Boston Scientific has pioneered less-invasive medical devices for Interventional Radiology since co-founder John Abele acquired an interest in Medi-tech, Inc., a company developing alternatives to traditional surgery. Medi-tech's first products, steerable catheters, were introduced in 1969 and used in some of the earliest less-invasive procedures. Boston Scientific currently develops innovative devices for diagnosis and minimally invasive treatment of diseases such as carotid artery disease, cancer, and peripheral artery disease.