Month: November 2017

LabBag Automates Preparation, Management of Stem Cells

Stem cells are a way to test new drugs and therapies that would otherwise require the use of animals or difficult to obtain patient samples. While they have great potential for medicine, stem cells are hard to manage, particularly growing and differentiating them into other cells, and then storing them for later use. Now a […]

Orion cortical visual prosthesis system gets FDA expedited access pathway designation

The FDA has granted expedited access pathway designation to Second Sight Medical Products for its Orion cortical visual prosthesis system, according to a company press release.
The designation, given to select medical devices, is intended to help patients have more timely access to devices by expediting their development, assessment and review, the release said.
“These advantages potentially allow the FDA to approve Orion with fewer patients and with a shorter follow-up timeline, thus facilitating a faster entry of Orion into the commercial market,” Will McGuire, president and CEO

New Brain Probe Maps Dopamine in Brain to Help Study Psychiatric Drugs and Diseases

Researchers at University of California, Berkeley have developed special sensors that provide a look at the location and concentration of neurotransmitter chemicals, such as dopamine, inside living brain tissue. The new capability should help scientists to study a variety of neurological conditions and the drugs that are used to treat them. The nano-scale sensors are made […]

Iridex posts $3.1 million quarterly loss

Iridex reported a net loss of $3.1 million, or $0.27 per share, in the third quarter of 2017 compared with a net loss of $0.7 million, or $0.07 per share, in the same time period of 2016, according to a press release.
Revenue grew by 11% from $9.8 million in 2016’s third quarter to $10.9 million.
Operating expenses increased from $5.5 million in the third quarter of 2016 to $7.4 million in the third quarter of 2017, while a loss from operations rose from $1.2 million to $3.1 million.
The company reported cash and cash equivalents of $22.8 million as of Sept. 30.

An Ingredient Technology Company Powering the World of Wearables: Interview with Valencell VP Ryan Kraudel

At Medgadget, we cover a lot of digital health devices and wearables. Some are developed by startups, while others come from brand name businesses that have branched out into this new and growing market. A common thread among most of the digital health technologies covered is the need to record data through various sensor technologies. However, […]

Second Sight Receives FDA Expedited Access Pathway Designation for the Orion Cortical Visual Prosthesis System

SYLMAR, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Second Sight Medical Products, Inc. (NASDAQ:EYES) (“Second Sight” or “the Company”), a developer, manufacturer and marketer of implantable visual prosthetics that are intended to create an artificial form of useful vision to blind patients, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Expedited Access Pathway designation for the Orion™ Cortical Visual Prosthesis System (Orion). This designation is given to a few select medical dev

Reminder: Medgadget Sci-Fi Writing Contest!

We are excited to announce the return of the Medgadget Sci-Fi Writing Contest! We cover the latest medical technologies on a daily basis, many of which may seem like they come from the future. Yet, we feel that the medical device industry can benefit from the work of creative fiction writers, as literature of the […]