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SmartTRAK Life Sciences News and Analysis Blog

2 min read

SmartTRAK and Foot Innovate Launch Strategic Partnership to Deliver Next-Level Foot & Ankle Market Intelligence

By Gabriele Nichols on 6/24/25 2:34 PM

SmartTRAK, the leading provider of actionable market intelligence for orthopedic companies, and Foot Innovate, the premier platform for Foot & Ankle (F&A) surgeon education and clinical insights, are excited to announce a strategic co-marketing partnership. This collaboration brings together two industry leaders to launch a cutting-edge F&A market research solution that fuses robust analytics with real-world surgeon experience.

The joint offering blends SmartTRAK’s trusted data expertise with Foot Innovate’s deep network of engaged surgeons to deliver a

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2 min read

Scientia Vascular: Innovating to Disrupt Stroke Care

By Anne Staylor on 6/24/25 9:30 AM

Scientia Vascular CEO Rick Randall discusses the company, its novel technology and plans for growth in an interview with SmartTRAK. 

Scientia Vascular CEO Rick Randall discusses the company’s recent leadership transition, his priorities and vision as CEO and what’s next for the company in a recent interview with SmartTRAK.

Click on the following video (36:39 min) to learn more about the company, its differentiated microfabrication technology, product portfolio, marketing strategies and growth plans. Interview topics by timecode are provided below, as is a link to download a complete transcript of the interview.

 

Interview Outline by Timecode:

00:06 Introduction to Scientia Vascular, CEO Rick Randall, the leadership transition and his priorities as CEO.
05:08 Innovative products, new technologies, market positioning and differentiating Scientia in a crowded market.
09:54 Leveraging microfabrication technology and expanding the product portfolio.
14:18 Future directions in neurovascular and peripheral vascular. Clinical research and product validation.
22:07 Company growth and market strategy. Leading products and revenue mix.
26:59 Market share and business evolution.
29:26 Financing strategies and future investments.
31:57 Long-term growth strategies and potential IPO.

Click the button below to download and read the complete transcript of SmartTRAK's interview with Scientia Vascular CEO Rick Randall conducted by Anne Staylor, SmartTRAK Executive Editor, VP & GM of Neuro Therapies.Get the Transcript

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3 min read

Anika Therapeutics: Innovations in Early Orthopedic Interventions

By Freddy Buntoum on 6/23/25 10:03 AM

Dr Cheryl Blanchard, president and CEO of Anika Therapeutics, discusses the company, technology and developments for future growth in an interview with SmartTRAK.

In a recent interview with SmartTRAK, Dr. Cheryl Blanchard, president and CEO of Anika Therapeutics, discussed the company’s strategic direction, proprietary technology and advancements in its next-generation osteoarthritis (OA) pain management and regenerative solutions.

To find out more about the company, its differentiated technologies, products and growth strategy, click on the following video (26:40 min).

Interview topics by timecode are provided below, as is a link to download a complete transcript of the interview.


Interview Outline by Timecode:

00:20 Introduction to Anika Therapeutics, president and CEO Dr. Cheryl Blanchard and the company’s strategy.
01:14 The US OA Injectables Market and Anika’s next-generation OA pain solution, Cingal.
02:52 Cingal’s advantages and how it fit in the treatment continuum.
04:56 Cingal’s positioning and clinical trials’ progress.
10:47 Marketing communication, commercial and pricing approach and beyond knee OA.
13:42 Hyalofast, Anika’s next-generation cartilage repair solution.
17:25 Anika’s regenerative platform and the Integrity Implant System.
19:54 Cheryl Blanchard’s take on the next major disruptive force.
22:42 Thoughts around healthcare policy changes, tariffs uncertainty and other macro trends.

Click the button below to download and read the complete transcript of SmartTRAK's interview with Dr. Cheryl Blanchard, president and CEO of Anika Therapeutics, conducted by  Freddy Buntoum, SmartTRAK Senior Analyst, Orthobiologics and Regenerative Medicine.Get the Transcript

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2 min read

FDA Guidance Documents Could Seriously Impact Access to Allograft Tissue

By David Shepard on 6/17/25 9:44 AM

Companies breathe a temporary sigh of relief as the FDA reissues its guidance documents that could reduce allograft availability.

