In an increasingly complex world, one size rarely fits all. In most preclinical studies, testing services can be bought off-the-rack and fulfill all the needs and desires of a device manufacturer or drug developer/sponsor. But sometimes, a custom fit is necessary....
Medical Device Testing
What Manufacturers Need to Know About the MDR Deadline Extension
In March 2023, the European Parliament handed medical device manufacturers some breathing room when it amended the Medical Device Regulation (MDR) to allow for a longer compliance period for certain medical devices and in vitro diagnostic devices. The move was...
Understanding ‘Assumed Release’ in ISO 10993-17:2023
The latest update to ISO 10993-17:2023 introduces significant changes to how medical device manufacturers and toxicologists can estimate and incorporate constituent release into the toxicological risk assessment (TRA) process. We explore the concept of release...
What Could a PFAS Phase-out Mean for Medical Product Manufacturers?
At the end of 2022, one of the world's largest manufacturers of PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) announced it would stop making the compounds and discontinue using them across its entire product portfolio by the end of 2025. The company explained that PFAS...
Navigating Cytotoxicity Failures in Medical Devices: Comprehensive Risk Management Strategies
Cytotoxicity testing is one of the standard biocompatibility tests for nearly all medical devices irrespective of their duration and nature of patient contact per ISO 10993-1:2018 and the U.S. FDA's Guidance on the Use of ISO 10993-1 (2020). Although cytotoxicity...
Beyond UV: Harnessing LC-MS for Comprehensive Medical Device Chemical Characterization
As the world of medical technology progresses, so does the landscape of regulatory expectations. Gone are the days when unknown chemicals would be allowed or accepted in preclinical testing. For today's regulatory bodies, ambiguity in chemical characterization is no...
Medical Device Packaging Validation: 5 Testing Best Practices for 2023
Medical device packaging validation helps ensure that a medical device cleared for commercialization will arrive to the end-user in an uncompromised, sterile state, and non-sterile product remains uncompromised during its journey to the user. Here are five important...
How ISO 10993-17:2023’s Toxicological Screening Limit Can Change the Game for Medical Device Manufacturers
Medical device developers are constantly looking for regulatory changes that may impact how they work. Sometimes minor changes in regulation can make their lives a lot easier, while alterations add extra steps to a process elsewhere. Changes to ISO 10993-17 have been...
Navigating European Medical Device Premarket Submissions
Navigating the tricky waters of regulation can be frustrating and challenging for any medical device manufacturer. When those regulations change, the prospect becomes even more daunting. This post breaks down the regulatory path for medical device submissions in the...
Overcoming Obstacles to Tissue Sterilization Validation: What Manufacturers Need to Know
Sterilization validation is necessary to bring tissue-based products to market. The U.S. FDA requires it, whether the device functions in vivo or in vitro, so understanding how to ensure sterility is critical. When it comes to living tissue, the process carries an...
White Paper: Unknowns are Unacceptable™
Unknowns are Unacceptable explains our risk-based approach to medical device chemical characterization and toxicological risk assessment.