Israeli functional angiography developer CathWorks Ltd. has announced the completion of a $15.8 million Series B financing round led by Quark Venture and Triventures with the participation of Planven Investments, Pontifax, Corundum Open Innovation, and BioStar Ventures and a strategic investor.
Based in Kfar Saba, the company develops non-invasive fractional flow reserve (FFR) measurements for guiding coronary interventions. Cathworks' lead product is a real time, digital platform for the determination of FFR in the catheterization laboratory during procedures in under 5 minutes using standard angiographic images. The company uses a proprietary series of algorithms to reconstruct the coronary tree in three dimensions from standard angiograms and to provide the clinician with a complete FFR analysis in all visible coronary arteries simultaneously.
The latest funding will allow CathWorks to conduct a global pivotal trial to support 510K FDA approval. The company received a CE Mark on its lead product earlier this year.
CathWorks technology has the potential to both disrupt the existing FFR market and to provide clinicians the capacity to integrate coronary images with lesion physiology in real time. The "functional angiography" developed by Cathworks provides clinicians, for the first time, the ability to correlate anatomy and physiology at the point of care for the purpose of performing guideline driven intervention.
CathWorks founder and CEO Guy Lavi said, "FFR has become a standard in the enablement of evidence-based treatment in coronary catheterizations. We intend to make FFR accessible to more patients by facilitating its widespread application without the use of invasive wires or the infusion of adenosine. We are delighted to receive the support of such an experienced group of investors."
Triventures managing partner Dr. Peter Fitzgerald said, "We are enthusiastic that CathWorks' digital FFR platform can both improve patient care and reduce costs while enhancing workflow in the cath lab. By applying novel mathematical approaches to measuring flow reserve, CathWorks makes real time virtual FFR a reality. Clinical testing in more than 400 patients has made me confident in the sensitivity and specificity of the CathWorks product as compared to wire based FFR."
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on October 3, 2017
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