NSW Health and Medical Research

Sealing Technology for Minimally Invasive Heart Valve Replacement

Endoluminal Sciences

Organ System:
  • Cardiovascular
Date Funded:
  • 30 August, 2013

Project summary

Endoluminal Sciences is developing a breakthrough technology for the treatment of failing heart valves.

What is the issue?

While minimally invasive techniques to insert heart valves are a significant improvement over open heart surgery, there is a major limitation with the therapy.

Critical leakage from around these valves inserted by the less invasive catheter technique occurs in up to 50 per cent of patients. As a result of this complication, some of the blood pumped into the aorta leaks back into the heart, weakening it and eventually leading to heart failure.

What does the technology aim to do?

Endoluminal Sciences’ solution is a novel sealant-based medical device that uses a combination of state-of-the-art mechanical engineering and polymer science to overcome the life-threatening failure mode of leakage from around the sides of minimally invasive heart valve implants. The technology addresses the problem of leakage in a manner superior to any device currently in clinical trials or on the market anywhere in the world.

The innovation is geared towards dramatically improving medical outcomes and safety for patients while at the same time significantly improving ease-of-use for the physician and reducing the financial cost to the health system.

The technology has received several accolades internationally including being recognised as the top five new technologies in structural heart disease at the world’s largest conference in Interventional Cardiology Medicine, Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics.

The leadership team of Endoluminal Sciences constitutes a pioneering profile in global medical device technology development and commercialisation. Endoluminal Sciences is further supported by a global network of clinical practitioners and researchers considered key opinion leaders in the fields of interventional cardiology, cardiovascular and vascular surgery.

Currently, the problem of leakage limits the extension of benefits of minimally invasive heart valve replacement to patients that are currently offered open heart surgery. Endoluminal Sciences’ technology has the potential to enable practically all patients with failing heart valves to be treated by a minimally invasive technique – making open heart valve surgery a thing of the past.

Endoluminal Sciences’ immediate focus is the minimally invasive treatment of aortic valve stenosis (disease causing narrowing of the aortic valve) and mitral valve regurgitation (disease causing leakage of the mitral valve) – common conditions that together constitute the vast majority of serious heart valve disease affecting the population. The intellectual property portfolio developed by Endoluminal Sciences also has direct applicability for treatment of a much broader range of vascular and structural heart disease states, including the treatment of pulmonic and tricuspid valve disease, and the treatment of abdominal and thoracic aortic aneurysms.

Company contacts

Ashish Mitra, Chief Executive Officer
amitra@endoluminalsciences.com
www.endoluminalsciences.com
+61 421 509 033

Milestones