Medtronic plc12.01.15
Medtronic plc's Micra Transcatheter Pacing System (TPS) and Hybrid Closed Loop system have both earned the 2015 'Best of What's New' award in the health category by Popular Science, the world's largest science and technology magazine.
Medtronic plc, headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, is among the world's largest medical technology, services and solutions companies - employing more than 85,000 people worldwide, serving physicians, hospitals and patients in approximately 160 countries.
Selected after careful evaluation of thousands of submissions, the Micra TPS and Hybrid Closed Loop system, which includes an insulin pump and a continuous glucose monitor sensor, are among the 100 honorees that represent a significant leap forward in their respective categories. All winners currently are featured in the magazine's December issue.
"The Best of What's New awards honor the innovations that surprise and amaze us-those that challenge our view of what's possible in the future," said Cliff Ransom, editor-in-chief of Popular Science. "The award is Popular Science's top prize, and the 100 winners-chosen from among thousands of nominees-are each a revolution in their respective fields."
At less than one-tenth the size of traditional pacemakers, the Micra TPS is the world's smallest pacemaker yet provides the most advanced pacing technology available for patients, according to Medtronic. It is cosmetically invisible and small enough to be delivered with minimally invasive techniques through a catheter, and implanted directly into the heart. Comparable in size to a large vitamin, the Micra TPS does not require the use of wires, known as "leads," to deliver pacing therapy; rather, its flexible tines attach to the interior of the right ventricle. In the United States, the Micra TPS is an investigational device and not yet approved for commercial use. The device was awarded CE Mark (Conformité Européenne) in April 2015, with approval for 1.5T and 3T full body magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanning providing patients with access to the most advanced imaging diagnostic procedures.
Building on the technology in the MiniMed 640G system (investigational device in the United States, commercially available in select countries outside of the United States), the Hybrid Closed Loop system is designed to automatically control glucose levels 24 hours a day with less input from people with diabetes. People using the system will only need to enter their carbohydrates at mealtime, and calibrate the sensor periodically, significantly simplifying today's diabetes management routines. The Hybrid Closed Loop system is an investigational device and not yet approved for commercial use. The technology is currently in the first pivotal trial of closed loop technology conducted in the United States. As Medtronic's largest and longest at-home closed loop study, this single-arm, multi-center, home and hotel clinical study will enroll up to 150 patients aged 14-75 with type 1 diabetes on insulin pump therapy.
"Medtronic developed a system that uses an algorithm to automatically deliver an optimized dose, day or night. No mental math; no human error," the Popular Science write-up on Medtronic reads. "'It’s essentially the same system that drives a thermostat or cruise control,' says Francine Kaufman, chief medical officer of the company’s diabetes group. 'Except that biology is more difficult to control.'”
"Medtronic developed a system that uses an algorithm to automatically deliver an optimized dose, day or night. No mental math; no human error," the Popular Science write-up on Medtronic reads. "'It’s essentially the same system that drives a thermostat or cruise control,' says Francine Kaufman, chief medical officer of the company’s diabetes group. 'Except that biology is more difficult to control.'”
Each year, the editors of Popular Science review thousands of products in search of the top 100 tech innovations of the year-breakthrough products and technologies that represent a significant leap in their categories. The winners, the Best of What's New, are awarded inclusion in the December issue. Best of What's New awards are presented to 100 new products and technologies in 12 categories: automotive, aviation, computing, engineering, gadgets, green, entertainment, security, software, home, health and recreation.