Manufacturers of allograft tissue and the medical device companies that market these products felt more at ease as the FDA reissued guidance set to take effect on May 4, with a new deadline for public comment on July 7. According to the American Association of Tissue Banks (AATB), the recommendations in their current form could reduce the availability of allograft tissues by 40%. The FDA’s recommendations aim to mitigate the risk of sepsis and Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) transmission when screening potential donors.

The tissue and blood banking industries have urged the agency to withdraw its current guidance and engage in a dialogue to review the actions already taken to mitigate the risk of disease transmission related to sepsis and Mtb. In this article, SmartTRAK examines new FDA recommendations, the concerns raised by these associations and their potential impact on the more than 2.5MM tissue transplants and over 15MM blood transfusions performed annually.

The topics covered in this downloadable SmartTRAK Perspective article are:

  • Background to the Release of the Guidance Document 
  • Origin of the Issue
  • Guidelines Published by the FDA 
  • Coordinated Response and Concerns from Trade Organizations
  • Companies and Products Potentially Impacted
  • Next Steps 

Click the button below to download and read the complete "FDA Guidance Documents Could Seriously Impact Access to Allograft Tissue" article by  David Shepard, SmartTRAK Lead Analyst, Orthobio & Regen.Get the Article

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2 min read

Insights Involving Real-World Evidence and Wound Care

By Elizabeth Anderson on 6/12/25 10:33 AM

Caroline Fife, MD, CMO of Intellicure and Executive Director of the US Wound Registry, discusses real-world evidence in wound care and other topics in an interview with SmartTRAK. 

Caroline Fife, MD, discusses insights from the Intellicure database about what diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) and venous leg ulcer (VLU) patients look like, the role of real-world evidence in wound care and the challenges in treating wound care patients.

To find out more, including the challenges for manufacturers and the systemic issues in wound care and payment policies, click on the following video to listen to the interview (37:48 min). A link to download the complete transcript of the interview is provided below. Interview topics by timecode are also provided below. 

 

Interview Outline by Timecode: 

00:30 Overlap between diabetic foot ulcers and venous leg ulcers.
08:19 Challenges in wound classification and diagnosis.
14:02 Limitations of randomized controlled trials and the role of real-world evidence.
17:38 Potential for biomarkers and intermediate outcome measures.
21:57 Neglected wound types and nutritional deficiencies.
29:14 Barriers to wound care implementation.
32:50 Opportunities for change in wound care practices.
34:31 Local coverage determinations (LCDs) and manufacturer challenges.
35:16 Systemic issues in wound care and payment policies.

Click the button below to download and read the complete transcript of SmartTRAK's interview with Caroline Fife, MD, CMO of Intellicure, conducted by  Elizabeth Anderson, SmartTRAK Senior Analyst, Wound Biologics.Get the Transcript

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3 min read

AANA 2025: Spotlight On OSSIO

By Andy Knapik on 6/10/25 9:45 AM

SmartTRAK spotlights OSSIO in an interview at AANA 2025 in Washington, DC. 

Bryan Jones, vice president of marketing and medical education at OSSIO, discusses the company’s novel bio-integrative OSSIOfiber implants in an interview with SmartTRAK at the Arthroscopy Association of North America (AANA) 2025 Meeting in Washington DC. 

Watch the following video to learn more about OSSIO and its novel technology. (17:50 min.) A link to download a complete transcript of the interview is also provided below. 

 

Hey everybody, it's Andy Knapik, senior analyst with SmartTRAK covering sports medicine arthroscopy. I'm here at the AANA meeting in Washington, DC, and right now I'm joined by Bryan Jones, an old friend of mine who is now what, VP of marketing, right?

Bryan Jones: Yes.

For OSSIO. And OSSIO is really this great up-and-coming company. We've profiled them in the past, and I think their products are really incredible and the things that they're doing are really amazing. When you first joined OSSIO you came to me and said ‘Hey, you need to come check this out. This stuff's really cool.’ So I went and looked at it and the first thing I see is these kind of bioabsorbable pins, which 25 years ago I started my career by selling Bionix, which is absorbable pins and screws and stuff. Back then you could bend the pins. They were never all that sturdy. So, when you first talked to me about this I was a little dubious, and then I put my hands on one and you couldn't bend it, couldn't bend it at all. And I thought ‘Well, that's really interesting.’ And then you guys came out with a compression staple, which is completely amazing.

