Adient’s mission is the development of absorbable medical devices with the premise that implants should be safe and efficacious during their useful lifetime, and then simply vanish without intervention, alleviating costly removal procedures and downstream complications.
Apama Medical, founded in 2009 by serial entrepreneur Amr Salahieh, is a medical device company committed to improving patient outcomes by developing a novel catheter ablation system for the underpenetrated and rapidly growing atrial fibrillation (AF) market. Recognizing the need for a more effective means of treating AF.
Apama developed a unique multipoint RF balloon catheter system designed to improve procedural efficiency and versatility, addressing fundamental obstacles to the more widespread adoption of atrial ablation therapy. AF remains the most common clinically significant cardiac arrhythmia affecting an estimated 12.9 million patients globally.
Capricor Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:CAPR)is a clinical stage biotechnology company focused on the development and commercialization of regenerative medicine and large molecule products for the treatment of diseases. As a developer of innovative therapies, Capricor Therapeutics is strategically positioned at the forefront of one of the largest segments of the U.S. healthcare industry – heart disease. Capricor Therapeutics’ lead product candidates will target the prevention and treatment of heart failure and heart attacks. Capricor’s allogeneic cardiosphere-derived cell (CDC) product, CAP-1002, aims to attenuate and potentially improve damage to the heart caused by a heart attack.
Capricor’s translational approach to product development is based on the comprehensive research foundation provided through our academic partnerships with leading scientists at top-tier research institutions.
Capricor and Nile Therapeutics completed a merger in 2013 to form Capricor Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: CAPR).
CardiAQ Valve Technologies (CVT) is developing the world’s first self-conforming and self-anchoring technology for transcatheter mitral valve implantation. The initial indication for this percutaneous valve will be treating functional mitral regurgitation to prevent heart failure. CVT is located in Irvine, California and is led by CEO Rob Michiels, formerly of CoreValve. Three years after our initial investment CVT had attracted over $40M in follow on funding from angels and venture capital firms.
CVT was acquired by Edwards Lifesciences in 2015.
GI Windows is a clinical-stage medical device company developing a non-surgical approach to create anastomoses in the GI tract. Their patented self-assembling magnets are designed to enable an incision-less and durable intestinal bypass to treat chronic diseases, such as Type-2 Diabetes and Obesity, without the cost and invasiveness of surgical interventions.
Lyra Therapeutics (NASDAQ:LYRA) has developed the XTreo™ platform based on expertise in materials science, drug development and formulation. This proprietary technology platform is designed to enable sustained delivery of medications for many months of therapy, targeting tissues deep in the ENT passages and potentially other diseased tissues that are not accessible with conventional therapeutic approaches.
In addition to ENT indications, this platform technology has been tested as a pediatric resorbable, self-expanding scaffold to address a significant unmet clinical need for children with cardiovascular defects. The scaffold technology is capable of providing a combination of strength and flexibility to support lumen patency and apposition during vessel growth. While resorption facilitates re-intervention, if necessary, with no permanent implant left behind.
Lyra Therapeutics went public via IPO in May, 2020.
miRagen Therapeutics, Inc., is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of innovative microRNA (miRNA)-targeting therapies in disease areas of high unmet medical need. miRagen’s lead product candidate, MRG-106, a synthetic microRNA antagonist (LNA antimiR) of microRNA-155, is currently being studied in a Phase 1 clinical trial in patients suffering from cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) of the mycosis fungoides (MF) sub-type. miRagen is also conducting a Phase 1 clinical trial of MRG-201, its lead anti-fibrosis product candidate and a synthetic microRNA mimic (promiR) to microRNA-29b, in human volunteers. miRagen seeks to leverage in-house expertise in miRNA biology, oligonucleotide chemistry, and drug development to evaluate and advance promising technologies and high-potential product candidates for its own pipeline and in conjunction with strategic collaborators.
