MassDevice Archives - Page 324 of 587 - Medical Design Sourcing

Novanta, MassRobotics partner to advance surgical robotic innovations

Novanta announced today that it partnered with MassRobotics to collaborate on innovations in medical and surgical robotics.

Bedford, Massachusetts-based Novanta’s Celera Motion and ATI Industrial Automation business units will collaborate with MassRobotics on the innovations under the agreement.

Celera Motion develops motion control components and subsystems for OEMs in medical and advanced industrial markets. Through the collaboration, Celera Motion and MassRobotics, along with other companies, organizations and research institutions to innovate across a range of applications with a focus on medical robotics.

ATI Industrial Automation, an engineering-based developer of robotic accessories and robot arm tooling, will work with MassRobotics to develop technological solutions that improve robotic productivity.

MassRobotics leads a cluster of approximately 400 companies, 65 resident startups and 40 strategic partners to bring together organizat…

Thermo Fisher launches PCR testing platform that detects COVID-19 pathogens in the air

[Image from Thermo Fisher]Thermo Fisher Scientific (NYSE:TMO) announced today that it launched a new rapid environmental COVID-19 diagnostic platform.

Waltham, Massachusetts-based Thermo Fisher designed its Renvo rapid in-air pathogen PCR test for detecting the virus on air samples collected through the company’s Thermo Scientific AerosolSense Sampler.

According to a news release, the company designed the test for environmental surveillance only, rather than diagnostic purposes, in communal locations like schools, businesses, healthcare facilities, government buildings nad other public areas. It offers fast, accurate detection of SARS-CoV-2 (the virus causing COVID-19) pathogens through indoor air sampling without the need for specialized training or sending samples to a lab for analysis.

Thermo Fisher’s system uses proprietary Oscar PCR technology to shorten thermocycling times and produce results in just 30 minutes, improving on the four to 24…

Zimmer Biomet misses on Q4 forecast, announces expected ZimVie spinoff completion date

Zimmer Biomet (NYSE: ZBH) shares took a hit today on fourth-quarter results that just missed the consensus forecast.

Along with its quarterly earnings, Zimmer Biomet announced that its board declared a pro-rata dividend of 80.3% of the outstanding common stock of ZimVie, payable on March 1, 2022, confirming that day as the expected completion date of the previously announced spinoff of its spine and dental businesses.

On the back of the announcements, shares of ZBH were down 6.6% at $114.72 per share as the market opened today. MassDevice’s MedTech 100 Index — which includes stocks of the world’s largest medical device companies — was down 0.1%.

The Warsaw, Indiana-based company posted losses of $84 million, or 40¢ per share, on sales of $2.04 billion for the three months ended Dec. 31, 2021, for a bottom-line slide into the red from profits of more than $333 million this time last year on a sales decline of 2.3%.

Adjusted to exclude o…

HeartFlow SPAC deal is called off

HeartFlow and a special purpose acquisition company called Longview Acquisition Corp. have called off merger plans that would have taken the cardiac test company public.

HeartFlow, in a news release out this evening, described the move as a mutual decision — a “result of current unfavorable market conditions.”

Stock markets in the U.S. have been on a rollercoaster in recent weeks amid inflation worries, expectations of a resulting Fed rate hike, tough earnings reports for social media companies such as Meta (formerly Facebook), ongoing COVID-19 and supply chain woes, and more. (There’s also good news: U.S. jobs and wages are rising rapidly.)

When HeartFlow and Longview announced the SPAC deal plans in July 2021, the merger was valued at $2.4 billion, plus an estimated $400 million in cash after closing.

HeartFlow officials said at the time that the $599 million of gross proceeds from the deal would enable it to accelerate the gr…

What Johnson & Johnson could get out of Microsoft

Johnson & Johnson Group CIO and Global Vice President of Medical Devices Larry Jones [Photo courtesy of J&J]Johnson & Johnson leaders believe big benefits from medical device connectivity are possible through their cloud partnership with Microsoft.

Two leaders in the company’s medical device business recently spoke with Medical Design & Outsourcing about how the cloud can enable innovation in medtech. They offered valuable advice for medtech engineers designing for connectivity.

In January, New Brunswick, New Jersey–based Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) named Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) as its preferred cloud provider for digital surgery solutions and partner on building out J&J’s digital surgery platform and internet of things (IoT) device connectivity.

Johnson & Johnson Group CIO and Global VP of Medical Devices Larry Jones and Office of Digital Innovation Leader Peter Schulam (who also serves as global head …

President Biden reboots Cancer Moonshot project

Image courtesy of Wikipedia

In 2016, then-Vice President Joe Biden announced a Cancer Moonshot initiative to speed the development of new therapies to treat cancer.

Biden is now launching a new initiative committed to improving the cancer survival rate by at least 50% by 2047. The plan also aims to improve the quality of life for patients with cancer.

“We can end cancer as we know it,” Biden said in an announcement introducing the initiative.

Get the full story from our sister site, Drug Discovery & Development.

