The Boston Pediatric Device Strategic Partner Challenge recently announced its winners, including cardiovascular devices that expand to keep pace with growing child, a nitric oxide generator, a cardiovascular diagnostic device and other novel pediatric devices.
The challenge, run by the Innovation and Digital Health Accelerator at Boston Children’s Hospital and the Boston Pediatric Device Consortium, announced a total of five winners for the challenge.
Winners will receive a combination of up to $50,000 in funding per grant award and possible mentorship programs with medical device strategic partners, including Boston Scientific (NYSE:BSX), Edwards Lifesciences (NYSE:EW), Johnson & Johnson‘s (NYSE:JNJ) incubation arm, J&J Innovation, Medtronic (NYSE:MDT), CryoLife Inc. (NYSE:CRY), Ximedica and others.
Challenge winners include a device for preventing urethra erosion and urinary incontinence from Dr. Nivedita Dhar of Wayne State University and University of Basel and a cardiovascular conduit which can expand to meet a child’s growth from Andrea Martin and Doug Bernstein of Peca Labs.
Xact Medical’s Andrew Cothrel was selected as a winner for their robotic, one-handed central venous access tool designed to create 3D images of vasculature for the automatic delivery of access needles.
Also selected were Third Pole Therapeutics and the Massachusetts General Hospital’s David Zapol and their nitric oxide generator designed to treat severe persistent pulmonary hypertension and Boston Children’s Hospital’s Dr. David Hoganson and their cardiac device designed to return quantifiable measurements of leaflet coaptation height for the success of heart valve repairs.
“We have a major unmet need for pediatric medical devices that are specifically designed to address the demands of a growing, active child. The Boston Pediatric Device Strategic Partner Challenge winners represent innovations that are addressing these unmet medical needs. Together with our partners, we are pleased to support these teams as they work toward accelerating their technologies from concept to market,” BPDC head Dr. Pedro del Nido of the Boston Children’s Hospital said in a prepared statement.
Winners came from a pool of 60 applicants, according to a press release, and was funded by the FDA Office of Orphan Products Development through a grant to the Boston Pediatric Device Consortium.