BJ: Yeah, right.

The only one on the market, right?

BJ: Only one in the world. Yes, the only non-permanent compression staple ever.

So talk to me about just about OSSIO, about the product. What makes OSSIO products as good as they are?

BJ: Yes. I'll touch on where you started when you said you and I first met probably what, six years ago now? And your initial reaction is probably like 10,000 other reactions that we got back then. The hardest thing we ever had to do was convince people that this was not a typical biocomposite or bioabsorbable implant. That was the hardest hurdle. To do that, we had to really tell them about ...

Click the button below to download and read the complete transcript of SmartTRAK's interview with Bryan Jones, Ossio's VP of Marketing & Medical Education, conducted by  Andy Knapik, SmartTRAK Senior Analyst, Soft Tissue Fixation and Arthroscopic Enabling Technologies.Get the Transcript

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3 min read

Is Nitric Oxide the Next Big Thing in Wound Care?

By Susan Paquette on 6/9/25 9:56 AM

Nitric Oxide (NO) has numerous benefits for wound healing but has challenges associated with its delivery. Several companies are addressing those challenges and creating an exciting opportunity in wound care.

Nitric oxide (NO) was named “Molecule of the Year” by the journal Science in 1992, and six years later, three US scientists were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physiology and Medicine for their efforts to prove that NO, an endogenous gas and free radical, could have crucial biological effects. One of the well-known medical uses of NO is via nitroglycerin, a precursor to NO, to prevent and treat chest pain (angina). It works by relaxing blood vessels, which decreases the amount of work the heart has to do. NO has been identified for its value in chronic wound healing for many years because of its function in vasodilation, relaxing blood vessels and increasing blood flow, as well as its broad-spectrum antimicrobial and antibiofilm activity.

No products have yet reached the market for chronic wounds; however, SmartTRAK has noted increasing activity related to the benefits of NO for wound healing. In fact, an article was published earlier this year entitled “Emerging Strategies for Nitric Oxide Production and Their Topical Application as Nano Dressings to Promote Diabetic Wound Healing.” The article identified four primary modes in which NO benefits the diabetic wound healing process: providing antimicrobial properties, promoting angiogenesis, regulating inflammation and promoting tissue regeneration and remodeling.

This market outlook article will discuss in detail the following subjects:

Topics: Wound Care
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3 min read

AANA 2025: Spotlight On Pristine Surgical

By Andy Knapik on 6/5/25 10:07 AM

SmartTRAK spotlights Pristine Surgical in an interview at AANA 2025 in Washington, DC. 

Bryan Lord, CEO of Pristine Surgical, discussed the company’s Summit 4K, single-use arthroscopic camera in an interview with SmartTRAK at the Arthroscopy Association of North America (AANA) 2025 Meeting in Washington, D.C 

Watch the following video to learn more about Pristine Surgical and its novel technology. (21:27 min.) A link to download a complete transcript of the interview is also provided below. 

 

Hey, everybody, it's Andy Knapik, Senior Analyst for SmartTRAK for all things sports medicine and arthroscopy. I'm here at the AANA meeting in Washington, D.C. We're at the Pristine Surgical booth. I'm joined by Bryan Lord, CEO of Pristine Surgical, and here just to talk about what they have going on. They have a single-use arthroscopic camera.

Bryan, I've known you now for probably a few years, we've talked about this quite a bit. When we look in the video capital world, we see a lot of different things going on right now. We have traditional capital systems like the Strykers, and Smith+Nephews, Arthrexes of the world, with a full tower. We have some wireless options out there now that are pretty intriguing. And then we have some single-use options. Arthrex has a nanoscope and then you guys have yours as well.

So, talk about how this got started, what benefits you initially saw, and how is that progressing now.

BL: Yes, so the genesis of the scope that we see here today actually was in a rather niche application. Some docs said, ‘Look, we think we could do some things different in visualization.’ And they were looking for ways to do some different angular types of views, 30, 70, in more of a pannable configuration. The early days of the development we did in partnership with a group called DECA Research in Manchester, New Hampshire, led by the noted medtech developer and entrepreneur engineer, Dean Kamen. In the conversation with those doctors and Dean, the concept came up (Dean's idea) to say, ‘Look, we think that we could do this single use. Would that be interesting?’