NIDO Surgical is a medical device company developing SEPIA, an innovative device to improve epicardial ablation for ventricular tachycardia (VT), based on technology developed at Boston Children’s Hospital. SEPIA will enable real-time visualization of the epicardial surface and provide angle and force control to ablation catheters, resulting in improved ablation efficiency, decreased VT recurrence and fewer complications.
The company was co-founded by Dr. Pedro del Nido, Chairman of Cardiovascular Surgery and Professor at Harvard Medical School, and Dr. Nikolay Vasilyev, former Assistant Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School, currently Medical Director for the Surgicals Portfolio at Pfizer.
Provasculon is developing novel therapeutic proteins that help organs damaged by ischemia to heal. Ischemia is the primary cause of injury and loss of function following a heart attack, in chronic heart failure, and in peripheral vascular disease. Provasculon’s technology works by recruiting and activating stem cells that regenerate blood vessels and promote repair of injured tissue. In animal models, Provasculon’s lead protein therapeutic can restore hearts that have been damaged by severe ischemia to near normal function.
Provasculon was founded by pre-eminent leaders in cardiovascular regenerative medicine from Harvard University. The company has assembled an experienced team of successful scientists and entrepreneurs to develop regenerative protein therapeutics through proof of principal Phase 2 clinical studies, and is supported by a syndicate of well-respected venture capital firms
Provasculon has been acquired by Mesoblast, an Australian based company developing allogeneic or ‘off-the-shelf’ regenerative medicine products focus on repair of damaged tissues and modulation of inflammatory responses in conditions with significant unmet medical needs, in 2013.
Pulmokine is a biopharmaceutical company developing a novel class of kinase inhibitors for pulmonary related diseases. Its first program, currently in clinical development, is an inhaled small molecule inhibitor of PDGFR for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH).
Gossamer Bio (NASDAQ:GOSS) has licensed the PAH program (GB002) and will manage and fund the development through regulatory approval.
Remedy Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a privately-held, late clinical stage pharmaceutical company focused on developing and bringing lifesaving treatment to people affected by acute central nervous system edema. Remedy is developing CIRARA for the improvement of functional outcomes by reducing the formation of cerebral edema in patients following Large Hemispheric Infarction (massive ischemic stroke affecting the total or sub-total territory of the middle cerebral artery). There are currently no therapeutic approaches targeted at reducing the development of edema early after Large Hemispheric Infarction, and CIRARA is now in Phase 3 trials with the aim of meaningfully reducing the high mortality and morbidity of this disease.
Remedy Pharmaceutical’s CIRARA program was acquired by Biogen in 2017.
Renovacor (NYSE:RCOR) is a preclinical stage biotechnology company that focuses on delivering innovative precision therapies to improve the lives of patients and families battling genetically-driven cardiovascular and mechanistically-related diseases. The company’s lead program in BAG3-associated dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) uses adeno-associated virus (AAV)-based gene therapies to address the monogenic cause of this severe form of heart failure. Renovacor’s vision is to bring life-changing therapies to patients living with serious genetic cardiovascular and related diseases, by developing medicines that target the underlying cause of disease and provide a transformative benefit and significant improvement to quality of life. Following a Series A financing in 2019, Renovacor closed a reverse merger business combination with Chardan Healthcare Acquisition 2 Corp. raising gross proceeds of $95.1 million and commenced trading on the New York Stock Exchange in September, 2021.
RCOR was acquired by Rocket Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: RCKT) in December, 2022.
Vectorious Medical Technologies, a Tel-Aviv based company, has developed the V-LAP™, a miniature wireless pressure sensor implanted into the heart’s left atrium. The V-LAP™ enables patients to take a direct daily measurement of the heart’s left atrial pressure (LAP), the earliest and most accurate indicator of heart function, and therefore to optimize treatment at an early enough stage to prevent decompensation. As a result, patients will enjoy an enhanced quality of life, physicians will be able to provide superior care and hospitals will see fewer readmissions, saving the healthcare system billions per annum.
