Having focused largely on the drug component of drug-eluting stents, most companies developing the next wave of bioabsorbable stents are working with the same biopolymers. Theracardia, however, begins life with a portfolio of novel biopolymers that inherently have the potential to avoid inflammation in the body, are bioabsorbable and can be engineered to achieve specific biological effects. The company is validating its platform in a stent biocoating in preparation for developing its own improved bioabsorbable stent, one that, it hopes, will promote rapid endothelialization and reduce restenosis without incorporating a drug.

TheraCardia has a portfolio of natural biopolymers that it will develop for stents; initially, for stent coatings, and soon, a bioabsorbable stent that avoids inflammation and contributes to endothelization, without the need for a drug. Surgeon-founded Aragon Surgical will develop a platform of products to make surgeries faster and safer. Intelect Medical is developing new neurostimulation devices that, it believes, offer advances over the devices of predecessors. It's initial target application is traumatic brain injury.

A preview of the emerging health care companies profiled in the current issue of Start-Up. This month's profile group, "The Eyes Still Have It," features profiles of Alacrity Biosciences, Eyeon Therapeutics, Mobius Therapeutics and OcuCure Therapeutics. Plus these Start-Ups Across Health Care: CyberHeart, GlycoVaxyn, TheraCardia and Vicus Therapeutics.

The ICD market in cardiac rhythm management has been one of the medical device industry's fastest growing markets over the past several years. Yet for all its success, only about 20% of the patients who could benefit from an ICD get one. Why is that? Officials from Cameron Health argue that the complexity of current devices frustrate many cardiologists and force them to hand patients over to electrophysiologists, a move that they often resist. Now, Cameron hopes to blow open the untapped portion of the market with a device that is simpler to use, one that cardiologists will feel comfortable implanting.