Medford Man Receives Bionic Eye
MEDFORD (CBS) — After 20 years of darkness, there is light.
It seems like science fiction, but a bionic eye implant is bringing a kind of sight to the blind.
It’s not what you and I see, but for a small number of people, it’s making all the difference.
“It’s not actual vision. It’s what they call artificial vision,” says Anthony Andreotolla, one of the first people to ever receive a bionic eye.
Every day he puts on his gear, leaves his Medford home and rides the MBTA to his job in Downtown Crossing.
Anthony Andreotolla wearing bionic eye (WBZ-TV)
Andreotolla has retinitis pigmento...
Source: WBZ-TV - Breaking News, Weather and Sports for Boston, Worcester and New Hampshire - June 13, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Health – CBS Boston Tags: Health Local News Seen On WBZ-TV Syndicated Local Bionic Eye Medford Paula Ebben Second Sight Source Type: news
Oxford robotic surgery, synthetic retina advances could help visually impaired
[Image from unsplash.com]The University of Oxford has recently had some major advances for treating the visually impaired. Surgeons at the university recently performed the world’s first operation inside the eye using robotics and a student created what the university says is the first synthetic retina.
Ophthalmology professor Robert MacLaren and Nuffield Medical fellow Dr. Thomas Edwards performed eye surgery using a remotely controlled robot, lifting a membrane of the retina at the back right of the eye that was 1/100 mm thick. The surgery was performed on the Rev. Dr. William Beaver.
Beaver’s surgery was performed t...
Source: Mass Device - May 12, 2017 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Danielle Kirsh Tags: Clinical Trials Optical/Ophthalmic Research & Development blindness MedTech retinitis pigmentosa Robotic Surgery Source Type: news
Student Creates First Synthetic Retina For Visually Impaired
Study could revolutionise bionic implant industry and development of less invasive technologies helping to treat degenerative eye conditions such as retinitis pigmentosa (Source: Disabled World)
Source: Disabled World - May 5, 2017 Category: Disability Tags: Visual Aid Products and Information Source Type: news
Second Sight shares drop on Q1 miss
Shares in Second Sight Medical (NSDQ:EYES) have dropped today after the medical device maker missed expectations on Wall Street with its 1st quarter results.
The Sylmar, Calif-based company posted losses of $7.5 million, or 16¢ per share, on sales of $1 million for the 3 months ended March 31, seeing losses grow 29.8% while sales shrunk 4.2% compared with the same period during the prior year.
Analysts on Wall Street were expecting to see losses per share of 14¢, which Second Sight medical came in just above.
“With a focus on execution and our centers of excellence strategy, we had strong implant volume during the ...
Source: Mass Device - May 4, 2017 Category: Medical Equipment Authors: Fink Densford Tags: Business/Financial News MassDevice Earnings Roundup second-sight-medical Source Type: news
Using CRISPR to reverse retinitis pigmentosa and restore visual function
Using the gene-editing tool CRISPR/Cas9, researchers have reprogrammed mutated rod photoreceptors to become functioning cone photoreceptors, reversing cellular degeneration and restoring visual function in two mouse models of retinitis pigmentosa. (Source: ScienceDaily Headlines)
Source: ScienceDaily Headlines - April 21, 2017 Category: Science Source Type: news
Using CRISPR to reverse retinitis pigmentosa and restore visual function
(University of California - San Diego) Using the gene-editing tool CRISPR/Cas9, researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine and Shiley Eye Institute at UC San Diego Health, with colleagues in China, have reprogrammed mutated rod photoreceptors to become functioning cone photoreceptors, reversing cellular degeneration and restoring visual function in two mouse models of retinitis pigmentosa. (Source: EurekAlert! - Biology)
Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - April 21, 2017 Category: Biology Source Type: news
7 medtech stories we missed this week: April 14, 2017
[Image from unsplash.com]From FDA approvals to business expansion plans, here are 7 medtech stories we missed this week but thought were still worth mentioning.
1. BioTelemetry launches offer to acquire LifeWatch
BioTelemetry and LifeWatch announced in an April 9 press release that the 2 companies have entered a transaction agreement that states BioTelemetry will launch a tender offer to acquire all shares of LifeWatch. The LifeWatch shareholders will receive either 10 Swiss francs in cash and 0.1457 shares of BioTelemetry stock per LifeWatch share or 8 Swiss francs in cash and 0.2175 shares of BioTelemetry stock per Life...
Source: Mass Device - April 14, 2017 Category: Medical Equipment Authors: Danielle Kirsh Tags: Clinical Trials Food & Drug Administration (FDA) Regulatory/Compliance Research & Development Acelity BioTelemetry CollPlant LifeWatch MedTech Second Sight Sight Science Toshiba Medical Source Type: news
Terumo taps DeRyke as CV CEO | Personnel Moves – April 7, 2017
Terumo Corp. (TYO:4543) said yesterday it tapped Rob DeRyke as its new CV group prez & CEO, effective April 1, 2017, succeeding a retiring Mark Sutter.
