Fitting corrective medical devices to a growing child is highly complex — particularly when they’ve got congenital cardiovascular conditions. Boston startup 480 Biomedical is developing a self-expanding scaffold that can be resorbed by the body to treat such disorders in children.
The company just received $1 million in Phase II funding from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute to continue this work.
The medical device targets pediatric pulmonary artery stenosis, a congenital condition that causes the narrowing of the branches of the pulmonary artery. It affects about 2,500 infants and children in the U.S., according to the company.
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The company’s prototype is as strong as a metal stent, which is the standard stenosis treatment in adults but is a poor choice for pediatric care because it can become restrictive as a patient grows. 480 Biomedical’s expanding bit of scaffolding holds important arteries open, but is resorbed over the course of a year and can be replaced by another with minimally invasive surgery via a small, flexible catheter.
“There has not been a significant advance in this area in decades,” Robert Lederman, senior investigator and chief of cardiovascular intervention at the NHLBI, said in a statement.
He referred to 480 Biomedical as “the right team” to develop this critical pediatric issue, and is “excited about the progress made to date.”
The company has developed a prototype of the scaffolding, and the NHLBI will begin a clinical study of the product.
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[Image of a 480 Biomedical’s scaffolding, courtesy of the company’s website]
