With over $100 million in capital raised from well-heeled investors including Warburg Pincus, the Vertical Group, Norwest Venture Partners, and the Janus Funds, Silk Road Medical is built for the long haul.

The company’s TransCarotid Artery Revascularization (TCAR) procedure promises to upend the treatment of blockages in the carotid artery by changing the direction blood flows through the critical artery, reducing the risk for debris to cause a stroke by reaching the brain.

Under the leadership of Medtech veteran Erica Rogers, Silk Road has secured strong support from clinical, regulatory, and reimbursement communities for its ENROUTE stenting and neuroprotection systems.

Now, the company is setting a clear course toward an IPO, an outcome that would be a welcome win for the Medtech sector.

Read More: https://www.healthegy.com/silk-road-medical-ceo-recalls-vital-lessons-learned/

Bottom Line:
Continuing the BMO Healthcare Hidden Gems series, we hosted a call with Outset Medical (private), an emerging medical technology company set to disrupt the treatment of kidney failure with its Tablo device. Tablo is a “simple, flexible and untethered “ solution to shift the treatment paradigm for dialysis patients, creating a true consumer experience by utilizing digital health tools and reducing labor and infrastructure costs. 

Key Points
Outset Medical is positioned to transform the $80-90 billion dialysis market (including $34 billion spent by Medicare each year, or 7% of the Medicare budget) by introducing a new on-demand and self-care treatment platform called Tablo for both acute (ICU) and chronic (in-center) dialysis treatment. The device’s key pillars include: 1) consumer design; 2) infrastructure free dialysis; and 3) wireless data transmission.

​Read More: https://bmo.bluematrix.com/docs/shorthtml/1c451604-e151-4ab0-9655-e5d438882a00.html

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The Fascination With Neurostimulation

Tech entrepreneurs often get criticized for tackling frivolous problems in lieu of tough ones. Not so for neurotech. Startups are applying neurostimulation-based therapies (electrical or magnetic stimulation to the brain or nervous system, often through implantable devices) to treat paralysis, stroke, chronic pain, sensory loss, depression, and a long list of other serious ailments.

In addition to Neuronetics and Electcrocore, here are a few companies in this vein that stood out in our list:
Neuros Medical, which closed a $20 million Series A round in August, develops technology to deliver high-frequency stimulation to sensory nerves in the peripheral nervous system to block chronic pain.

Read More: https://news.crunchbase.com/news/vcs-back-neuro-startups-go-brain/?utm_source=cb_weekend&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20170930&utm_content=hero&utm_term=cta_inyourbrain

PHILADELPHIA – Each year, more than 300,000 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with carotid artery disease.

If left unchecked, it can lead to stroke because tiny pieces of plaque break away and flow to the brain.

Strokes run in Frank Leuzzi's family, so when doctors discovered a 90 percent blockage in his left carotid artery, he became a clinical trial patient for Trans-carotid Artery Revascularization or T-CAR for short.

"We do it completely under local, the patient is completely awake," explained Dr. Paul DiMuzio from Philadelphia's Thomas Jefferson University Hospital.

This groundbreaking procedure eliminates the need to go through the groin. Instead, surgeons use a small clavicle incision to implant the stent and open up blood flow.

Read More: ​http://wqad.com/2017/09/25/your-health-early-warning-signs-to-prevent-a-stroke/

Office of the President Established to Lead Company during Medical Leave

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Sept. 19, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- OncoMed Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:OMED), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing novel anti-cancer therapeutics, today announced that its Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Paul J. Hastings, has begun a personal leave of absence for medical reasons. Mr. Hastings will continue to be the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors during his leave of absence.

In Mr. Hastings' absence, OncoMed will be led by the Company's senior management team including the creation of an Office of the President consisting of Executive Vice President, Research and Development, John Lewicki, and Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Sunil Patel.  In addition, OncoMed's Board of Directors has appointed a special committee of the Board, consisting of Jack Lasersohn, lead director of the Board, Perry Karsen, Deepa Pakianathan and Rick Winningham, to work closely with Dr. Lewicki and Mr. Patel during Mr. Hastings' medical leave.

Read More: ​http://www.oncomed.com/invest/releasedetail.cfm?releaseid=1040930 

Phase 1a Study Will Assess Novel Immuno-Oncology Therapeutic Candidate as a Single Agent in Solid Tumors

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Sept. 13, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- OncoMed Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:OMED), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing novel anti-cancer therapeutics, announced today that the first patient has been dosed in the company's Phase 1a clinical trial of GITRL-Fc (OMP-336B11).  GITRL-Fc is an investigational immuno-oncology therapeutic candidate designed to leverage the natural trimeric ligand to modulate the tumor microenvironment by inhibiting T-regulatory cells and activating T-effector cells.

"The 1st generation immuno-oncology agents, which work by blocking the activation of inhibitory receptors on T cells, have produced impressive results in a number of tumor types," said Kyriakos Papadopoulos, M.D. at South Texas Accelerated Research Therapeutics (START) in San Antonio, TX and a lead investigator for the Phase 1a study. "GITRL-Fc is designed to directly agonize the GITR T cell activation receptor, resulting in increased T-effector cells and a reduction in the number of T-regulatory cells. OncoMed's agent has demonstrated anti-tumor activity in pre-clinical studies, and as a result, we are excited to initiate this Phase 1a clinical trial of GITRL-Fc."

Read More: http://www.oncomed.com/invest/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=1040249
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MADISON (WKOW) -- A new procedure at a Madison hospital is aiming to reduce the risks for people with cardiovascular problems. 

This weekend, nearly a million Americans will walk for heart health. Heart Walk events across the country, including here in Madison, will raise awareness of the risks of cardiovascular disease and stroke. A local hospital's new procedure is helping patients find a safer way to recover from cardiovascular problems.

Two surgeons at SSM Health St. Mary's Hospital have joined about 120 around the world who are trained in a specialty surgery that could be the future of stroke prevention for certain procedures.

"I suspect it'll have a real part in the algorithm. My guess is, 30-40 percent of carotid [surgeries] will be treated this way at some point," said Dr. David DeAngeles, a general surgeon with SSM. 

DeAngeles and vascular surgeon Dr. Anjan Talukdar are two of just three doctors in Wisconsin trained in TransCarotid Artery Revascularization, or TCAR. Studies have shown TCAR significantly reduces the chance of stroke in high-risk patients who need surgery to clear up carotid artery blockages.

Read More: http://www.wkow.com/story/36349814/2017/09/12/tonight-at-10-new-procedure-in-madison-reduces-risk-of-stroke-for-carotid-surgeries