Pharma

Stem cell treatment for the heart ready for Phase II clinical trials (Weekend Rounds)

Life science current events from this week include Juventas raises $22.2 million for clinical trials, STERIS acquires US Endoscopy and Boston Children’s Hospital pilots telemedicine projects.

A review of life science current events reported by MedCity News this week.

Stem cell treatment for ischemia, heart failure raises enough for clinical trials. The regenerative medicine company Juventas Therapeutics, which had already said it added Takeda Pharmaceuticals to its roster of investors, said this weekend it has raised enough money to take its treatments for heart failure and a severe form of peripheral artery disease through its latest round of clinical trials.

CEO: $270M acquisition of US Endoscopy is STERIS’ “most significant deal…in many years.” While STERIS has not historically had a presence in the procedural area of gastrointestinal endoscopy — focusing instead on reprocessing products like soaks and scrubs — Rosebrough said the integration of US Endoscopy’s portfolio of bleed management, retrieval and other GI-related devices is directly aligned with the company’s strategy to target growing markets around its core products.

Children’s Hospital Boston testing three innovative telemedicine pilots. Cheap communications technologies have brought more muscle to the field of telemedicine, and organizations are looking to leverage these tools in innovative ways to provide care to patients at a distance. At Children’s Hospital Boston, several telemedicine pilots are currently underway to determine their viability.

Ohio business leader Baiju Shah to depart BioEnterprise for biotech investment fund.  Shah, the founder and longtime CEO of BioEnterprise, will join BioMotiv, the for-profit side of the $250 million Harrington Project for Discovery & Development housed at University Hospitals Case Medical Center, as CEO.

Pain device maker Neuros Medical’s $3.5M round led by Boston Scientific, Glengary.  The company’s device, called the Electrical Nerve Block, comprises a pacemaker-sized generator and a lead that wraps around a peripheral nerve, and delivers stimulation to block pain. The four-year-old company will use the money to add staff and continue testing of the Electrical Nerve Block, it said in a statement.

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