Isometric Micro Molding closes sale to new owner Nissha Medical Technologies

Isometric Micro Molding manufactures miniaturized parts and components for medical devices. [Photo courtesy of Isometric Micro Molding]

Isometric Micro Molding is officially under new ownership after Nissha Medical Technologies closed on its acquisition of the medtech supplier.

Buffalo, New York–based Nissha Medical Technologies (a subsidiary of Kyoto, Japan-based Nissha Co.) is a contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) focused on minimally invasive surgical instruments and wearable devices.

Under terms announced in December, Nissha planned to take a majority stake in Isometric Intermediate LLC., which owns the Isometric group of companies. Other financial terms have not been disclosed.

“We’re excited to add another vertically integrated capability as a global CDMO supporting miniaturization of devices and components,” Nissha Medical Technologies said in a post on Li…

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How alcohol could make renal denervation for hypertension faster and simpler

Ablative Solutions President and CEO Kate Rumrill [Photo courtesy of Ablative Solutions]

Ablative Solutions is developing the Peregrine renal denervation (RDN) system to treat hypertension. The company hopes to follow Recor Medical and Medtronic in winning FDA approval for the system.

“As a small company, it’s definitely better to be a fast follower than it is to be first to market,” Ablative Solutions CEO Kate Rumrill said in an interview. “I’m excited for Medtronic and Recor and their first year of sales and having these larger companies out there, doing some of that early work as far as market awareness and market adoption.”

Medtronic’s Symplicity Spyral RDN system uses radiofrequency (RF) energy, while Recor’s Paradise system uses ultrasound. Peregrine doesn’t deliver energy at all, instead using alcohol as a neurolytic agent.

“There …

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What’s so special about pulsed field ablation? Medtronic EVP Sean Salmon explains

The Medtronic PulseSelect Pulsed Field Ablation (PFA) System is designed to treat paroxysmal and persistent atrial fibrillation (AFIb). [Image courtesy of Medtronic]

Medtronic’s PulseSelect Pulsed Field Ablation (PFA) System — which won the first FDA approval for PFA to treat atrial fibrillation (AFib) — is just the start of a wave of new PFA devices expected to hit the market.

Medtronic is lining up another PFA cardiac ablation system for approval, while competitor Boston Scientific anticipates approval of its Farapulse PFA system sometime in 2024. Meanwhile, Johnson & Johnson’s Biosense Webster is testing its ThermoCool SmartTouch SF system for both PFA and radiofrequency ablation.

Medtronic EVP and Cardiovascular President Sean Salmon recently discussed PFA technology in an interview with Medical Design & Outsourcing before the world’s largest medical device manufacturer anno…

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Opening the brain’s secret back door: A conversation with Synchron co-founder and CEO Dr. Tom Oxley

Dr. Tom Oxley, CEO and co-founder of breakthrough brain-computer interface developer Synchron, discusses advances in minimally invasive neurointervention, medtech leadership, advice for device developers, and ethics at the bleeding edge of BCI technology.

Synchron co-founder and CEO Dr. Tom Oxley giving a TED Talk with an image of the Stentrode device displayed behind him. [Photo courtesy of Synchron]

What seems like a miracle today — a paralyzed patient regaining the ability to communicate with their family without open-brain surgery — may eventually seem obvious in retrospect.

It already does to Dr. Tom Oxley, the interventional neurologist who’s CEO and co-founder of brain-computer interface (BCI) developer Synchron.

Synchron’s Stentrode device is implanted inside a blood vessel in the brain to sense neural signals and relay them to another implant in the chest. Those signals are then tran…

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Nissha deal means big boost for Isometric Micro Molding’s mini-manufacturing

Isometric Micro Molding CEO Donna Bibber [Photo courtesy of Isometric Micro Molding]

The pending acquisition by Nissha Medical Technologies will give a big boost to Isometric Micro Molding’s manufacturing of miniaturized medtech used in robotic surgery, diabetes and other growth markets, executives from both companies said.

