A pair of Israeli technical institutes, the Technion Research and Development Foundation and the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, agreed to accept a stake in NovoCure (NSDQ:NVCR) as part of a settlement inked last year to avert a potential patent dispute. The parties agreed in February 2015 to resolve “certain potential intellectual property disputes” between […]
Imaging
Doctors still order imaging for low back pain, against recommendations
(Reuters) — Many doctors who order CT or MRI scans for patients with low back pain do so fearing that patients will be upset if they do not get imaging and because there is too little time to explain the risks and benefits of the tests, a new study found. The Choosing Wisely campaign, launched by […]
Philips wins FDA nod for Lumify S4-1 transducer
Royal Philips (NYSE:PHG) said today it won FDA 510(k) clearance for an S4-1 cardiac transducer for its Lumify smart-diagnostic ultrasound device. The newly cleared S4-1 transducer is pocket-sized and lightweight, Philips touted, designed to improve sensitivity and provide high-resolution 2D images. “Our vision for smart-device ultrasounds is focused on putting high-quality devices in the hands […]
Medtronic wins MRI-safe nod from FDA for full suite of cardiac rhythm management devices
Medtronic (NYSE:MDT) said today that it won FDA approval for its full suite of MRI-safe cardiac rhythm and heart failure devices and leads for 3- and 1.5-Tesla scans, touting the approval as the 1st of its kind in the U.S. The regulatory win allows current patients with Fridley, Minn.-based Medtronic’s SureScan MR-conditional pacemakers, implantable cardioverter-defibrillators and […]
Real-time MRI in stem cell therapy for Parkinson’s
Researchers have observed that using intraoperative real-time MRI to guide induced pluripotent stem cell-derived neurons into the brains of non-human primates modeled with Parkinson’s disease yields better visualization and increased cell survival. The study, which will be published in the American Society for Neural Therapy and Repair issue of Cell Transplantation, was conducted at the Wisconsin National Primate […]
Microchip imaging platform for roundworms could accelerate research
Researchers have developed a microchip imaging platform to image-analyze thousands of roundworms simultaneously, according to the Cockrell School of Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. This is the 1st large-scale, in vivo drug discovery platform using a whole animal model, the school reported. The study, published in Nature Communications, detailed a flexible, cellphone-sized chip […]
DoJ settles Grifols probe
The U.S. Justice Dept. closed its probe of Grifols (NSDQ:GRFS), according to an SEC filing from the company posted today. The DoJ told the company that it closed its investigation, which concerns “possible violations of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act,” Sept. 29, according to the filing. Grifols wrote that in its decision to not prosecute, the DoJ acknowledged […]
Synaptive Medical raises $3.7m
Synaptive Medical last week told the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission that it raised $3.7 million in an equity round. Toronto-based Synaptive, which makes brain imaging products, did not respond to requests for comment from Massdevice.com on the funding. Eighteen unnamed investors participated in the round, which began last month, according to the filing. In addition to […]
St. Jude launches EnSite Precision cardiac mapping system in EU
St. Jude Medical (NYSE:STJ) said today it fully launched its EnSite Precision cardiac mapping system and associated tools in Europe, expanding from an earlier limited release. The St. Paul, Minn.-based company touted more than 100 installations of the device across Europe so far, supporting more than 5,000 ablation procedures after a targeted release it expanded in […]
Royal Philips debuts Volcano tech in Canada
Royal Philips (NYSE:PHG) said today that it debuted its Volcano catheter-based imaging and measurement systems for minimally invasive diagnostics and treatment of cardiovascular disease in Canada. Eighty-five percent of Canadian hospitals use Philips cardiology solutions, according to the Netherlands-based company. Its imaging and navigation systems provide direction for clinicians to guide catheters to an area of interest […]
Hospital researchers explore MRI for drug delivery
Researchers have programmed an MRI scanner to simultaneously monitor magnetized particles while propelling them through blood vessels as a means to locally deliver drugs. Existing approaches combine the magnetic force from an MRI scanner with the force produced by particle collisions. But traditionally, it’s challenging to image using the MRI scanner and propel the particles […]