Say hello to MassDevice +5, a bite-sized view of the top five medtech stories of the day. This feature of MassDevice.com’s coverage highlights our 5 biggest and most influential stories from the day’s news to make sure you’re up to date on the headlines that continue to shape the medical device industry.
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5. When designing medical devices, consider the hands
Our hands are the emotional and physical link to our environment. They are also the link to our brain. “What I try to tell people is how complicated the hand is,” Bryce Rutter, founder & CEO of Metaphase, told MDO this week at MD&M East in New York. Rutter is an industrial designer and self-proclaimed hand functionality enthusiast. (OK, he also has a PhD.in kinesiology with a specialization in hands.)
“Just to play piano, the brain is running real-time computations on 62 degrees of freedom. It’s incredible to me … [the] precision and control and coordination.” That connection and how our hands and brain are able to work together, the computational load on the brain – it’s a fascinating subject that takes up a lot of Rutter’s day-to-day. Read more
4. Medtronic’s Micra pacer heads to space
Medtronic‘snano-sized Micra pacemaker will be heading into space as part of a Nebraska high school student’s science project.
The device will be tested as part of the Cubes in Space program, a private education program that partners with NASA to encourage students and educators to engage in science and space exploration. Read more
3. Neovasc loses German patent case against Edwards Lifesciences unit CardiAQ Valve
Neovasc shares are down more than 6% today after the replacement heart valve maker said it lost a patent case in Germany against arch-rival and Edwards Lifesciences subsidiary CardiAQ Valve.
The District Court in Munich ruled that CardiAQ Valve contributed to the creation of Neovasc’s Tiara transcatheter mitral valve replacement, awarding”co-entitlement” rights to the patent in Europe; no money was involved in the decision, Vancouver-based Neovasc said, noting its intention to appeal. Read more
2. Tusker Medical raises $10m for pediatric tympanostomy device
Tusker Medical said yesterday that it raised more than $10 million for the pediatric ear surgery device it’s developing.
The Menlo Park, Calif.-based company raised $10.2 million in an equity sale from a single unnamed investor, according to a regulatory filing. Read more
1. These medical device companies are holding the most cash offshore
Several medical device companies are among the S&P 500 companies that have parked nearly $1 trillion in cash overseas.
The list of the 50 companies with the most cash offshore, compiled by Bloomberg, comes as Capitol Hill mulls a tax reform plan that would in part encourage companies to repatriate that money. Read more
