Researchers at the University of California in San Diego have developed a way to make steerable catheters that can precisely navigate the brain vasculature. The team of researchers designed the device to navigate the brain’s arteries and blood vessels to treat aneurysms and other neurological conditions. It was inspired by insect legs and flagella tail-like […]
University of California San Diego
Ventrix touts first-in-human study of hydrogel to repair heart muscle
Bio-scaffold startup Ventrix said today it has safely conducted a first-in-human trial of an injectable hydrogel to repair cardiac tissue in patients who have suffered a heart attack. The FDA-approved, Phase 1 trial is the first to test a hydrogel made from the natural scaffolding of cardiac muscle tissue, also known as extracellular matrix, or […]
Silk Road Medical touts results of carotid artery treatment study
A new study shows that transcarotid artery revascularization (TCAR) procedures significantly lowered the odds of composite in-hospital stroke, death and heart attack compared to surgical removal of plaque from the carotid artery, according to Silk Road Medical (NSDQ:SILK). The company is developing a neuroprotection and stent system called Enroute as an aid to TCAR procedures. […]
3 flexible electronics outfits you need to know
Want to know where flexible electronics could take the medtech space? A good bet might be to look at where NextFlex is putting its money. The San Jose, Calif.–based hybrid electronics manufacturing institute provides funding for promising projects in areas ranging from healthcare to avionics to infrastructure monitoring. NextFlex recently announced $12 million in awards to fund […]
Boston Scientific, St. Jude Medical must face University of California patent suits
Boston Scientific (NYSE:BSX) and Abbott (NYSE:ABT) subsidiary St. Jude Medical must face lawsuits brought by the University of California alleging that their ablation catheters infringe a pair of patents covering atrial fibrillation treatments. The university’s regents sued the companies last October (a similar suit was brought against AtriCure (NSDQ:ATRC) the next month, according to court documents), accusing the companies […]
This nanofiber device can hear cells moving
A new miniature nanofiber device created by engineers at the University of California at San Diego is sensitive enough that it can feel bacteria swimming and can hear heart muscle cells beating. The device is 100 times thinner than a human hair and is made of optical fiber. It is designed to be able to detect forces […]
Engineered tissue could eliminate radiation for bone marrow transplants
University of California San Diego engineers have created artificial bone tissue that could eliminate the need for radiation before bone marrow transplants. Shyni Varghese, a bioengineering professor at UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering, led a team to develop a bone-like implant to eliminate the pre-treatment radiation that kills stem cells in a patient’s bone […]
6 visual impairment breakthroughs you need to know
About 285 million people have some form of visual impairment in the world, according to the World Health Organization. Of that number, 39 million are considered blind, and 246 million have low vision. Three-fifths of all vision impairment can be prevented or cured. Uncorrected refractive errors are one of the main causes of vision impairment in […]