LAUNCH
Single Pass Inc., a Lake Forest medical device developer, has commenced treatment with the Kronos Electrocautery device on its first patients in North America.
The single-use device, which aims to make coaxial biopsy procedures safer, cauterizes the tissue damaged by biopsy tools to prevent bleeding, company officials said. It’s powered by a battery current that heats the probe tip, according to officials.
Dr. David Tahour, chief of vascular and interventional radiology at Memorial Care Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital in Long Beach, used the Kronos device on its first North American patients and saw “excellent clinical results.”
The device “offers a breakthrough solution for patients undergoing percutaneous biopsy who are at high risk of bleeding complications,” Tahour said.
“Over time, we believe use of the device will become the standard of care,” he added.
The Kronos device is under clinical evaluation in Europe and the U.S., according to company officials.
Single Pass, founded last year, has raised $460,000 in funding to date. The company’s CEO, Bill Colone, has previously led endovascular device company Endomed Inc., medical device maker Arizona Heart Innovative Technologies and urology manufacturer UroDev Medical, formerly known as Spinal Singularity.
EnGenius Technologies Inc., a Costa Mesa manufacturer of wireless communications products, has released a network connection product, the EnGenius Fit, for small- and medium-sized businesses.
“With [EnGenius’] fast deployment and simplified cloud-based management, small business owners without IT staff will have more time to run their business instead of putting out fires,” the company said.
A subscription-free product, the EnGenius Fit provides an affordable Wi-Fi option for small businesses, according to company officials. Pricing for the product was undisclosed.
EnGenius, founded in 1999, counts 50 employees in its Costa Mesa headquarters and 1,300 employees worldwide.
PARTNERSHIPS
Ur24Technology Inc., a Newport Beach medical device company, is teaming up with surgical products maker DemeTech Corp. to prepare for Ur24Technology’s launch of its new external catheter, the TrueClr.
The partnership grants Ur24Technology access to DemeTech’s production and global distribution network, company officials said. Ur24Technology’s TrueClr is touted as the world’s first external catheter system that can empty adult and pediatric bladders while eliminating catheter associated urinary tract infections.
Ur24Technology will launch its catheter at medical trade conference Medica 2022 in Germany, which has more than 4,200 companies attending.
“This partnership will be game-changing because it combines the strength of each company to deliver on the core mission we share–to improve patient care through innovation, market-leading products and a distribution network that reaches 132 countries,” Ur24Technology CEO Landon Duval said in a statement.
Duval, who founded the company in 2016, developed the TrueClr catheter because a friend suffered from nocturia, a condition that causes people to frequently urinate at night. Duval’s other inventions include an energy bike, a superconductive magnetic alternator, actuated voice response systems and an alcohol-detecting biodynamic feedback system for automobiles, according to the Ur24Technology website. The company has not disclosed any funding rounds to date.
Foresite Technology Solutions LLC, a Costa Mesa construction-focused software company, has formalized an agreement with construction risk management analytics company Quality Built.
The partnership adds the third-party construction assessment company as a “value-added reseller” on Foresite’s platform.
“The benefits of this partnership combine Quality Built’s deep residential industry expertise augmented with Foresite solution capabilities,” the company said.
Foresite, founded last year, has raised $8 million in funding to date.
The company’s CEO, John Gillett, also serves as the president of Quality Built. He previously worked as president of sustainable construction consultant Energy Inspectors Corp.
RESEARCH
A recent endowment from the Estée Lauder Companies to the University of California, Irvine will create an epigenetics fellowship for doctoral students who demonstrate financial need or are first-generation students, officials said.
The fellowship honors the late Paolo Sassone-Corsi, who served as the director of UCI’s Center for Epigenetics and Metabolism and as a biological chemistry professor, officials said.
Epigenetics refers to the study of how cells control gene activity, without changing the DNA sequence.
“UCI’s partnership with Estée Lauder will enable the School of Medicine to recruit highly skilled, talented Ph.D. students who are fully engaged in pathbreaking research in epigenetics,” UCI School of Medicine Dean Dr. Michael Stamos said in a statement.
Sassone-Corsi’s “innovative research over three decades into the mechanisms regulating gene expression in health and disease will be continued by supporting the talented students who are poised to become the next leaders in this trailblazing field,” said UCI professor of microbiology and molecular genetics Emiliana Borrelli, who was Sassone-Corsi’s wife.
Sassoni-Corsi joined UCI as a Donald Bren Professor in 2006. His work ranged from discoveries in gene expression and signal transduction to circadian clocks and metabolism. Sassoni-Corsi died of a heart attack at the age of 64 in July 2020.
EXEC HIRES
Oak Leaf Productions (OLP), a Huntington Beach full-service production studio, has named Daniel Marin as its first president.
Marin previously served as OLP’s head of production when he joined the company last year. In that role, he expanded the company’s services beyond its post-production origins, company officials said. Revenue at OLP has grown 40% since Marin joined the team. Luggage maker Travelpro and coffee company Massimo Zanetti Beverage Group are some of OLP’s latest clients.
Marin “is recognized as one of the best minds in our industry, so it is truly an honor to have him lead OLP into an exciting new chapter as we build best-in-class production capabilities,” OLP CEO John Gallegos said in a statement.
OLP’s services include content production, post-production and AI-generated marketing campaigns.
The company is currently building new production studios in Huntington Beach and New York City, which are both expected to be complete by early next year, OLP officials said. The company is currently hiring editors, producers and motion graphics animators, among other production specialists.
OLP, launched in 2020, has not disclosed any funding rounds to date. The company is one of Gallegos’ many ventures, which include brewery SouthNorte Beer Co., media marketing agency United-X and prominent local advertising agency Gallegos United, whose clients include Comcast Corp. (Nasdaq: CMCSA), TurboTax and Chick-fil-A.
