InVivo Therapeutics (NSDQ:NVIV) said today that a patient enrolled in December in its Inspire study has improved from a complete AIS A spinal cord injury to an incomplete AIS B spinal cord injury. This is the 6th patient from the 11-patient group to have an AIS grade improvement at the 1-month follow-up mark. The Cambridge, Mass.-based […]
NantKwest launches clinical trial for natural killer cells
NantKwest Inc. (NSDQ:NK) said yesterday that the FDA approved an Investigational New Drug Application for its natural killer cell therapy phase I clinical study. The company is evaluating its genetically engineered, allogenic natural killer cell therapy in patients with cancer. The study, which NantKwest touts as the 1st of its kind, will determine the safety […]
Vention acquires nitinol-wire component maker Lithotech Medical
Vention Medical said today that it acquired Israeli nitinol wire component maker Lithotech Medical. The acquisition grows Vention’s portfolio of advanced components and tech for the development and manufacturing of medical devices. “Partnering with this talented group of nitinol experts expands our portfolio of advanced components and technologies as well as our applications expertise,” Tom […]
Medtronic launches trial for Visualase MRI-Guided laser ablation device in epilepsy patients
Medtronic (NYSE:MDT) said today that the 1st procedure using the Visualase MRI-Guided laser ablation system has been performed in its SLATE clinical trial evaluating the device in patients with drug-resistant mesial temporal lobe epilepsy. The trial is slated to enroll 120 patients with MTLE, the most common form of epilepsy. Researchers will observe the patients […]
Ocular Therapeutix looks to raise $25m in public offering
Ocular Therapeutix (NSDQ:OCUL) said today that it launched a $25 million underwritten public offering of its common stock. The Bedford, Mass.-based company did not provide any specific pricing details for the offering. Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. is the sole bookrunner for the offering, according to regulatory filings. Yesterday, the company said today that it resubmitted a […]
Scientists develop nanoparticles to ‘suffocate’ tumor cells
A team of researchers from the Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences and the East China Normal University have developed polyvinyl pyrrolidone modified nanoparticles that serve as a deoxygenation agent against tumor cells. The therapy, which is described in Nature Nanotechnology, targeted cancer cells by cutting off the tumor’s blood supply to deprive and ‘suffocate’ […]
MIT, Brigham researchers deliver strands of RNA using ultrasound
Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Brigham & Women’s Hospital have developed a technique to deliver strands of RNA to colon cells using bursts of ultrasound waves. The team’s technique turned down the production of a protein involved in inflammatory bowel disease in mice. The paper, which was published in Gastroenterology, described a simple […]
Ocular Therapeutix resubmits NDA for Dextenza
Ocular Therapeutix (NSDQ:OCUL) said today that it resubmitted a New Drug Application to the FDA for its post-surgical ocular pain reliever. The hydrogel plug, inserted into a patient’s tear duct, is designed to deliver a sustained dose of dexamethasone over 4 weeks following opthalmic surgery. The Bedford, Mass.-based company has had trouble gaining regulatory approval for the […]
Abbott touts study showing SCS helps curb opioid use in chronic pain patients
Abbott (NYSE:ABT) touted data from a 5,400 patient study evaluating daily opioid use following spinal cord stimulation therapy in patients with chronic pain. The researchers found that average daily opioid use declined or remained steady for patients with a spinal cord stimulation system compared to patient use of opioids prior to the implant. Patients who had the […]
J&J, Actelion still in talks despite Opsumit failure
Although Actelion (VTX:ATLN)’s Opsumit drug candidate missed its primary endpoint in a phase III trial for patients suffering from a deadly heart-lung condition, analysts reportedly concluded that the result is unlikely to have an impact on merger talks with Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ). The Swiss drugmaker’s trial involved 226 patients with Eisenmenger Syndrome, which causes untreated congenital heart […]
Healthcare industry braces for change on Trump’s executive order
Updated to include news of Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) replacement proposal. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Friday that could scale back enforcement of some provisions of the Affordable Care Act, also called Obamacare, and analysts warned that shares of hospitals and Medicaid providers could face new pressure as fears over losing coverage […]