Prior to his appointment, DeRyke operated as Terumo CV group electromechanical systems division prez, the company said.
“Under his leadership, Rob brought stability and improved profitability to the business,” Terumo Corp prez & CEO Shinjiro Sato said in a press release.
DeRyke joined Terumo in 2012 as corporate quality VP, and has 25 years of experience in med device and pharmaceuticals, the company said. He has previously held positions at Baxter (N...
Source: Mass Device - April 7, 2017 Category: Medical Equipment Authors: MassDevice staff Tags: Business/Financial News Active Implants AdvaMed Alphatec Holdings Inc. Anika Therapeutics Inc. Apollo Endosurgery Aurora Spine Baxter Biocorp Biogen Idec Biolase Technology Inc Bioventus LLC Bonesupport Clal Biotech Delcath Sys Source Type: news
Chinese backers put $18m into Bionic Vision Technologies
A pair of Chinese backers put $18 million into Bionic Vision Technologies and its retinal implant for blindness, the Australian company said today.
Hong Kong-based China Huarong International Holdings and State Path Capital ponied up A$23.5 million, BVT said, noting that it plans to use the cash to build devices and launch clinical trials in retinitis pigmentosa, based on a 3-patient study using a prototype.
The company developed the device using A$50 million (about $38.3 million) from a 5-year Special Research Initiative grant via the Australian Research Council. Existing backers include the University of Melbourne, ...
Source: Mass Device - April 3, 2017 Category: Medical Equipment Authors: Brad Perriello Tags: Funding Roundup Optical/Ophthalmic Wall Street Beat Bionic Vision Technologies Source Type: news
6 visual impairment breakthroughs you need to know
[Image courtesy unsplash.com]About 285 million people have some form of visual impairment in the world, according to the World Health Organization. Of that number, 39 million are considered blind, and 246 million have low vision. Three-fifths of all vision impairment can be prevented or cured. Uncorrected refractive errors are one of the main causes of vision impairment in the world.
There has been a host of recent breakthroughs, however, that offer hope for the visually impaired. There’s a smart watch that relays smartphone notifications using braille and retinal prosthetics that could restore sight.
Here are 6 recent...
Source: Mass Device - March 22, 2017 Category: Medical Equipment Authors: Danielle Kirsh Tags: Biotech Clinical Trials Implants Optical/Ophthalmic Prosthetics Research & Development blindness eSight Corporation gene therapy Keratonconus MedTech Nanovision Biosciences retinitis pigmentosa University of California San Diego Source Type: news
Genetic engineering prevents retinal cell loss in mice
Silencing a gene called Nrl in mice slowed degenerative diseases of the retina. The findings could lead to ways to prevent vision loss from diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa. (Source: NIH Research Matters from the National Institutes of Health (NIH))
Source: NIH Research Matters from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) - March 20, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
NightstaRx initiates Phase I/II trial of AAV-XLRPGR therapy to treat XLRP
UK-based biopharmaceutical company NightstaRx (Nightstar) has initiated enrolment and dosing in a Phase I/II clinical trial of its gene therapy 'AAV- XLRPGR' for the treatment of patients with X-linked retinitis pigmentosa (XLRP). (Source: Drug Development Technology)
Source: Drug Development Technology - March 20, 2017 Category: Pharmaceuticals Source Type: news
NIH scientists deploy CRISPR to preserve photoreceptors in mice
Silencing a gene calledNrlin mice prevents the loss of cells from degenerative diseases of the retina, according to a new study. The findings could lead to novel therapies for preventing vision loss from human diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa. The study was conducted by researchers at the National Eye Institute (NEI), part of the National Institutes of Health, and was published online today in Nature Communications. (Source: News from NEI)
Source: News from NEI - March 14, 2017 Category: Opthalmology Authors: balintfyj Source Type: news
Volker Busskamp receives prize for application-oriented neurobiological research
(Goethe University Frankfurt) The young researcher has been awarded for his contribution to a gene therapy approach to treat retinitis pigmentosa and for the development of artificial neuronal circuits. Retinitis pigmentosa is an inherited eye disease that leads to blindness. (Source: EurekAlert! - Biology)
Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - March 14, 2017 Category: Biology Source Type: news
Breast cancer drug dampens immune response, protecting light-sensing cells of the eye
The breast cancer drug tamoxifen appears to protect light-sensitive cells in the eye from degeneration, according to a new study in mice. The drug prevented immune cells from removing injured photoreceptors, the light-sensitive cells of the retina in the back of the eye. The study, recently reported in theJournal of Neuroscience, suggests tamoxifen might work for the treatment of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and retinitis pigmentosa (RP), blinding diseases that lack good treatment options. (Source: News from NEI)
Source: News from NEI - March 13, 2017 Category: Opthalmology Authors: balintfyj Source Type: news
