The recent progress in interventional cardiology has largely been driven by the aortic valve, although calcification of the aortic root has proven a difficult hurdle to overcome. A newly published study demonstrates that the Tendyne device by Abbott Vascular Inc., of Santa Clara, Calif., can be readily used not just to treat failing mitral valves, but works well in these patients with severe calcification, an achievement that could quickly vault the transcatheter approach past conventional surgical approaches in this population. Read More
The dream in 3D bioprinting is to be able to create a functional organ for human transplantation, but that remains a distant goal. Researchers at Harvard's Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering and John Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) have made some steps in the right direction.
Baxter International Inc. has struck a definitive agreement to acquire Cheetah Medical Inc., a provider of noninvasive hemodynamic monitoring technologies. The Deerfield, Ill.-based company agreed to pay $190 million up front in cash, with the potential for an additional $40 million based on clinical and commercial milestones. Read More