Medical Design & Outsourcing discussed the deal with Isometric Micro Molding CEO Donna Bibber, Isometric VP of Business Development and Strategy Brent Hahn, Nissha Medical Technologies Chief Integration Officer and Chief Supply Chain Officer Jon Casey, and Nissha Medical Technologies EVP Brandon Hoffman. The following interview has been lightly edited for space and clarity.

MDO: What will Nissha Medical Technologies and Isometric Micro Molding be able to do together that they couldn’t do before?

Nissha Medic…

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Levita Magnetics takes its MARS robotic surgery platform international

The Levita Magnetics MARS (magnetic-assisted robotic surgery) system uses magnetic forces to control a grasper instrument inside a patient. [Image courtesy of Levita Magnetics]Levita Magnetics today announced the international launch of its MARS (magnetic-assisted robotic surgery) system with its placement at Hospital Luis Tisne in Santiago, Chile.

Dr. Julio Jimenez used the system to perform same-day-discharge cholecystectomies (gallbladder removal) and bariatric surgeries.

Jiminez previously helped Levita Magnetics with its clinical trials, said Levita Magnetics founder, CEO and President Dr. Alberto Rodriguez-Navarro.

Rodriguez-Navarro is a minimally invasive surgeon from Chile who worked in the public system for nearly 10 years before halting his clinical practice and moving to the U.S. to develop the magnetic technology.

“Returning to my home and bringing something new, something better, it’s really kind of an emotional moment,”…

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Nissha Medical Technologies has a deal to buy Isometric Micro Molding

Isometric Micro Molding manufactures miniaturized parts and components for medical devices. [Photo courtesy of Isometric Micro Molding]

Nissha Medical Technologies today announced a definitive agreement to acquire Isometric Micro Molding.

Buffalo, New York–based Nissha Medical Technologies said it expects to close the deal by the end of 2023.

Nissha Medical Technologies (a subsidiary of Kyoto, Japan-based Nissha Co.) is a contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) focused on minimally invasive surgical instruments and wearable devices. Nissha will take a majority stake in Isometric Intermediate LLC., which owns the Isometric group of companies.

“This strategic agreement aligns seamlessly with our mission to deliver high-quality, value-added products in the global medical device market,” Nissha said in an announcement.

Isometric Micro Molding CEO Donna Bibber and …

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Two technologies that will be huge for robotic surgery, per Intuitive’s Dave Rosa

Intuitive President Dave Rosa [Photo courtesy of Intuitive]

Intuitive Surgical President Dave Rosa says he doesn’t get too excited by the idea of better robotic surgery graspers or more flexible wrists.

Instead, Rosa identified two technological opportunities that are going to advance surgical robotics and minimally invasive surgery in a major way: improved visualization for surgeons and focal therapy.

“How can we help surgeons see more about what they’re doing? … That, to me, is a huge piece of the puzzle going forward that I’m really excited about,” Rosa said in an interview with DeviceTalks Editorial Director Tom Salemi for our Intuitive Talks podcast.

DeviceTalks West: Intuitive President Dave Rosa will give a keynote interview in Santa Clara, California on Oct. 19 

Improving visualization

The difference between the best and worst surgeons isn’t…

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Small but mighty medical fiber: Minimally invasive surgery demands new materials

Honeywell’s Spectra MG Bio medical fiber [Photo courtesy of Honeywell]

High-strength, lightweight medical fiber helps make surgical procedures more effective.

Zachary Murnane, Honeywell

The first minimally invasive surgery (MIS) — an endoscopy — dates back hundreds of years. In orthopedics, it has a history of a century or more.

Uptake has accelerated more recently, and has grown fast across a wide range of surgeries in the last few decades. One published analysis of MIS described the expansion as “exponential since the introduction of laparoscopic surgery in the late 1980s.”

MIS is the new standard. In orthopedics, MIS is now widely used for arthroscopies and even full joint replacement for not just knees, but hips, wrists, shoulders and elbows. From gastroenterology to cardiothoracic and heart surgery, pediatric to urogynecology, MIS has surged.

According to one estimate, …

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