MedTech News
.................... by Andrew Celentano

Nonsurgical procedure provides lasting relief for knee pain, finds study
Embolization of abnormal blood vessels using rapidly resorbable gelatin-based microspheres is safe and provides significant, lasting pain relief and functional improvement for patients with osteoarthritis-related knee pain, according to a new study published in Radiology.

Hidden PIM1 pathway helps prostate cancer survive treatment, pointing to new drug strategy
Researchers at MUSC Hollings Cancer Center, led by Noel Warfel, Ph.D. revealed a previously unknown mechanism that helps prostate cancer cells evade treatment and points to a potential strategy for overcoming that resistance.

New pancreatic cancer strategy kills KRAS-mutant tumor cells and extends survival in mice
Researchers at the University of Cologne’s Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC) have discovered a previously unknown mechanism that makes most pancreatic cancer cells susceptible to a form of programmed cell death.

AI-guided ultrasound improves blood–brain barrier opening procedures by predicting bubble collapse
A study led by Georgia Institute of Technology’s Associate Professor Costas Arvanitis takes a major step toward safer and more effective treatment and diagnosis of brain diseases. His team’s research, published in Advanced Science, shows how combining artificial intelligence (AI) with focused ultrasound can safely deliver therapies and improve diagnostic interventions to the brain.

An intranasal flu vaccine approved two decades ago may have underappreciated immune benefits
Now, scientists at the La Jolla Institute for Immunology in California report that a live-attenuated flu vaccine administered as a nasal spray may establish a durable local immune memory in the respiratory tract, potentially strengthening defenses where the infection starts.

FDA clears Dexcom Stelo over-the-counter CGM for children
Dexcom (Nadsaq:DXCM) has received FDA clearance for its Stelo over-the-counter (OTC) continuous glucose monitor (CGM) for children.

SurGenTec gets FDA nod for lumbar facet fixation system
SurGenTec announced today that the FDA cleared its ION-L lumbar facet fixation system for degenerative disc disease (DDD).

Light switch wakes lung cancer cells up from a protective dormant state
Tumor cells can lapse into a sleep-like state and thereby evade the destructive effect of cancer drugs. In some types of the disease, such as certain forms of lung cancer, this state is triggered by stress hormones in the body. Inside the cancer cells, glucocorticoid receptors recognize the hormones, and the cells respond by lapsing into a state in which they undergo barely any division. This renders many treatments ineffective.
Scientists are attempting to switch off these receptors with a view to waking the cancer cells up from sleep—making them vulnerable to attack.