Medtech companies paid $3.62 billion for access to physicians — 10% more than drug companies did — from 2014 to 2017, according to new research. Device company payments to surgical specialists were significantly more tied to the surgeons’ Medicare billing than payments from drug companies to specialists, according to the study, which appears in the April 2021 […]
University of Pennsylvania
Could hydrogels and magnetic fields grow new cartilage?
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania are touting a new way to potentially rebuild complex body tissues to fix common injuries like cartilage degeneration. Following the publication of research in Advanced Materials, those involved are suggesting that the rebuilding process for these body tissues could be done by using a magnetic field and hydrogels, according to […]
Integra touts outcomes, cost-savings in wound-healing studies
A pair of retrospective studies of an Integra LifeSciences (NSDQ:IART) wound-healing matrix showed positive clinical and economic results, the company announced on Friday. The studies looked at the results of complex lower extremity reconstruction using Integra’s bilayer wound matrix. The data were published in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. The bilayer wound-healing matrix is formulated to provide […]
Pavmed’s Lucid Diagnostics enters clinical trial with U of Penn
Pavmed (NSDQ:PAVM) announced today that its majority-owned subsidiary Lucid Diagnostics entered into a clinical trial research agreement with the University of Pennsylvania to observe its EsoCheck esophageal cell collection device. EsoCheck with “collect & protect technology” is designed to offer a less invasive, more efficient and cost-effective alternative to endoscopic biopsies when managing patients with eosinophilic […]
Proton therapy lowers risk of side effects for cancer patients, study says
Findings from a new study claim that proton therapy leads to a significantly lower risk of side effects severe enough to lead to unplanned hospitalizations for cancer patients when compared to traditional radiation. Although cure rates between the proton therapy and radiation groups remain almost identical, the study conducted at the Perelman School of Medicine […]
Could an algorithm improve breast cancer treatment?
A study from researchers at Penn Medicine revealed that MRI and an algorithm-based field of medicine called radiomics could help characterize the heterogeneity of cancer cells in a tumor and allow for better understanding of the causes and progression of individual diseases. The study, published in Clinical Cancer Research, examines radiomics, which uses algorithms to extract […]
U Penn trial regrows dental pulp from baby tooth stem cells
Data from recent clinical trial out of the University of Pennsylvania suggest that the use of stem cells from a patient’s baby teeth could be used to help regrow dental pulp tissue. Results from the trial, which was conducted in China, were published in the journal Science Translational Medicine. In the trial, 40 children were […]
Blood test enhances early detection of pancreatic cancer
Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania have devised a biomarker panel that could enable earlier diagnosis and better treatment for patients with pancreatic cancer, according to a study published in Science Translational Medicine. Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer death in the U.S., the team reported, and often patients are not diagnosed until an advanced […]
Do patient advocacy organizations have a conflict of interest?
At least 83% of U.S. patient advocacy organizations receive financial support from medical device, drug and biotechnology companies, according to new research out of the University of Pennsylvania’s Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy. The Penn research team – which included Matthew McCoy, Harald Schmidt and Ezekiel Emanuel – examined websites and annual reports for 104 organizations […]
Acuitas touts lipid-nanoparticle delivery of mRNA vaccine for Zika
Acuitas Therapeutics touted preliminary data that evaluated its messenger RNA vaccine for the Zika virus. The company uses a lipid-nanoparticle delivery system to introduce its mRNA vaccine into cells. The team’s work, which was published in Nature, showed that a single low-dose immunization with its vaccine triggered an immune response in animals and protected them from infection at […]
Researchers show drug, catheter combo speeds up labor delivery
Using the drug misoprostol in combination with a Foley balloon catheter to induce labor can lead to a speedier delivery, with women delivering several hours earlier than either method alone, according to research from the University of Pennsylvania. The team’s work was published in Obstetrics & Gynecology. Nearly 1 million women who deliver in the U.S. […]