Johns Hopkins-led team’s robot performs laparoscopic surgery without human help

The Smart Tissue Autonomous Robot (STAR) at work. [Image courtesy of Azel Krieger and Jin Kang/Johns Hopkins University]A Johns Hopkins University research team has created a robot that can perform laparoscopic surgery on a pig’s soft tissue without a human being’s aid.

The researchers described their latest advance with their Smart Tissue Autonomous Robot (STAR) in the January 26 issue of Science Robotics.

“Our findings show that we can automate one of the most intricate and delicate tasks in surgery: the reconnection of two ends of an intestine. The STAR performed the procedure in four animals, and it produced significantly better results than humans performing the same procedure,” said senior author Axel Krieger, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at Johns Hopkins.

Activ Surgical (Boston) has roots in the STAR work back in 2016, though Activ’s founder Dr. Peter Kim has since moved on. Activ Surgical’s present focus is on its Act…

Labcorp launches on-demand platform for purchasing diagnostics

Labcorp (NYSE:LH) announced today that it launched Labcorp OnDemand to ease the experience of using the company’s diagnostics.

Burlington, North Carolina-based Labcorp’s Labcorp OnDemand provides a platform on which individuals can purchase tests online, collect samples in their own home or schedule test appointments at one of Labcorp’s 2,000 patient service centers.

The OnDemand platform includes a suite of the company’s most commonly used tests, including wellness, allergy, COVID-19, women’s health and fertility tests, according to a news release. Through Labcorp OnDemand, the company’s Pixel by Labcorp COVID-19 PCR and combined COVID-19 + flu at-home collection kits are available and will continue to be available at zero upfront out-of-pocket costs for those who meet clinical guidelines.

Labcorp expects to make additional Labcorp OnDemand test kit options available through physicians, health plans and employers thro…

Ra Medical prices $12M offering

Ra Medical Systems (NYSE:RMED) announced today that it priced an underwritten public offering worth proceeds of approximately $12 million.

Carlsbasd, California-based Ra Medical, a developer of an excimer laser system for treating vascular diseases, did not provide an intended use for the proceeds.

According to a news release, the offering includes more than 9.5 million units, priced at a public offering price of 50¢ per unit. Each unit consists of one share of common stock, one warrant to purchase one share of common stock at an exercise price of 50¢ per share that expires on the first anniversary of the date of issuance (Series A warrant) and one warrant to purchase one share of common stock at the same price that expires on the seventh anniversary of the date of issuance (Series B warrant).

The offering also includes nearly 14.5 million pre-funded units, priced at a public offering price of $0.4999 per unit. Each of those units contains one pre-funded…

FDA clears Ambu’s single-use gastroscope and next-gen display unit

[Image from Ambu]Ambu announced today that it received FDA 510(k) clearance for its Ambu aScope Gastro and Ambu aBox 2 platforms.

Columbia, Maryland-based Ambu designed the aScope Gastro as its first sterile, single-use gastroscope with new advanced imaging and design features in a combined offering with next-generation display and processor technology. The aBox 2 includes HD capabilities to improve image quality at the heart of Ambu’s endoscopy ecosystem.

According to a news release, the launch of the aScope Gastro platform allows Ambu to enter into the gastroscopy segment with a single-use scope, offering advanced technology, portability and cost-effectiveness compared to the reusable endoscopes that dominate the space.

The company said aScope Gastro will support healthcare systems in reducing waiting lists and overcoming staff shortages, too, amid issues that have persisted since the COVID-19 pandemic began. It also provides a solution to cross-con…

Abiomed reports $261M in sales in Q3 results

Abiomed (NSDQ:ABMD) today posted third-quarter results that beat the overall consensus on Wall Street.

The Danvers, Massachusetts-based heart device company reported profits of $45.8 million, or $1.00 per share, on sales of $261.2 million for the three months ended Dec. 31, 2021, on sales growth of 12.74% compared with Q4 2020.

Adjusted to exclude one-time items, earnings per share were $1.13, 16¢ ahead of The Street, where analysts were looking for sales of $252.8 million.

“Despite a slower start in October due to the COVID resurgence and hospital labor shortages, our Abiomed 2.0 playbook allowed us to adapt and execute, grow sequentially, and support the most patients ever in a quarter. These record results would not have been possible without the dedication of our customers and employees supporting critically ill patients 24 x 7 on-site, online and in the cloud with Impella Connect,” CEO and president Michael Minogue said in a news release. “Our focus…

Hologic beats the Street with first quarter earnings ahead of Super Bowl ad debut

Mary J. Blige will star in Hologic’s first nationwide ad campaign for consumers. [Photo courtesy of Hologic]Hologic (NSDQ:HOLX) posted fiscal first-quarter results today that beat the consensus forecast on Wall Street and increased its outlook for the rest of the year.

“We expect upside from COVID-19 testing, plus organic growth in our base Diagnostics and Surgical businesses, to offset headwinds from supply chain challenges in our Breast Health business,” CFO Karleen Oberton said in a news release.

Get the full story at our sister site, Medical Design & Outsourcing.