At that time, it was still early in the ways that people were understanding the proliferation of digital technologies, but everybody knew, including Dean, who's always been in the forefront, this was really a big idea. How could we take today's burgeoning areas of digital photography and bring that into the surgical suite? And it was early on that we knew that it was ...

Click the button below to download and read the complete transcript of SmartTRAK's interview with Bryan Lord, CEO of Pristine Surgical, conducted by  Andy Knapik, SmartTRAK Senior Analyst, Soft Tissue Fixation and Arthroscopic Enabling Technologies.Get the Transcript

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3 min read

Aatru Medical: Next-Gen NPWT for Surgical Incisions

By David Shepard on 6/3/25 9:30 AM

Thomas Lash, COO and co-founder of Aatru Medical, talks about the company’s innovative single-use negative pressure device, NP-Sims, a Negative Pressure Surgical Incision Management System.

Thomas Lash, chief operating officer and co-founder of Aatru Medical elaborates on the company’s strategy to mitigate the risk of surgical site infections through NP-SIMS, their single-use negative pressure surgical incision management system. To listen to the interview, please click on the following video (21:21 minutes). A link to download a complete transcript of the interview is provided below. 

 

SmartTRAK: Hi, this is David Shepard, senior analyst with SmartTRAK. Today it's my pleasure to be joined by Tom Lash, COO and co-founder of Aatru. He's going to talk to us today about a product that he co-invented, called NPSims. Tom, tell us a little about your company and about the product.

Tom Lash: We started the business about eight years ago, a small research and commercialization team with the goal of developing an alternative solution for the single-use, disposable negative pressure wound therapy market.  Kind of a mouthful to say that, but in essence, what we were trying to do is looking at the predicate devices that are on the market, we knew that if we were going to try and have a product that could make an impact on that market segment, it would be necessary for us to find an innovative mode of action to create the negative pressure without the current use of electromechanical pump which powers the leading products that are in use today. They have an electromechanical pump. They're battery-operated. They have software. Those products were primarily devised for the open or chronic wound market, and because of our focus on the surgical incision market, we were able to design something that was different. We believe the current products are probably over-engineered for the surgical incision market. So, our approach was to devise ...

Click the button below to download and read the complete transcript of SmartTRAK's interview with  Aatru Medical's Co-Founder and COO Thomas Lash, conducted by  David Shepard, SmartTRAK Lead Analyst, Orthobio & Regen.Get the Transcript

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2 min read

AANA 2025: Spotlight on ZuriMED

By Emily Meng on 5/30/25 10:01 AM

Tom Borg discusses ZuriMED and its new FDA-cleared product, FiberLocker, in an interview with SmartTRAK at AANA in Washington, DC.

ZuriMED Technologies’ Tom Borg discusses the company and its recently FDA-cleared product, FiberLocker, in an interview with SmartTRAK at the Arthroscopy Association of North America (AANA) Annual Meeting, held May 8-10, 2025, in Washington, DC. 

To find out more about the company and its novel FiberLocker System, a combination product comprised of SpeedPatch, a synthetic, non-woven polyethylene terephthalate (PET) patch and FiberLocker Instrument, which delivers and fixates the patch onto the repaired tendon, listen to the following video (4:13 min). A link to download a transcript of the interview is also provided below. 

 

SmartTRAK: Hi. This is Emily Meng with SmartTRAK, and I’m here with Tom from ZuriMED. Hi, Tom.

Tom Borg: Good morning, Emily.

Tom, why don’t you tell us about FiberLock System and how you differentiate it from your competitors.

TB: So, FiberLocker is unique in that it focuses on the mechanical component of what is typically the reason rotator cuff repairs fail. They fail usually at the suture tendon interface. And so there has been a lot of effort over the past 10 to 20 years in trying to augment the integrity of the rotator cuff with biologics and different suturing configurations. But the unfortunate truth is, the quality and consistency of the tendon still remains quite poor and compromised. So ZuriMED, with the help of some very talented engineers and a brilliant surgeon idea, developed a...

Click the button below to download the complete transcript of our interview with Zurimed's Tom Borg at AANA 2025, conducted by SmartTRAK's Emily Meng, Get the Transcript
Topics: Arthroscopy
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