Devices & Materials
"The problem is not that Europe lacks ideas or ambition. We have many talented researchers and entrepreneurs filing patents. But innovation is blocked at the next stage: we fail to translate innovation into commercialization"
Photograph/Illustration: Pavel Danilyuk from Pexels
This category is dedicated to technologies, equipment, and advanced materials that serve as critical tools in the surveillance, treatment, and prevention of microbial threats. It encompasses a wide range of physical innovations, from sophisticated laboratory equipment that accelerates R&D to medical devices designed for patient monitoring and targeted drug delivery.
Medical devices and materials are crucial in both the prevention and management of infections, which directly impacts the challenge of AMR. Devices such as catheters & implants - can be sources of infection if not properly designed, maintained, or used. Materials used in healthcare settings, including surfaces, textiles, and packaging, also play a role in either harboring or preventing microbial growth.
Key Points:
Infection Control: Devices and materials are central to infection control strategies. Their design and use can reduce the risk of hospital-acquired infections, which are often caused by resistant organisms. Innovations in device coatings, antimicrobial surfaces, and improved sterilization methods help limit the spread of pathogens.
Materials Innovation: The development of new materials, such as antimicrobial textiles or surfaces, can help prevent the transmission of resistant bacteria in healthcare environments.
The materials aspect focuses on applied antimicrobial surfaces and coatings for items like medical instruments and high-touch objects, which is distinct from the permanent building materials in the Construction & Facilities category. Essentially, this category covers the hardware and material science innovations being developed to gain an edge in the fight against AMR.
The interplay between devices, materials, and AMR is multifaceted. Effective infection control relies on both the physical properties of materials and the technological capabilities of devices. Together, they form the backbone of strategies to prevent infections, monitor resistance, and ensure responsible antibiotic use. Their importance is underscored by the need to continually innovate and adapt to emerging resistance threats in healthcare settings.
News
View allFactors Tied to Lower Risk for Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia
Abstract
Female sex, a non-neurologic diagnosis at admission, and antibiotics given during the first 2 days of ventilation were each linked to a lower risk for VAP. Researchers conducted a prospective cohort study across eight ICUs in Northern Italy from 2021 to 2024 to estimate the 15‑day incidence of VAP and to identify clinical and pharmacologic factors associated with its occurrence among patients intubated for non‑pulmonary indications. The primary outcome was the time to the first VAP episode during the first 15 days of ventilation. Overall, 148 patients (36.5%) developed VAP within 15 days, the median time to onset was day 6, and the overall incidence rate was 43.2 per 1000 ventilator‑days at risk.Breaking myths for MedTech start-ups
Abstract
I saw a post a couple of weeks ago from a consultant with a huge Founder following, telling MedTech start-ups to plan for the US and EU in parallel, launch in their home market first, calling MDR faster than FDA, and wrapping up with the idea of getting an international regulatory partner to launch in the US market — as if that's a strategy. Sometimes it's the worst one you could pick, and picking it because it's comfortable is not a strategy, it's inertia. There are a lot of situations in which building for Europe's 40+ different markets — with a different reimbursement strategy for each, slow-moving capital, and a lack of proper infrastructure — can be a very bad decision for a start-up. This is a huge part of why the MedTech failure rate is what it is: Founders spend everything getting the paperwork right and have nothing left, structurally or financially, for the adoption fight that starts the day after approval.UK government confirms indefinite EU CE mark recognition
Abstract
Continuing to recognise devices in this way will help maintain safe, uninterrupted access to the treatments and technologies that patients and the NHS rely on, the government stated. Meanwhile, indefinite recognition of the CE mark fits alongside the UKCA marking route, which continues to operate as the domestic approval pathway for devices placed on the market in Britain, it added. Tallon added that the MHRA will continue to oversee the safety of every device on the UK market, and remains committed to working closely with international partners to identify and act on safety concerns quickly." Following the UK's departure from the European Union in 2016, as a means of moving away from European legislation, makers of devices or IVDs already bearing a CE-mark were given a timeline to transition to the UK's own UKCA regime to continue marketing their products in the UK. Under the original plans, makers of medical devices CE-marked under the old European medical devices directive (EU MDD) or EU active implantable medical devices directive (EU AIMDD) could be placed on the British market until 30 June 2028, with the same cutoff for IVDs tagged under the previous EU regulatory regime."Inhalation Sciences stärker sin position i USA genom strategiskt samarbete med Lovelace Biomedical
Abstract
Samarbetet syftar till att stärka ISAB:s kommersiella närvaro på den amerikanska marknaden och ge tillgång till en bredare kundbas genom ett mer komplett erbjudande inom preklinisk utveckling av inhalerade läkemedel. Ett bredare erbjudande inom inhalationsutveckling Samarbetet kombinerar ISAB:s egenutvecklade PreciseInhale®-plattform för exakt lungdosering, kontrollerad aerosolexponering och tidiga PK-studier med Lovelace Biomedicals expertis inom inhalationsfarmakologi, effektstudier, toxikologi, bioanalys, patologi och IND-förberedande utveckling. Genom att kombinera bolagens kompletterande teknologier och expertis skapas ett bredare och mer komplett erbjudande inom preklinisk inhalationsforskning, från tidiga utvecklingsfaser till avancerade GLP- och IND-förberedande studier. Lovelace Biomedicals etablerade kundrelationer och omfattande kompetens inom inhalationsområdet ger ISAB möjlighet att nå nya amerikanska kunder och delta i fler och potentiellt större utvecklingsprogram.Danaher says it has 'building blocks' for AI drug discovery growth
Abstract
Fidelity reports that Danaher chief executive Julie Montgomery sees AI driven drug discovery as a significant long-term opportunity as drugmakers adopt the technology to develop new medicines. A modest benefit to orders and revenue has already been observed, with AI at the forefront of customer conversations across life sciences. An extensive portfolio of instruments, molecular devices and technologies is expected to provide a competitive advantage in the market while enterprise-wide AI deployment and partnerships are accelerated.
