
Medical devices for children tend to have small markets, so development can lag up to a decade behind similar devices for adults. The Boston Pediatric Device Consortium (BPDC), formed through an FDA initiative, aims to change that math.
This month, the BPDC and the Innovation and Digital Health Accelerator at Boston Children’s Hospital announced five winners of a national pediatric device challenge. Each winner will receive a combination of up to $50,000 in funding per grant award and/or in-kind support from leading medical device strategic partners, including Boston Scientific, CryoLife, Edwards Lifesciences, Health Advances, Johnson & Johnson Innovation, Medtronic, Smithwise, Ximedica and the Boston Children’s Simulator Program. These organizations will provide mentorship, product manufacturing and design services, simulation testing, business plan development, partnering opportunities and more.
“We have a major unmet need for pediatric medical devices that are specifically designed to address the demands of a growing, active child,” said BPDC leader Pedro del Nido, MD, chief of Cardiac Surgery at Boston Children’s, in a press release. “We are pleased to support these teams as they work toward accelerating their technologies from concept to market.”
The five Challenge winners are: …