Prestigious Annual Pediatric Medical Device Competition Reveals 10 Finalists

Ten finalists have been named in the prestigious annual "Make Your Medical Device Pitch for Kids!" competition presented by the National Capital Consortium for Pediatric Device Innovation (NCC-PDI). Representing innovations in cardiovascular, orthopaedic and spine, and neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) medical devices, finalists were selected from a field of 30 semi-finalists who competed in March 2020. The ten innovators now have access to a new pediatric accelerator program and will compete for FDA-funded grants of up to $50,000 each in the final virtual pitch event on Oct. 7 as part of the 8th Annual Symposium on Pediatric Device Innovation, co-located with the MedTech Conference, powered by AdvaMed.

NCC-PDI is one of five consortia in the FDA's Pediatric Device Consortia Grant Program created to support the development and commercialization of medical devices for children, which lags significantly behind the progress of adult medical devices. NCC-PDI is led by the Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation at Children's National Hospital and the A. James Clark School of Engineering at the University of Maryland, with support from partners MedTech Innovator, BioHealth Innovation and design firm Archimedic.

"Children deserve to benefit from our most advanced medical technologies, so we want to encourage the development and design of devices with their unique needs as top of mind," says Kolaleh Eskandanian, Ph.D., M.B.A, P.M.P, vice president and chief innovation officer at Children's National Hospital and principal investigator of NCC-PDI. "Far too few pediatric innovations complete the journey to commercialization, which is why NCC-PDI focuses on identifying and supporting innovations that will make a significant improvement in pediatric care and have a good chance of making it to clinical use."

The following are the 10 pediatric device innovations that judges selected for the final competition:

Adipomics, Inc. - Cambridge, MA - gestational pre-diabetes diagnostic to prevent birth defects
BioSense - Beverly Hill, MI – first working non-contact EKG for constant, non-invasive monitoring
Dsseca – University of Maryland, College Park, MD - platform device to rapidly discover biomarker signatures of oxidative stress
Eclipse Regenesis, Inc. – Menlo Park, CA – first restorative therapy for short bowel syndrome (SBS) via distraction enterogenesis
Innara Health – Olathe, KS – biofeedback device to train premature infants and newborns in the neurophysiological aspects of feeding
Little Sparrows Technologies, Inc. – Winchester, MA – Portable, high-intensity phototherapy for neonatal jaundice treatment
Navi Medical Technologies - Melbourne, Australia – provides quick and easy capture of real-time feedback on the location of central lines in neonates without radiation use
Novonate – South San Francisco, CA – secures and protects the umbilical catheter insertion site for neonates in intensive care
Renata Medical – Costa Mesa, CA – growth stent for treatment of congenital narrowed lesions in neonatal patients
Spino Modulation, Inc. – Montreal, Canada – anterior vertebral body tethering for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis

Leading up to the October 2020 pitch competition, the ten finalists are participating in a pediatric-focused track of the MedTech Innovator accelerator, one of the industry's leading nonprofit startup accelerators.

"MedTech Innovator focuses on identifying the most promising medical technology innovations in order to improve the lives of patients," says Paul Grand, CEO of MedTech Innovator. "We look forward to working with the companies participating in this year's pediatric accelerator to help them get one step closer to bringing their transformative health solutions to children who need them."

To date, NCC-PDI has mentored over 100 medical device sponsors to help advance their pediatric innovations, with seven devices having received either their FDA market clearance or CE marking. The new accelerator is the consortium's latest addition to a network of resources and experts that it provides in support of pediatric innovators.

"Delivering solutions for our youngest patients, while supporting innovators and their development, is critical in the quest to improve pediatric health," says William E. Bentley, Ph.D., director of the University of Maryland's Robert E. Fischell Institute for Biomedical Devices. "We're proud to empower our 10 finalists and are excited about the potential of the device submissions in the competition. Together, we can ensure a long-term approach to device innovation with children in focus – from incubation to clinical trials and eventually into production."

