Say hello to MassDevice +3, a bite-sized view of the top three medtech stories of the day. This feature of MassDevice.com’s coverage highlights our 3 biggest and most influential stories from the day’s news to make sure you’re up to date on the headlines that continue to shape the medical device industry.
3. Kips Bay Medical turns to founder Villafana
Kips Bay Medical turned to founder, chairman & CEO Manny Villafaña and other backers for a private placement worth up to $3.25 million, as the company makes a last-ditch bid to get its eSVS surgical mesh on the market.
The eSVS mesh is designed to keep vein grafts open during in coronary artery bypass graft surgeries. The device is comprised of a flexible, knitted sleeve that fits around the outside of the vein in order to reduce vessel wall stress and mitigate the potential for vessel injury. Read more
2. Cardica lays of 24% of workforce
Cardica this week said it’s laying off nearly quarter of its workforce in a bid to conserve cash as it tries to get its MicroCutter Xchange 30 surgical stapler off the ground.
Last fall the Redwood City, Calif.-based company suspended the MicroCutter Xchange 30 launch to focus on improving the product, sending CRDC shares down more than 22%. Read more
1. Johnson & Johnson taps Google for robot-assisted surgery program
Johnson & Johnson said it inked a deal with Google to develop a robot-assisted surgery program, aiming to enter a market dominated by Intuitive Surgical and its da Vinci device.
New Brunswick, N.J.-based J&J said its Ethicon subsidiary and Google will work on “an innovative robotic-assisted surgical platform capable of integrating advanced technologies with the goal of improving healthcare delivery in the operating room.” Read more