Mouse models are notoriously difficult to translate into a better understanding of disease mechanisms in humans. They haven't proved particularly useful in understanding diabetes and the vascular problems tied to it that result in serious complications in the limb and eye vasculature that can lead to pain, non-healing wounds, blindness and even amputation.

Proteus Digital Health Inc. is rolling out digital oncology medicine with an eye to improving adherence and, therefore, patient outcomes. The Redwood City, Calif.-based company developed the system in partnership with Fairview Ventures, an innovation-focused arm of Minneapolis-based Fairview Health Services, and the University of Minnesota to develop the user experience and work flow for digital medicines to treat colorectal cancer.

The U.S. FDA has cleared a set of bone pins based on a mineral fiber matrix from Woburn, Mass.-based startup Ossio Ltd. The idea is to offer a non-permanent material that could offer a better alternative to permanent fixation implants. The first commercial application is slated for use in the foot and ankle, where it's common to need hardware removal surgery after permanent implants are used.

Chicago-based Abbott Laboratories received an FDA approval for the Amplatzer Piccolo Occluder to treat patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), a condition in which a newborn has a persistent opening in the heart. Smaller than the size of a pea, the transcatheter device can be used on infants as small as 2 pounds. Roughly 1 in 5, or almost 12,000, premature infants in the U.S. have a hemodynamically significant PDA that requires urgent treatment.

SAN FRANCISCO – Diagnostics are notoriously tough as a business. But the lineup of successful companies that are hitting some of those big benchmarks just seems to be getting longer. A couple of superstars on this front, colorectal cancer screening company Exact Sciences Corp. and immune system-focused Adaptive Biotechnologies Corp. were featured on a panel about this topic at the J.P. Morgan (JPM) Healthcare Conference.

SAN FRANCISCO – Diagnostics are notoriously tough as a business. But the lineup of successful companies that are hitting some of those big benchmarks just seems to be getting longer. A couple of superstars on that front, colorectal cancer screening company Exact Sciences Corp. and immune system-focused Adaptive Biotechnologies Corp. were featured on a panel about the topic at the J.P. Morgan (JPM) Healthcare Conference.