Developments in medical technology span a stunningly diverse set of applications enabled by an equally diverse range of technologies. To hone in on the developments that matter, it is worth considering those that have garnered, at a minimum, a level of financial or other commitment to move them toward commercialization.
Developments in medical technology span a stunningly diverse set of applications enabled by an equally diverse range of technologies. To hone in on the developments that matter, it is worth considering those that have garnered, at a minimum, a level of financial or other commitment to move them toward commercialization. Here we highlight technologies under development at companies that have recently received funding as well as technologies under development at startups.
Several common themes underly the companies gaining funding, stemming from advances with versatile applications (cell/tissue, info tech), technologies that succeed in providing clinical advantage (minimal invasiveness) or otherwise increase the efficacy of existing treatments (imaging, diagnostics):
- Tissue/cell-based technologies
- Minimally invasive or less-invasive approaches to treatments
- Neural based treatments (e.g., neurological stimulation, denervation)
- Wireless technology and information technology embedded in device function
- Imaging, diagnostic or other procedural enhancement to surgery or other treatment
Technologies at companies funding in February 2013:
- Ocular surface interferometry and thermal pulsation system for diagnosis and treatment of evaporative dry eye
- Sinus treatment implants
- Regenerative medicine therapies for orthopedics and wound care
- Satiety device for the treatment of obesity
- Microstent for treatment of glaucoma
- Catheter-based treatment of heart failure
- Minimally invasive treatment for uterine fibroids
- Wireless vital signs monitoring
- Neuroscience-based device company focusing on obesity and metabolic disease
- Wireless, transdermal continuous glucose monitoring system
- Magnetic resonance imaging guidance of surgical and interventional procedures
- Nonsurgical interstitial laser therapy for treatment of breast cancer
- Ophthalmic drug delivery
- Lung denervation
- Deep brain stimulation.
- Intra-ocular implants (glaucoma, severe infection) and intra-articular implant osteoarthritis)
- Technology providing real-time, high resolution imaging of cancer cells
- Targeted drug delivery in ophthalmology
- Surgical adhesives
- Device technology for treatment of respiratory disease
- Neurological cooling to reduce the impact of trauma
- Minimally invasive treatment for mitral valve regurgitation
- Devices for use in cardiac and vascular markets
- Supersaturated oxygen therapy to reduce myocardial necrosis following heart attack
- Left ventricular access and closure devices
- Intravascular continuous glucose monitoring
- Amniotic membrane-based biomaterial technology
- Needleless intramuscular drug injection device
- Binocular device for ophthalmology diagnostics
- Stem cells for use in regenerative medicine
- Intraoperative ophthalmology diagnostics using wavefront aberrometry
- Devices for the diagnosis and treatment of arrhythmias
- Neurostimulation for treatment of chronic pain
- Collagen-based implants
- Needleless drug injection technology
- Endoscopic vein harvesting
- Undisclosed technology in ophthalmology
- Nanotechnology-based, injectable wound healing scaffold for treatment of diabetic foot ulcers
- Surgical robotic technologies integrated to digital 3D imaging for applications in spine, brain, and musculoskeletal procedures
Technologies at recently identified startups (recent additions to startups database):
- Tissue regeneration technologies for non-invasive skin care.
- Biomaterials supplied to medical device and pharma manufacturers
- Trans-reflective fetal EKG.
- Surgical instrumentation.
- Undisclosed medical technology.
- Technologies for autologous tissue collection.
- Stem cell therapy.
- Novel, implantable ring to prevent parastomal hernia in abdominal surgery.
- Transcatheter repair of mitral valve regurgitation.
- Synthetic cartilage implant for treatment of osteoarthritis or cartilage damage.
- Device-based treatment of congestive heart failure.
- Clamping device to control bleeding in trauma.
- Tissue matrix composition for tissue regeneration and wound care.
- Spinal pain relief devices.
- Wireless remote arrhythmia monitoring and diagnosis.
- Undisclosed medical technology.
- Surgical tools for arthroscopic procedures.
- Fractional flow reserve guidewire method to obtain FFR measurements during coronary catheterization procedures.
- Technology to ensure accurate intraoperative placement of hip and knee implants.
- Neurological diagnostics to measure biomarkers, regulate drug dosage, others.
- Respiratory monitoring devices, such as a “sleep sensors” shirt to enable less invasive monitoring for apnea or other respiratory conditions.
- Endoscopic, minimally-invasive harvesting of veins used for coronary artery bypass grafting.
- Ophthalmology diagnostics; binocular device for eye exams.
- Device-based treatment for respiratory disease.
AFcell Medical, ArthroCAD, BAROnova, BeneChill, Bioject Medical Technologies, BioSig Technologies, Blaze Bioscience, CardioKinetix, Cartiva, Ceterix Orthopaedics, Clearside Biomedical, Cohera Biomedical, Cotera, Cytomedix, Diagnostic Biochips, Echo Therapeutics, Enteourage Medical Technologies, EnteroMedics, Envision DIagnostics, Evolus, Excelsius Surgical, First Pulse Medical, GluMetrics, Guided Interventions, Gynesonics, H & M Innovations, Handsome Ltd., HighLife SAS, Holaira, InfoBionic, Innocoll, Innovative Trauma Care, Insight Surgical Instruments, Intersect ENT, IsoStem, Ivantis, Kala Pharmaceuticals, Koring GmbH, Magenta Medical, Mardil, MRI Interventions, MxBiodevices, Neuros Medical, Novian Health, Parios Regenerative Sciences, PharmaJet, PLC Systems, PolyActiva, Rest Devices, Saphena Medial, Sapiens BV, Sotera Wireless, StemBioSys, TearScience, TELA BIO, TherOx, Uro Lasers, Ventec Life Systems, Vornia, Wavetech Vision Systems image: medtech/shutterstock
