CLICHY, France--(BUSINESS WIRE)--CorWave, a French medical device company committed to the fight against heart failure, unveiled an unprecedented study on the performance of its implantable heart pump at the 41st Annual Meeting of the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT). The company presented the first ever study demonstrating sensorless synchronization of a pericardial pump with the native heart for over 30 days. This breakthrough is an important step towards the finalization of the development of CorWave's revolutionary technology.
CorWave unveiled a groundbreaking study on the performance of its novel implantable left ventricular assist device (LVAD) at the ISHLT annual meeting, a leading event in the scientific community, which brings together the world's leading experts in the treatment of advanced heart and lung disease to improve patient care. CorWave is developing an implantable LVAD based on a breakthrough technology, the wave membrane pump. The membrane technology enables the CorWave blood pump to have a wide range of flow conditions, gentle blood propulsion, and to generate physiologic pulsatility, all of which are required to help reduce the adverse events associated with current LVAD technologies.
In the chronic in vivo studies, the CorWave device operated in pulsatile mode by synchronizing with the native heart without the aid of sensors, successfully detecting more than 97% of heartbeats. This achievement represents the first time in the world that a miniaturized, pericardial pump has accomplished this technological feat. The study also confirmed the excellent hemocompatibility of the CorWave LVAD. These results are a major milestone in the development of the CorWave device, confirming the ability to generate physiological and adaptive blood flow to reduce complications and improve the quality of life of patients with heart pumps.
The 30-day results were presented by Trevor Snyder, Senior Director, Translational and Clinical Research at CorWave, who said: “These results, which demonstrate sensorless synchronization of the CorWave pump over several million heartbeats, are unparalleled. By combining this unique capability with exceptional blood compatibility, the CorWave pump offers the hope to dramatically reduce the serious adverse events suffered by LVAD patients with current therapies, while restoring their quality of life and ability to engage in normal daily activities.”
"This study is an important step towards making our next-generation heart pump available to patients with advanced heart failure. Indeed, we demonstrated that our pump is able to work in synchrony with the native heart and can be a game-changer for the LVAD therapy. Congratulations to our team for achieving this milestone in the development of our breakthrough technology. With this study, they are redefining the state of the art in the field of mechanical circulatory support, by succeeding in doing what current devices cannot do," said Louis de Lillers, CEO of CorWave.
Professor André Vincentelli, MD, Head of the Mechanical Circulatory Support and Transplantation Program at Lille University Hospital and co-author of the communication, commented: "The success of a pulsatile chronic in vivo study was one of the most awaited results. It is a sign of the maturity of a project whose next step will undoubtedly be the implantation in humans."
The company announced last January that it had raised €35 million from leading international investors1. This round will allow CorWave to finalize its device, produce implantable heart pumps for medical use and start clinical trials. Further work in line with the study presented at the ISHLT conference will enable CorWave to complete the development of its cardiac pump as well as to start production and clinical trials.
About CorWave
CorWave is a French company that develops innovative cardiac assistance devices. CorWave's wave membrane is a breakthrough technology that differs from today's commercially available left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) by its physiological operation, including the ability to mimic a pulse and blood flow rates similar to those of a healthy heart. Ultimately, CorWave's membrane pump technology is expected to reduce the complications associated with current devices and improve the management of heart failure patients. CorWave was founded in 2012 by start-up studio MD Start and is funded by renowned investors including Bpifrance, EIC Fund, Financière Arbevel, M&L Healthcare, Novo Holdings, Seventure, Sofinnova Partners and Ysios. The company has secured €80 million in equity and non-dilutive financing and employs over fifty people.
For further information:
www.corwave.com
www.linkedin.com/company/corwave
www.twitter.com/corwave
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No 954151.
CorWave’s R&D program is supported by the French State through the “Programme d’Investissements d’Avenir” (PIA).
CorWave’s industrialization program is supported by the Paris Region through the call for projects “Relance Industrie”.
