AI

The Octane Medical Innovation Forum brought together industry experts, entrepreneurs and investors to discuss a range of topics. Medtech Insight was on the ground to bring some memorable perspectives from industry leaders.

This week, Establishment Labs Holdings announced the FDA gave it premarket approval for Motiva breast implant, Cologuard lands FDA approval for Cologuard Plus and GE HealthCare gets FDA nod for a new imaging agent. The FDA announces another expansion for TAP into ophthalmology and radiology. The AAMI and CTA will join forces to develop standards for AI and ML-enabled health care products.  

Spain-based Inbrain Neuroelectronics plans first-in-human study to show safety of its graphene-based technology in direct contact with human brain while also developing a second interface for treating Parkinson’s disease.

The results from a trio of studies show that AI-powered digital stethoscopes are effective at identifying patients at elevated risk of experiencing heart attacks and other major cardiac adverse events, according to Eko Health, whose technology was used to screen the participants in the studies.

Altoida CEO Mark Jones has high hopes that the company’s digital assessment tool will be approved by the FDA to be used along with blood biomarker testing by primary care doctors to help predict Alzheimer’s disease before patients show symptoms.

Altoida CEO Marc Jones spoke with Medtech Insight about the company’s investigational digital screening tool for Alzheimer’s and the dire need for better, more accessible precision neurology diagnostics as the global population ages, neurologist shortages worsen, and groundbreaking Alzheimer’s drugs change the treatment paradigm.

The companies intend to co-market Siemens Healthineers’ Multitom Rax as part of Medtronic’s AiBLE ecosystem, which combines advanced technologies in navigation, robotics, imaging, data analytics, and AI to enhance the precision and predictability of spine and cranial surgeries.

This week, Neuralink announced it received US FDA breakthrough device designation for a device to restore sight; medtechs Discure and DeepLook secured new funding; FDA pump recalls from B. Braun Medical and Fresenius Kabi; Axonics prevails in patent infringement lawsuit with Medtronic; Merit Medical buys Cook Medical for $210m.

Medtronic chairman and CEO Geoff Martha addressed the promise of artificial intelligence in the company’s medical technologies, AI monetization opportunities, and risk of AI overregulation in a 4 September session at the Wells Fargo Healthcare Conference.

Leaders from Eli Lilly and Vertex Pharmaceuticals, 9amHealth, Features Capital, and accelerator PharmStars discussed the convergence of biopharma, medtech and healthtech, and what is needed to achieve health care transformation, in an LSX World Congress USA panel.

Highlights from Medtech Insight's on-the-ground coverage of LSX in Boston. 

In this week’s Digital Health Roundup, Medtech Insight’s Ryan Nelson highlights Click Therapeutics’ FDA-cleared digital therapeutics (DTx) for depression and Sinaptica Therapeutics’ personalized neuromodulation for Alzheimer’s patients. Marion Webb discusses her interview with MindMaze’s John Krakauer on their gaming-focused DTx to help people recover from serious brain injuries. Elizabeth Orr introduces new voting members of the new Digital Health Advisory Committee and Natasha Barrow discusses Hello Heart’s new symptom-tracking feature in their heart-focused app.

While not statistically significant, the results of a new study – which linked use of Alife Health’s Stim Assist AI tool to increased egg yield and reduced FSH usage in 291 in vitro fertilization patients versus a control arm – are encouraging, investigators say.

Caresyntax said it will use the $180m it recently raised in a series C extension and debt financing round to build out its vendor-neutral surgery platform aimed to help surgeons with real-time and long-term decision support to improve patient outcomes and efficiencies.

Hello Heart has introduced a symptom tracking feature in its app, allowing users to log feelings of dizziness or shortness of breath in conjunction with blood pressure readings. The enhancement will help all users to monitor cardiovascular risks, but women in particular could benefit, the company suggests.

Avenda’s chief operating officer Brit Berry-Pusey spoke to Medtech Insight about the company’s CPT III code for its prostate cancer mapping AI and how regulatory bodies can align to support innovators.

This week, Medtronic recalled a nerve monitoring system due to reports of false responses. The US FDA approved the first auto-injector for opioid-overdose, made by Purdue Pharma. The agency granted de novo authorization for Labcorp’s PGDx elio plasma focus Dx used by labs for genetic profiling. As of 7 August, 950 AI/ML devices have been approved by the FDA. EKO Health teamed up with LSU to help detect arrhythmias and murmurs in student-athletes.

Big Health announced it received FDA clearance for its digital therapeutics for insomnia and hopes a new CMS fee schedule will pave the way to reimbursement.

Medtronic and Abbott announced partnership to integrate Abbott’s CGM sensor with Medtronic’s insulin pump, which marks a major departure from Medtronic’s former “closed-system” approach. Medtronic also announced FDA clearance of its Simplera CGM, paving the way for its use in smartpens.

In an interview with Medtech Insight, Matt Bettonville, investor at cancer-focused venture firm Yosemite, discussed its criteria for evaluating potential investments in oncology and his outlook on the future oncology landscape.