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R43HL158306

Project Grant

Overview

Grant Description
Magnetic Rotational Exploratory Platform for Coronary Lesions - Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) is the leading cause of mortality in the United States (US), resulting in 850,000 annual deaths, of which nearly 400,000 are associated with coronary heart disease (CHD) and myocardial infarction (MI).

By 2030, global annual deaths will exceed 20 million. More than 90 million US adults currently live with CVD, which is associated with an annual economic burden of more than $330 billion.

Together, MI and CHD are the most expensive conditions treated in US hospitals, totaling more than $20 billion each year, with costs expected to double by 2030.

Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) is an effective strategy to restore blood flow for obstructive CHD. However, while nearly 950,000 PCI procedures are performed each year in the US, navigating tortuous vessels is challenging and enabling stent expansion within severely calcified occlusions often fails, which are observed in ~35% and ~20% of procedures, respectively.

Rotational Atherectomy (RA) and Orbital Atherectomy (OA) are increasingly used to debulk otherwise untreatable lesions to enable PCI, with recent studies confirming RA and OA improve stent deliverability vs. standard PCI without negatively affecting outcomes.

To debulk severely calcified lesion, RA/OA devices employ long (>300cm) stiff driveshafts which spin burrs/crowns at speeds up to 180,000 RPM. For both RA and OA, the inflexible driveshaft often hinders access within tortuous vasculature.

The high speeds employed are necessary to stabilize the burr/crown about a guidewire, without which, the tip would dangerously whip. However, the need for extreme rotational speeds greatly increases the complexity of RA/OA systems and presents risks, which include 1) thermal injury due to driveshaft friction, 2) arterial abrasion and perforation, 3) guidewire shattering, 4) burr/crown entrapment, and 5) embolic debris within the distal vasculature.

To reduce the risk of traumatic injury, RA and OA devices cannot be used for more than five minutes.

Unandup has developed an interventional cardiology platform consisting of a magnetic access guidewire and an over-the-wire rotational atherectomy catheter which are controlled using magnetic fields 100x weaker than an MRI.

The magnetic guidewire overcomes vessel tortuosity to improve lesion access, a desirable feature for PCI in general. For the magnetic atherectomy catheter, applying magnetic forces directly to the burr eliminates the need for 100x higher driveshaft speeds to stabilize tip rotation. Resultingly, safer and more efficacious debulking is achieved.

Further, driveshaft removal enables concurrent aspiration of embolic debris near the burr, a feature not possible with current atherectomy devices.

The team reflects leading cardiology, RA/OA, magnetics, and robotics experts. The company maintains partnerships with leading national laboratories and recently completed an FDA presubmission meeting and I-Corps participation.

The proposal's aims include building a prototype magnet system, building magnetic guidewire and atherectomy devices, and evaluating the system's performance in tortuous cardiac phantoms and published lesion models.
Awardee
Funding Goals
NOT APPLICABLE
Place of Performance
Missouri United States
Geographic Scope
State-Wide
Analysis Notes
Amendment Since initial award the End Date has been extended from 12/31/22 to 12/31/23 and the total obligations have increased 2% from $456,397 to $465,097.
Unandup was awarded Project Grant R43HL158306 worth $465,097 from National Heart Lung and Blood Institute in January 2021 with work to be completed primarily in Missouri United States. The grant has a duration of 2 years and was awarded through assistance program 93.837 Cardiovascular Diseases Research. The Project Grant was awarded through grant opportunity PHS 2020-2 Omnibus Solicitation of the NIH, CDC and FDA for Small Business Innovation Research Grant Applications (Parent SBIR [R43/R44] Clinical Trial Not Allowed).

SBIR Details

Research Type
SBIR Phase I
Title
Magnetic Rotational Exploratory Platform for Coronary Lesions
Abstract
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of mortality in the United States (US), resulting in 850,000 annual deaths, of which nearly 400,000 are associated with coronary heart disease (CHD) and myocardial infarction (MI). By 2030, global annual deaths will exceed 20 million. More than 90 million US adults currently live with CVD, which is associated with an annual economic burden of more than $330 billion. Together, MI and CHD are the most expensive conditions treated in US hospitals, totaling more than $20 billion each year, with costs expected to double by 2030. Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is an effective strategy to restore blood flow for obstructive CHD. However, while nearly 950,000 PCI procedures are performed each year in the US, navigating tortuous vessels is challenging and enabling stent expansion within severely calcified occlusions often fails, which are observed in ~35% and ~20% of procedures, respectively.Rotational atherectomy (RA) and orbital atherectomy (OA) are increasingly used to debulk otherwise untreatable lesions to enable PCI, with recent studies confirming RA and OA improve stent deliverability vs. standard PCI without negatively affecting outcomes. To debulk severely calcified lesion, RA/OA devices employ long (rt300cm) stiff driveshafts which spin burrs/crowns at speeds up to 180,000 RPM. For both RA and OA, the inflexible driveshaft often hinders access within tortuous vasculature. The high speeds employed are necessary to stabilize the burr/crown about a guidewire, without which, the tip would dangerously whip. However, the need for extreme rotational speeds greatly increases the complexity of RA/OA systems and presents risks, which include 1) thermal injury due to driveshaft friction, 2) arterial abrasion and perforation, 3) guidewire shattering, 4) burr/crown entrapment, and 5) embolic debris within the distal vasculature. To reduce the risk of traumatic injury, RA and OA devices cannot be used for more than five minutes.UNandUP has developed an interventional cardiology platform consisting of a magnetic access guidewire and an over-the-wire rotational atherectomy catheter which are controlled using magnetic fields 100X weaker than an MRI. The magnetic guidewire overcomes vessel tortuosity to improve lesion access, a desirable feature for PCI in general. For the magnetic atherectomy catheter, applying magnetic forces directly to the burr eliminates the need for 100X higher driveshaft speeds to stabilize tip rotation. Resultingly, safer and more efficacious debulking is achieved. Further, driveshaft removal enables concurrent aspiration of embolic debris near the burr, a feature not possible with current atherectomy devices. The team reflects leading cardiology, RA/OA, magnetics, and robotics experts. The company maintains partnerships with leading national laboratories and recently completed an FDA presubmission meeting and I-Corps participation. The proposal’s aims include building a prototype magnet system, building magnetic guidewire and atherectomy devices, and evaluating the system’s performance in tortuous cardiac phantoms and published lesion models.
Topic Code
NHLBI
Solicitation Number
PA21-345

Status
(Complete)

Last Modified 4/19/24

Period of Performance
1/1/22
Start Date
12/31/23
End Date
100% Complete

Funding Split
$465.1K
Federal Obligation
$0.0
Non-Federal Obligation
$465.1K
Total Obligated
100.0% Federal Funding
0.0% Non-Federal Funding

Activity Timeline

Interactive chart of timeline of amendments to R43HL158306

Transaction History

Modifications to R43HL158306

Additional Detail

Award ID FAIN
R43HL158306
SAI Number
R43HL158306-751877746
Award ID URI
SAI UNAVAILABLE
Awardee Classifications
Small Business
Awarding Office
75NH00 NIH NATIONAL HEART, LUNG, AND BLOOD INSTITUTE
Funding Office
75NH00 NIH NATIONAL HEART, LUNG, AND BLOOD INSTITUTE
Awardee UEI
KS8GMBKHNKV3
Awardee CAGE
80L26
Performance District
MO-90
Senators
Joshua Hawley
Eric Schmitt

Budget Funding

Federal Account Budget Subfunction Object Class Total Percentage
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Health and Human Services (075-0872) Health research and training Grants, subsidies, and contributions (41.0) $465,097 100%
Modified: 4/19/24