Former Badylak Lab Member Now Director of Preclinical Development at PECA Labs, Inc.
PECA Labs now has a suite of disruptive products in development, which are intended to provide significantly improved outcomes for children born with rare congenital heart defects.
Founded in 2012, PECA Labs, Inc., is a Carnegie Mellon University and University of Pittsburgh spin-off company focused on pediatric and cardiovascular surgical devices. PECA Labs now has a suite of disruptive products in development, which are intended to provide significantly improved outcomes for children born with rare congenital heart defects. Denver Faulk, PhD (pictured), Director of Preclinical Development at PECA Labs, was a former team member in the laboratory of
McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine deputy director Stephen Badylak, DVM, PhD, MD, Professor in the Department of Surgery and Director of the Center for Pre-Clinical Tissue Engineering within the McGowan Institute.
Recently, PECA Labs learned they received European CE mark certification, akin to FDA approval in the US, for an innovative conduit called exGraft for use in children’s heart surgery. The conduit allows surgeons to detect any twisting or kinking, said McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine affiliated faculty member Ergin Kocyildirim, MD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, and a pediatric cardiothoracic surgeon at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC.
“As there are marked visible lines [on the exGraft], this is both helpful to estimate measurements at the operating table and to follow up by a simple x-ray, instead of a CT scan,” significantly reducing the amount of radiation to the patient, he said.
The team at PECA Labs believes in surgeon-focused design and development. That’s why they fused the performance of ePTFE with the addition of a novel radiopaque design to create the exGraft. The exGraft enhances visualization during surgery and follow-up.
Read more…
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (06/29/17)
PECA Labs, Inc.
Bio: Dr. Stephen Badylak
Bio: Dr. Ergin Kocyildirim
Recently, PECA Labs learned they received European CE mark certification, akin to FDA approval in the US, for an innovative conduit called exGraft for use in children’s heart surgery. The conduit allows surgeons to detect any twisting or kinking, said McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine affiliated faculty member Ergin Kocyildirim, MD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, and a pediatric cardiothoracic surgeon at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC.
“As there are marked visible lines [on the exGraft], this is both helpful to estimate measurements at the operating table and to follow up by a simple x-ray, instead of a CT scan,” significantly reducing the amount of radiation to the patient, he said.
The team at PECA Labs believes in surgeon-focused design and development. That’s why they fused the performance of ePTFE with the addition of a novel radiopaque design to create the exGraft. The exGraft enhances visualization during surgery and follow-up.
Read more…
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (06/29/17)
PECA Labs, Inc.
Bio: Dr. Stephen Badylak
Bio: Dr. Ergin Kocyildirim