Germany: Transcatheter closes €660K round

Funding

Medical technologies company Transcatheter Technologies GmbH, of Regensburg, Germany, has announced the closing of a seed financing round of €600,000, with investment from High-Tech Gruenderfonds and Seedfonds Bayern.

The money will be used for the development of a biological heart valve up to proof-of-concept. The company says the design enables the repositioning of the valve, decreasing the number of complications during the implantation procedure. This will allow high-risk patients to be treated.

The technology makes it possible to implant aortic valves without the need for open-heart surgery. The valve is mounted on a self-expanding stent and implanted through a small incision between the ribs and, at a later stage, through the femoral artery. Patients are expected to have shorter hospital stays and shorter recovery times.

The valve is designed to enable the physician to reposition the valve during implantation and the stent can safely be postioned without harming sensitive heart tissue.

“Compared to current products, this new device has many innovative features, offering doctors better control over the implantation procedure and improved safety for the patien.” says Hou-Sen Lim, company founder.

Five per cent of people older than 75 suffer from a symptomatic aortic stenosis that requires surgical aortic valve replacement. But one third will not get referred to a cardiac surgeon, because they have a high risk of lethal complications.

In the future, claims the company, these patients can receive a low risk catheter based heart valve. “We are developing a new heart valve that will save the life of patients who are nowadays sent home by their doctors to die because there is no therapy available for them.” says Wolfgang Goetz, company founder and cardiac surgeon. “This innovative technology reduces the risks associated with early percutaneous valve systems. In case of complications, these new prostheses can be repositioned and removed without harm to the patient.”