Anteris Technologies Ltd (ASX:AVR, OTC:AMEUF) and technology partner v2vmedtech, inc have reached the concept lock stage on the first phase of development for the next generation Transcatheter Edge to Edge Repair (TEER) system for mitral and tricuspid valve regurgitation.
The two structural heart companies are developing the new TEER system for patients with mitral and tricuspid valve disease, where damaged valves cause blood to leak between the ventricles and atriums of the heart.
TEER is fast becoming the primary intervention for the disease but current marketed systems have limitations that prevent optimal procedural outcomes or limit eligibility for certain patient groups.
Anteris says its new VClip™ is designed to address these unmet needs and provide better outcomes for patients.
Driving innovation in structural heart medicine
“Today’s concept lock provides us important proof of concept data,” v2vmedtech chief medical officer Dr Vinayak Bapat said.
“Working closely with engineers and leading interventional cardiologists has allowed us to proceed rapidly as we drive innovation in the TEER space.”
About 2.5% of the US population has valvular heart disease – in 2021 there were 3,631 deaths due to rheumatic valvular heart disease and 23,143 deaths due to non-rheumatic valvular heart disease in the United States.
It’s also considered an under-diagnosed disease. The Baker Heart and Diabetes Research Institute estimates between 500,000 and 600,000 Australians were living with heart valve disease in 2021, with an estimated 254,000 remaining undiagnosed and thus untreated.
“Achieving this milestone is an important step as we advance VClip™ toward a first-in-human study,” Anteris Technology chief operating officer and v2vmedtech CEO David St Denis said.
“Applying the same physician-led collaborative design model as we successfully deployed in the development of DurAVR™ has allowed us to make significant progress in a rapid manner.”
Anteris is also developing DurAVR™, a transcatheter heart valve (THV) for treating aortic stenosis.
Designed in partnership with the world’s leading interventional cardiologists and cardiac surgeons, it’s the first transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) to use a single piece of bioengineered tissue.
The biomimetic valve is uniquely shaped to mimic the performance of a healthy human aortic valve.
Read: Anteris Technologies releases promising first-in-human data for DurAVR™ heart valve