Augmenix said today it raised $6 million in a Series E round of funding to support the development of next-gen products and support the company’s SpaceOAR system. The SpaceOar is designed to separate the prostate from the rectal wall during radiation treatment for prostate cancer, Augmenix said. The device is delivered through a small needle as a liquid, […]
Oncology
Sirtex jumps on higher-than-expected microsphere sales
Sirtex Medical today saw shares rise as much as 6.5% today after reporting higher than expected sales of its SIR-Spheres Y-90 resin microspheres for the 12 months ended June 30. That’s 16.4% up from last year, the Australian company reported, and between 15 and 17% higher than the guidance the company released on June 1st. […]
Merit Medical pays $98m for DFine’s spine devices
Merit Medical (NSDQ:MMSI) said today that it paid $97.5 million in cash to acquire DFine and created a new division to incorporate DFine’s spine devices. San Jose, Calif.-based DFine makes the StabiliT line of devices, for injecting bone cement into vertebral fractures, and the Star spine tumor ablation system. Jordan, Utah-based Merit said its new interventional oncology […]
U.K. launches study of Dune Medical’s MarginProbe breast cancer device
Dune Medical Devices said this week that the U.K.’s National Health Service is launching a study of its MarginProbe device, which is designed to spot cancerous cells on the margins of breast tumors. Paoli, Pa.-based Dune said the NHS’s National Institute of Health Research arm is funding a study to see whether MarginProbe reduces the need for further re-excision […]
Median Technologies, Microsoft ink Big Data deal for cancer diagnostics
Median Technologies (EPA:ALMDT) and Microsoft (NSDQ:MSFT) said today they inked a deal to develop new cancer detection, diagnosis and monitoring methods using “big data” analytics. Through the deal, Median Technologies will use its Ibiopsy imaging biomarker phenotyping system with Microsoft’s Azure cloud computing platform to provide capabilities for processing and analyzing medical images and extracting biomarkers […]
Study backs laser prostate ablation with Medtronic’s Artemis
Laser ablation may be a feasible and safe treatment option for men with intermediate risk prostate cancer, according to a new study published in the Journal of Urology. The treatment operates using magnetic resonance imaging to guide a laser fiber into a cancerous tumor in the prostate to destroy the tissue with extreme heat. The study […]
Google’s Verily Star Trek “Tricorder” moonshot flops
Verily’s moonshot project which aimed to create a futuristic every-aspect diagnostic device and cancer treatment, much like Star Trek’s “Tricorder” devices, has flopped after 3 years in development, according to a report from STAT news. The device from Verily, Google‘s (NSDQ:GOOG) newly named life sciences arm, aimed to operate as both a multi-function diagnostic device as well […]
IBM Watson Health to aid in matching cancer patients to clinical trials
IBM‘s (NYSE:IBM) famed Watson artificial intelligence platform will be put to use to help match cancer patients with clinical trials. The Armonk, N.Y.-based technology giant said Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin Network will adopt the Watson technology for this purpose in a project set to begin this fall. Froedtert/MCW Cancer Network are among the 1st cancer […]
Biden announces U.S. project to promote cancer data sharing
(Reuters) – U.S. Vice President Joe Biden said on Monday the “moonshot” initiative he leads aimed at finding cures for cancer was “the only bipartisan thing left in America” and called for more collaboration among researchers, doctors and government agencies to advance the cause. Biden was speaking at the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting […]
Philips and Yale expand research deal
Royal Philips (NYSE:PHG) said today it expanded its master research agreement with Yale School of Medicine to include a new research program looking to develop innovations in interventional oncology. The multi-year cancer research program aims to explore new concepts in image-guided therapies, diagnostic imaging and informatics, Philips said, and will engage with multiple research groups […]
Pulse Biosciences pounds out $20m with IPO
Pulse Biosciences raised $20 million in an initial public offering this week after floating 5 million shares at $4 apiece, for a fully diluted valuation of $51 million. Burlingame, Calif.-based Pulse is developing “nano-pulse electro-signaling,” in which extremely short-duration pulsed electrical fields are directed at solid tumors. It’s designed to induce a type of programmed cell death […]