Health

HEALTH • Summer 2016 27 MARLBOROUGH — Marlborough's Boston Biomedical Associates (BBA) has achieved premarket approval from the FDA for Boston-based CardioFocus' laser therapy that treats irregular heart- beats caused by atrial fibrillation. BBA assisted with the approval process for CardioFocus' HeartLight Endoscopic Ablation System that removes or eradi- cates tissue using a laser in order to return the heart to its regular beat. This system, according to CardioFocus, allows for a minimally invasive, two- to three-hour surgery using an endoscope. The premarket approval, which allows the company to market the treatment, came after a 350-person study across 21 U.S. medical centers. ReWalk exoskeleton benefits touted in study MARLBOROUGH — A meta-study has found that 76 percent of patients involved in numerous studies of the ReWalk exoskeleton system were ulti- mately able to walk with no help from anyone else. This study of the ReWalk exoskeleton system was published in Medical Devices: Evidence and Research. The meta-analysis of 14 other studies found that among the 111 patients with spinal-cord injury in those various studies, 76 percent were able to walk without the help of others following completion of the exoskele- ton training program. The study also found there were health benefits for those using the systems, such as improvement in muscle spasticity and bowel movement regularity. HMEA expands autism program with $57K grant FRANKLIN — Franklin nonprofit HMEA Inc. announced a $56,700 grant from the Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts to expand an autism program at Assumption College. Through the grant, which was awarded last fall, HMEA has expanded its Students for Higher: Rising Up for Autism program, which trains Assumption students in applied behav- ior analysis therapy. The therapy has been proven to help children with autism, according to a press release Palacios, an ABA therapist at Behavioral Concepts Inc., with its Guiding Star Award. He was one of 19 teachers, educators and therapists honored for their work with children with autism spectrum disorders. Palacios began with Behavioral Concepts in 2004. Yet his interest in working in this field began by caring for his brother, a special needs child. Palacios is a resident of Worcester. Gardner's Wachusett Community College won the Boston Foundation's Deval Patrick Award for Community Colleges, a $50,000 award. The college was chosen for its Advanced Manufacturing Technology Programs -- stackable programs that address local employer training needs. Alan Ellman of Natick won the CAREFirst Award at Newton- Wellesley Hospital. He has served as a volunteer at Newton-Wellesley since last June. Dr. Warren J. Ferguson was honored by the Worcester District Medical Society as Community Clinician of the Year. Ferguson is vice chair of the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health at UMass Medical School, a professor in the department, and medical director of the school's Massachusetts Area Health Education Centers Network. He is a resident of Shrewsbury. Dr. Warren J. Feguson Anthony Palacios { Health Care Briefs } Continued from Page 7 At the Forefront of Senior Care Seven Hills Foundation answers the needs of seniors and their loved ones by providing integrated care with compassion through: n Adult Day Health — a therapeutic program for seniors who have nursing and activities of daily living needs, offering a flexible day alternative to long-term care. n Adult Family Care — qualified family members or non-relatives provide full-time care for seniors in their homes. n Shared Living — qualified providers offer full-time care in their homes for seniors with developmental disabilities. Our person-centered supports are coordinated and managed by Seven Hills' trained professionals. Call 508.796.1868 or visit sevenhills.org, today! "An Integrated Health & Human Services Network" from HMEA. Students who partici- pate in the program shadow board- certified behavior analysts. The pro- gram's ultimate goal is to expand the number of therapists skilled in applied behavioral analysis. Mass. forms nanomanufacturing consortium The state is launching a new consortium focused on advancing nanomanufacturing and smart sensors with medical, defense and energy applications. The Advanced Nonomanufacturing Cluster for Smart Sensors and Materials pairs industry leaders with the Northeastern University to work on new methods to create smart sensors and other materials using "nanoscale" printing processes. Using the Nanoscale Offset Printing System, a manufacturing technology pioneered by Northeastern that can print sensors and devices more than 1,000 times thinner than a human hair and between 100 and 1,000 times faster than electronic or 3-D printing, the consortium will work to advance methods in the field. Verax renews commercialization deal M A R L B O R O U G H — Marlborough's Verax Biomedical has renewed its commercialization agree- ment with Fresenius Kabi USA, allow- ing for the marketing and distribution of a Verax in-vitro diagnostic test that detects bacterial contaminants in donated platelets. Verax's product, called the PanGenera Detection test, is the only rapid test cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the most common U.S. platelet types, according to the company. It has a disposable test device and compo- nents to detect bacterial contaminants' presence in platelets.

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