NETT Sends Mostly Positive Message for Controversial Lung Procedure
This article was originally published in Start Up
Executive Summary
The mystery is over; the results of the National Emphysema Treatment Trial Research Group (NETT) have been unveiled, and it's by and large good news for device companies in interventional pulmonology. Although the outcomes are mixed and underscore the need for proper patient selection, clinicians are now hoping that clinical benefits demonstrated by NETT, a 1218-patient, five-year randomized prospective clinical trial comparing lung volume reduction surgery to medical management, will support reimbursement for the surgery.
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VIDA Diagnostics
Today's CT scans yield high-resolution volumetric anatomic data, but the founders of VIDA Diagnostics believe they hold much more clinically useful information. VIDA was formed in 2005 to extract the utmost value from lung CT scans. The company is headed toward commercialization of a quantitative software tool that, in a 3-D model, can predict the true dimensions of airways, show the relationship of airways feeding the lungs to its particular regions, and isolate disease to specific regions. The tool can thus enable patient selection, biopsy localization, and accurate therapy placement in the emerging field of interventional pulmonology.
Aeris Therapeutics Inc.
Aeris Therapeutics offers a minimally invasive, biological alternative to lung volume reduction surgery for emphysema.
Uptake Medical Corp.
Recently-founded Uptake Medical believes it will be at a competitive advantage as the first of the second generation of interventional pulmonology companies working in emphysema--it is addressing the problem of collateral ventilation.