The Innovation and Digital Health Accelerator (IDHA) at Boston Children’s Hospital and the Boston Pediatric Device Consortium (BPDC) today announced winners of the Boston Pediatric Device Strategic Partner Challenge, which launched in September 2017 and is designed to advance the development of novel pediatric medical device innovations. The Challenge was funded by the FDA Office of Orphan Products Development through a grant to the Boston Pediatric Device Consortium.
Each winner has been awarded a combination of up to $50,000 in funding per grant award and/or mentorship opportunities with leading medical device strategic partners. The IDHA and BPDC challenge strategic partners include Boston Scientific, Boston Children’s Simulator Program (SIMPeds), CryoLife, Edwards Lifesciences, Health Advances, Johnson & Johnson Innovation, Medtronic, Smithwise and Ximedica.
Unique to this pediatric medical device challenge, they will provide in-kind support in such areas as product manufacturing and/or design, simulation testing, business plan development and partnering opportunities to accelerate the projects’ path to commercialization.
The BPDC and strategic partners reviewed a total of 60 applications from the U.S. and other countries, spanning diverse clinical areas from Cardiovascular and Critical Care/Monitoring to Pulmonology and Urology, and all stages of development. Selected companies were invited to Boston in early December to pitch their device to a panel of clinical, business and technology experts and strategic partner representatives.
The Challenge winners are:
– Nivedita Dhar, MD, Wayne State University and University of Basel (Detroit, MI) for a device that prevents urethra erosion and urinary incontinence
– Andrea Martin, PhD, and Doug Bernstein, Peca Labs®, University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University (Pittsburgh, PA) for a cardiovascular conduit that can be expanded to keep pace with the growth of a child, thereby reducing the need for subsequent open heart surgeries
– Andrew Cothrel, Xact Medical (Springboro, OH) for a robotic, one-handed central venous access tool that creates a 3D image of the vasculature and automatically delivers an access needle
– David Zapol, Third Pole Therapeutics and Massachusetts General Hospital (San Francisco, CA and Boston, MA) for a nitric oxide generator to help treat severe persistent pulmonary hypertension
– David Hoganson, MD, Boston Children’s Hospital (Boston, MA) for a cardiac device that allows surgeons to quantifiably measure leaflet coaptation height and success of heart valve repairs
