News out of the Heart Rhythm Society 2024 meeting May 16-19 highlighted the rapid disruption pulsed field ablation (PFA) devices have wrought in cardiac arrhythmia treatment, so it is little surprise to see that PFAs are among the top five technologies with transformative potential identified by Clarivate plc in its Medical Technologies to Watch in 2024 report. The impact of the other four – continuous glucose monitors (CGM) for diabetes, neurostimulation devices, surgical robotics and renal denervation – has been just as revolutionary, if longer in being realized.
Liquid biopsy typically means blood testing, but several companies presenting at Biomed Israel May 21-23 have developed diagnostics that look to other, even less invasive options, and ever broader applications. Nevia Bio Ltd. is using vaginal secretions to detect ovarian cancer, while Early OM Ltd. and Nucleix Ltd. analyze urine for cancer biomarkers.
The major players in electrophysiology – Boston Scientific Corp., Johnson & Johnson, Medtronic plc, Abbot Laboratories – showed up in force at the 2024 Heart Rhythm Society annual meeting in Boston May 16-19 to tout their pulsed field ablation devices and study results.
Pulsed field ablation dominated the news out of the Heart Rhythm Society meeting this week with three late-breaking studies highlighting the safety and efficacy of the technology replacing thermal ablation for treatment of atrial fibrillation and active discussion of the ‘unprecedented’ growth of these procedures. Boston Scientific Corp’s Farapulse is rapidly building dominance in the field, while results from Johnson & Johnson’s Varipulse study and Medtronic plc’s trial of the Affera system set up those companies for U.S. FDA approval later this year.
The Surveillance Heartcare Outcomes Registry trial demonstrated that Caredx Inc.’s Heartcare test identifies acute cellular rejection in heart transplant patients better than donor-derived cell-free DNA (dd-cfDNA) alone, while reducing biopsies and improving clinical outcomes. Heartcare combines two non-invasive tests, dd-cfDNA and Allomap Heart gene-expression profiling.
May Health SAS closed a $25 million series B financing round to advance its Ovarian Rebalancing therapy for polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)-related infertility. The round brings the total funds raised by the Paris-based company to date to $35 million, May Health CEO Anne Morrisey told BioWorld.
Brixton Biosciences Inc. closed a $33 million series B funding round that it plans to immediately use to pursue two clinical trials to evaluate the use of its Neural Ice nerve block for knee pain. The injectable product received U.S. FDA breakthrough device designation in October.
Profound Medical Corp. received U.S. FDA 510(k) clearance for its second transurethral ultrasound ablation (TULSA) module using artificial intelligence. When used with Profound’s TULSA-Pro system, the Contouring assistant helps physicians more quickly and accurately segment prostate imaging and design treatments.
One-year results of the DETOUR2 trial published in the Journal of Vascular Surgery demonstrate outstanding results for Endologix LLC’s percutaneous transmural arterial bypass system for treatment of severe peripheral artery disease. The study showed nearly all patients experienced improvement in acute limb ischemia with freedom from occlusion of 92% and freedom from revascularization of nearly 88% at 12 months.
Field Medical Inc. kicked off its first-in-human study for its Fieldforce ablation system, designed for use in ventricular arrhythmias. The Ventricular Catheter Ablation Study study will enroll 60 patients in five centers around the world, most recently kicking off in the Na Homolce Hospital in Prague, Czech Republic.
