BioCrossroads' Indiana Seed Fund Invests in Medical Device Company that Aids Stent Deployment

FlowCo Technology Adds Precision to Procedures

    INDIANAPOLIS, Aug. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 1.5 million Americans
 undergo coronary stent procedures each year to restore blood flow to the
 heart. This catheter-based placement of a wire mesh tube into an artery
 opens a clogged blood vessel. Currently, the routine catheter used to
 deploy the stent does not have a precise method for determining exact
 placement or a definitive measurement of the circumference of the artery
 for stent sizing. Error in placement or sizing can lead to poor outcomes
 including higher rates of restenosis (re-closure) of vessels and increased
 risk of thrombosis.
     A new medical device invented by an Indianapolis biomedical engineer
 helps size and deliver stents more accurately. The LumenRECON is a
 catheter-based device that uses electricity to size the cross-section of a
 blood vessel. Four very small electrical wires are mounted on the exterior
 of any standard catheter and inserted into the blood vessel. Electrical
 currents are sent to the electrodes which give the cardiologist a digital
 output of the measurement for the blood vessel's cross-sectional area
 digitally in real-time.
     FlowCo, developer of the LumenRECON device, recently received a
 $250,000 investment from BioCrossroads' Indiana Seed Fund I, Indiana's only
 targeted life sciences seed stage investment fund. Dr. Ghassan Kassab, the
 Inventor of LumenRECON and Founder and President of FlowCo said that the
 funding will enable the company to make a human-use prototype for clinical
 trials scheduled to take place by next summer. The company is currently
 preparing regulatory documents for the study.
     "BioCrossroads' support and resources have been invaluable and their
 investment will enable us to get to the next level," said Dr. Kassab. "The
 LumenRECON technology will be embedded into the devices that cardiologists
 and radiologists already use when doing catheterization procedures. This
 device provides doctors with a lumen map - an immediate, digital reading --
 to help them be more precise in the placement and sizing of stents. This
 should result in shorter, and safer procedures."
     "BioCrossroads' Seed Fund was established in order to invest in
 promising people, technologies and companies right here in Indiana, and Dr.
 Kassab's device epitomizes the kind of life sciences innovations that we
 support," said David Johnson, President and CEO of BioCrossroads. "Dr.
 Kassab is a remarkable person with the vision and determination to improve
 the future of health care through truly useful technology."
     Dr. Kassab holds the Thomas Linnemeier Guidant Endowed Chair of
 Biomedical Engineering and is Professor of Surgery, Cellular and
 Integrative Physiology at Indiana University-Purdue University at
 Indianapolis. Dr. Kassab does research on vascular systems, coronary
 circulation and tissue remodeling. Beyond basic research, Dr. Kassab also
 spends time in the clinic in his effort to gain insights and develop
 technology-driven responses to issues of real importance to practicing
 physicians.
     "I don't think we can make a contribution to medicine unless we
 understand what the clinicians do. We work in a collaborative environment
 with the doctors and surgeons, unifying their experiences with our
 biomedical engineering expertise," said Dr. Kassab.
     The LumenRECON device can also be used to determine the exact size that
 a balloon should be inflated during stent insertion into the blood vessel
 (angioplasty). The LumenRECON, a balloon, and a collapsed stent are
 advanced toward the site and the balloon is then inflated to the correct
 size by using the digital measurement from the previous LumenRECON
 electrode readings. The stent stays in place, the balloon is deflated and
 the catheter is removed.
     "The LumenRECON device addresses several of the issues that are
 currently associated with stent procedures," said Dr. James Hermiller,
 Director, Cardiac Catheterization Labs, The Care Group at St. Vincent's
 Hospital, where the clinical study will take place. "I'm excited to work
 with Dr. Kassab to enhance the stent procedure and improve patient
 outcomes."
     About FlowCo
     FlowCo is a medical device company focused on providing products to
 improve the flow of blood through the vascular system. Impedance technology
 (the use of electricity), on which the company is founded, provides a
 platform for the development of products that aid in sizing, diagnosis and
 treatment of diseased vessels.
     FlowCo impedance technology products address the short comings of
 current products by rapidly providing quantitative data to the physician
 about the vessel and stent size. The devices are catheter based and will be
 suitable for peripheral and cardiac applications.
     About BioCrossroads
     BioCrossroads (www.biocrossroads.com) is Indiana's initiative to grow
 the life sciences, a public-private collaboration that supports the
 region's research and corporate strengths while encouraging new business
 development. BioCrossroads provides money and support to life sciences
 businesses, launches new life sciences businesses, expands collaboration
 and partnerships among Indiana's life science institutions, expands science
 education and markets Indiana's life sciences industry.
     About the Indiana Seed Fund I
     The $6 million, return-driven Indiana Seed Fund was launched in June
 2005 and is managed by BioCrossroads with funding coming from
 BioCrossroads, the Indiana Finance Authority and the Indiana Economic
 Development Corporation. The Seed Fund provides working capital in the
 range of $50,000-$500,000 to promising Indiana life sciences companies at
 the preliminary stages of operation.
     Information on Stent Procedures
     A stent is a small wire mesh tube inserted into a blood vessel to keep
 the vessel open. During the stent deployment procedure, a catheter with an
 empty balloon on its tip is guided through the arteries to the location of
 the weakened vessel or plaque build up. The balloon is then inflated to the
 size of the blood vessel and the stent expands along with the balloon. The
 balloon is then deflated and removed, leaving the stent in place.
     On average, 300,000 patients have surgical procedures to insert stents
 in blood vessels such as in the legs (peripheral) or neck (Carotid) each
 year. Approximately 3 million people worldwide have coronary stent surgery
 on a yearly basis.
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 appropriate link.
 David Johnson
 http://profnet.prnewswire.com/Subscriber/ExpertProfile.aspx?ei=63868
 
 

SOURCE BioCrossroads