German MedTech Startup Protembis Secures $10M Series A Funding to Advance ProtEmbo® Cerebral Protection System for Cardiac Interventions

VCBeat (WeChat ID: vcbeat) has learned that Protembis GmbH (hereinafter referred to as “Protembis”), a medical technology startup headquartered in Aachen, Germany, completed a $10 million Series A financing round on October 26, 2018, local time. Investors included Abiomed Inc. and coparion. Details of previous financing rounds were not disclosed.

Protembis, founded in 2013, is currently developing an innovative cerebral protection system designed to minimize the risk of particle embolization to the brain during interventional cardiac procedures. With new capital, Protembis plans to conduct further clinical studies at renowned heart centers in Europe and the United States, and advance its product toward market maturity.

Image source: Protembis official website

Currently, interventional therapy for heart valves primarily involves implanting a prosthetic heart valve to replace the calcified native aortic valve. This procedure requires delivering the prosthetic heart valve via a catheter into the left ventricle, specifically to the site of the calcified native valve (a process known as Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation, also referred to as “TAVI” or “TAVR”). The prosthetic valve is then expanded, pressing the defective native valve against the vessel wall, thereby assuming its function. TAVI is a faster and less invasive procedure that can be performed on a beating heart. Compared with conventional open-heart valve replacement surgery, it reduces surgical pain and shortens hospital stays for patients.

However, both surgical procedures carry the risk of calcified fragments detaching from the patient’s own heart valves or aorta, migrating to the brain via the bloodstream, which may cause stroke or other neurological complications. Currently, there are no medications that can completely protect patients from this threat.

Latest clinical studies indicate that up to 9% of patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) suffer from stroke.

The Protembis team has capitalized on a market gap in this field by developing a novel cerebral protection system known as “ProtEmbo.” ProtEmbo is a catheter-based filtration device that is implanted into the patient’s left radial artery prior to transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) and removed after the procedure. This approach filters calcified debris generated during TAVI, preventing its migration to the brain. The filter’s permeable material covers all arteries supplying the brain while allowing blood cells to flow freely. Additionally, heparin coating on the filter surface prevents intraoperative clotting and thrombus formation.

Image source: Protembis official website

Currently, the efficacy of this technology has been confirmed. Protembis has successfully demonstrated the preliminary safety and feasibility of ProtEmbo in its first-in-human clinical study.

“With demographic shifts and the rising number of minimally invasive heart valve procedures, the importance of corresponding cerebral protection protocols continues to grow. Protembis holds significant potential in this rapidly expanding niche,” said Markus Krückemeier, Managing Director of Seed Fonds III.

Protembis, a medical device startup founded in 2013 and headquartered in Aachen, Germany, envisions integrating the ProtEmbo® system into every interventional procedure with a risk of neurological injury, thereby fundamentally enhancing procedural safety. In its early stages, Protembis received sponsorship from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi).