
Stanford University School of Medicine and Apple Inc.have published results from the largest digital-only study. The trial has been conducted in more than 400,000 people in the U.S. over more than eight months. It was set up to screen participants via their Apple Watch for heart irregularities and then to further monitor any of those with identified issues with a wearable ECG patch.
Paris-based Tissium was first founded in 2013 by professors Robert Langer of MIT and Jeffrey Karp of Brigham and Women’s Hospital as Gecko Biomedical. But now it aims to expand beyond its original focus on surgical sealants and adhesives into barriers, plugs, drug delivery and 3D printed implantable devices. To support that wider focus, the company changed its name and has now raised €38.75 million (US$42.78 million) in a series B financing.
Fractyl Laboratories Inc. is pioneering a procedure known as duodenal mucosal resurfacing (DMR) to reverse chronic metabolic disorders. This month it has reported positive results from a couple of clinical trials that are shaping its planning for a pivotal trial that is slated to start next year in type 2 diabetes patients.
