Michigan’s CytoPherx gets $2M investment for anti-inflammation devices

ANN ARBOR, Michigan – CytoPherx Inc. has received a $2 million investment to develop devices that treat renal disease and inflammation caused by cardiopulmonary bypass surgery, according to a regulatory filing.

The two-year-old company is developing hollow-fiber dialysis filters that are used to isolate and deactivate white blood cells in a patient’s blood system.

CytoPherx was formerly known as Nephrion Inc. The company’s new name comes from the term “cytopheresis,” a therapeutic technique of removing red or white blood cells from patients with blood disorders.

The company has raised about $6.5 million in funding since its inception, according to regulatory filings.

Cardiopulmonary bypass surgery is frequently associated with inflammation due to blood contact with the artificial bypass surface, restricted blood supply and hypothermia, according to a 2004 article in the journal Clinical Anaesthesiology. With its devices, CytoPherx aims to relieve that inflammation.

The company’s chief financial officer did not return two calls seeking comment.