In addition to its annual competition, NCC-PDI is currently conducting a special "COVID-19 edition" pediatric medical device competition focused on innovations that support home health monitoring and telehealth, and improve sustainability, resiliency and readiness in diagnosing and treating children during a pandemic. The competition will provide up to $250,000 in grant awards and one entrant will be selected by Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JLABS to receive a one-year residency at JLABS @ Washington, DC, which will be located on the new Children's National Research and Innovation Campus currently under construction. Submissions are being accepted through July 6,2020 at innovate4kids.org.

Eskandanian said that supporting the progress of pediatric innovators is a key focus of the new first-of-its-kind Children's National Research and Innovation Campus located on a nearly 12-acre portion of the former Walter Reed Army Medical Center campus in Washington, D.C. With its proximity to federal research institutions and agencies, universities, academic research centers and on-site accelerator Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JLABS, the campus will foster a rich ecosystem of public and private partners which, like the NCC-PDI network, will bolster pediatric medical device innovation and commercialization.

About Children's National Hospital

Children's National Hospital, based in Washington, D.C., celebrates 150 years of pediatric care, research and commitment to community. Volunteers opened the hospital in 1870 with 12 beds for children displaced after the Civil War. Today, 150 years stronger, it is among the nation's top 10 children's hospitals. It is ranked No. 1 for newborn care for the fourth straight year and ranked in all specialties evaluated by U.S. News & World Report. Children's National is transforming pediatric medicine for all children. In 2020, construction will be complete on the Children's National Research and Innovation Campus, the first in the nation dedicated to pediatric research. Children's National has been designated twice as a Magnet® hospital, demonstrating the highest standards of nursing and patient care delivery. This pediatric academic health system offers expert care through a convenient, community-based primary care network and specialty outpatient centers in the D.C., metropolitan area, including the Maryland and Northern Virginia suburbs. Children's National is home to the Children's National Research Institute and Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation and is the nation's seventh-highest NIH-funded children's hospital. It is recognized for its expertise and innovation in pediatric care and as a strong voice for children through advocacy at the local, regional and national levels.

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About the University of Maryland

The University of Maryland, College Park is the state's flagship university and one of the nation's preeminent public research universities. A global leader in research, entrepreneurship and innovation, the university is home to more than 40,000 students,10,000 faculty and staff, and 280 academic programs. Its faculty includes two Nobel laureates, three Pulitzer Prize winners and 58 members of the national academies. The institution secures $514 million annually in external research funding. The university's Robert E. Fischell Institute for Biomedical Devices seeks to catalyze the transformation of basic research into clinical practice and commercial success. The Institute aims to drive innovation by immersing creative and energetic scientists and engineers in a nurturing and rewarding research environment where engineered health systems are conceived of and investigated. The Institute is comprised of staff, resources, facilities, and a network of experts who not only facilitate prototyping and manufacturing expertise, but who also facilitate venture creation, intellectual property creation, and product passage through various clinical, regulatory and reimbursement hurdles. For more information about the University of Maryland, College Park, visit www.umd.edu [umd.edu].

About MedTech Innovator

Based in Los Angeles, Calif., MedTech Innovator is the premier nonprofit startup accelerator in the medical technology industry. Its mission is to improve the lives of patients by accelerating the growth of companies that are transforming the healthcare system. MedTech Innovator matches healthcare industry leaders with innovative early-stage and emerging growth medtech companies for mentorship and support. Founding sponsors include Johnson & Johnson and RCT Ventures, and annual program sponsors include Baxter, Boston Scientific, NIPRO Medical, Olympus Medical Systems, W. L. Gore, Asahi Intecc, BTG, Fujikura, HOYA, Jabil, JOHNAN, Maxim Integrated Ventures, EdgeOne Medical, Experien Group, Greenlight Guru, Proxima Clinical Research, Westwood & Wilshire, and Ximedica. The organization's industry partners include AdvaMed, Health+Commerce, MedTech Strategist, and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati. For more information about MedTech Innovator, visit https://medtechinnovator.org/ [medtechinnovator.org] and follow @MedTechAwards on Twitter.

Press Release by Children's National Hospital via PR Newswire

Published June 30, 2020