Tissue Regeneration
First successful lab-grown vaginas herald disruptive innovation on the horizon

A team of researchers successfully implanted 4 young women with laboratory grown vaginas for the first time, representing an important breakthrough in regenerative medicine.
Shire ditches troubled Dermagraft skin substitute
Soft Tissue Regeneration raises $4.7M for biodegradable scaffold

Orthopedics maker Soft Tissue Regeneration is closing in on a $5 million funding round, with $4.7 million raised so far.
The New Haven, Conn.-based company is raising funds through sales of equity, options, warrants and other securities, with 14 unnamed investors listed so far in regulatory filings.
World’s 1st regenerated trachea recipient faring well at 5 years

TissueTech fleshes out $10M equity round

TissueTech Inc. said it pulled down $10 million from a pair of venture capital shops to back its regenerative medicine subsidiaries, Bio-Tissue and Amniox Medical.
The equity round came from Ballast Point Ventures and River Cities Capital Funds, according to a press release.
Doral, Fla.-based TissueTech makes amniotic membrane- and umbilical cord-based products designed to treat ocular surface diseases (Bio-Tissue) and musculoskeletal conditions and wound care (Amniox Medical), according to the release.
Shire expands regenerative medicine biz with Lotus Tissue Repair acquisition

Shire (NSDQ:SHPGY) said it aquired Cambridge, Mass.-based Lotus Tissue Repair, which is developing the 1st protein replacement therapy to treat dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa, a rare genetic disease.
The purchase includes an upfront payment and later milestone payments, but specific details were not released.
Soft Tissue Regeneration receives FDA clearance for its rotator cuff repair device
Soft Tissue Regeneration, an early stage orthopedic device maker, has received FDA clearance for its Str graft, a biodegradable scaffold that can lessen patient’s pain and reduce surgical failure rates following rotator cuff surgery.
The Str graft, a 3-dimensional braided "patch," is about 1 millimeter. Surgeons using the device drape it over the tendon with sutures to help the tendon, bones and nearby tissues heal.
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Shire wins DermaGraft nod in Canada
Top 10 science and clinical innovation trends: Looking forward to 2012

Here once again is Vector’s take on some exciting trends we’ve been watching in the pediatric health arena and what we expect to see more of this year. If you’ve got others to propose, scroll to the bottom and let us know!
MassDevice.com +3 | Weight loss: FDA warns Lap-Band advertisers, MDT to pay $23.5M to settle kickback claims, Baxter inks $325M buyout pact with Synovis

Say hello to MassDevice +3, a bite-sized view of the top three med-tech stories of the day. This latest feature of MassDevice.com’s coverage highlights our three 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.
If you read nothing else today, make sure you’re still in the know with MassDevice +3.