Healionics Secures $4.5M Funding to Advance STARgraft Vascular Graft for Kidney Failure Treatment

On September 29, 2019, VCBeat (WeChat ID: vcbeat) learned that medical device company Healionics announced the completion of a $4.5 million financing round, with investors in this round not yet disclosed.

Healionics plans to use the funding to advance the first-in-human study of the STARgraft vascular graft.

Healionics, founded in 2007 and headquartered in Washington State, USA, is a medical device company dedicated to providing more effective dialysis treatments for patients with kidney failure. The company has developed STARgraft, a novel vascular graft that offers an innovative therapy for dialysis patients. STARgraft is designed to address the issues of occlusion and infection associated with current devices.

Healionics has collaborated with multiple research organizations in Seattle, USA, that have developed innovative medical devices required for the treatment of kidney failure. These organizations include the University of Washington, Northwest Kidney Centers, Kidney Research Institute, and the Center for Dialysis Innovation. Notably, the University of Washington invented the first vascular access device and early dialysis machines, while Northwest Kidney Centers established the world’s first outpatient dialysis center.

Vascular Graft InfectionVascular graft infection is a complication of vascular transplantation, with an incidence rate of 1%–5% and a mortality rate of 14%–58%. Most vascular graft infections occur within two months postoperatively. The most common pathogen causing graft infection is Staphylococcus aureus, which may result from direct contamination of the prosthetic graft or from infection in adjacent tissues.

Clinical study data show that, compared with vascular grafts currently on the market, STARgraft demonstrates significantly superior ability to maintain blood flow, thereby reducing healthcare costs and patient morbidity and improving the quality of life for dialysis patients.

# Renal FailureRenal failure is a pathological condition characterized by partial or complete loss of kidney function, resulting from the progression of various chronic kidney diseases to their late stages. Patients with renal failure typically suffer from impaired kidney function due to insufficient renal blood supply, obstruction caused by certain factors, or toxic injury.

Over 500,000 people in the United States suffer from kidney failure and require frequent dialysis to filter waste products from their blood. Current methods for establishing and maintaining routine hemodialysis access are unreliable. Vascular grafts are implanted in patients to create a dialysis access with sufficient blood flow; however, these grafts often occlude rapidly, necessitating repeated interventional procedures, and are frequently prone to infection.

Mike Connolly, CEO of Healionics, stated, “We warmly welcome the participation of angel investors and venture capitalists in this round of financing, and we also thank our existing investors for their continued support. The clinical trials represent a significant milestone for Healionics as we advance toward regulatory approval and the commercialization of STARgraft.”

(Compiled by Hu Yifan)