With the passage of the Affordable Care Act in 2010 and most provisions due to take effect in 2014, it’s reasonable to ask what MD Anderson is doing to prepare.
Fall 2013 : CANCER BRIEFINGS
Abbott acquires MD Anderson technology company
Abbott Laboratories Inc., has agreed to purchase a private company based on technology discovered at MD Anderson for $310 million. IDEV Technologies Inc., of Webster, Texas, has developed an innovative stent system to treat blockages in blood vessels and the narrowing of bile ducts in the liver. The system may also have broad applications in additional medical markets.
“We’re excited about Abbott’s acquisition of IDEV Technologies, a company that was founded upon a portfolio of more than 30 technologies developed by MD Anderson,” says Chris Capelli, M.D., vice president for Technology Based Ventures at MD Anderson.
The innovative technology uses an interwoven stent design that mimics natural movement, providing greater strength and flexibility than traditional stent designs.
“These properties are particularly important when considering treatment for blockages in the blood vessels in the thigh and knee where rapid and frequent movement occurs with daily activities, such as walking, sitting and standing,” Abbott’s announcement notes.
“We believe that the transaction represented the culmination of an extremely successful commercialization project for MD Anderson, and the beginning of an exciting new stage of development for our technology,” Capelli says.
MD Anderson will continue to receive royalties under its licensing agreements. Such payments help fund research and represent an important revenue stream for the institution.
More Stories From Conquest
Creating an umbrella of care
Patients in cancer treatment often have other health issues that can affect treatment and/or quality of life. Over the past 25 years, MD Anderson has added myriad services to handle these conditions while providing quality care for patients.
Seed, soil and metastasis
In 1889, Stephen Paget, an English surgeon and pathologist, hypothesized that metastasis (the spread of cancer) did not occur randomly. It took nearly a century before Isaiah Fidler came along to prove him right.
50 years of educating scientists
As the graduate school celebrates its 50th anniversary, its two leaders assess their first year as deans and look forward to an exciting future.
Understanding epigenetics to develop new therapies
Some might call it fate. Three scientists who started their careers in different parts of the world and come from different scientific disciplines now work together at MD Anderson to develop new treatments for patients.
