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On December 11, 2024, Capstan Medical successfully raised $110 million (approximately 800 million RMB) from an oversubscribed Series C financing round. The round was led by Eclipse, with participation from existing investors such as Yu Galaxy and Intuitive Ventures, while also bringing in new investor Gideon Strategic Partners.Capstan Medical focuses on developing robotic platforms for structural heart surgery and catheter-delivered cardiac implants for mitral and tricuspid valve replacement.Capstan Medical Successfully Raised Funds in Series C Financing$110 million, bringing the company's total financing to over$150 million。Maggie Nixon, CEO of Capstan Medical, said in an interview with MassDevice that for the developmentThe Next PhaseBusiness: The company has received strong support, and the purpose of this round of financing is to drive the next wave of technological innovation in surgical robots.Previously,On August 9, 2023, Capstan Medical announced the completion$31.4 Million Series B Financing. Led by Eclipse,Intuitive Venturesand Puma Venture Capital followed with additional investment, andAppointed Justin Butler, a partner at Eclipse, as a member of its board of directors.Dan Wallace (Left) and Maggie Nixon (Right)Investors' confidence in Capstan Medical may stem from the resumes and experience of its two founders.Dan
Wallace，Founder and Chief Technology Officer,With experience at renowned surgical robotics and valve companies such as Intuitive Surgical, Hansen Medical, Auris Health (acquired by Johnson & Johnson), and Cephea Valve Technologies (acquired by Abbott).
Maggie Nixon，Founder and CEO,With over 20 years of experience working at Intuitive Surgical.
Heart disease isOne of the top 10 leading causes of death among American patients, claiming nearly7 millionAmerican lives.
Image source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)According to incomplete data statistics, a total of 175,300 heart valve replacements were performed in the United States in 2018, including 99,800 surgical bioprosthetic valves and 60,300 interventional bioprosthetic valves.The 5-year survival rate of patients with moderate to severe valvular disease is only 20% if they do not receive treatment.Traditional heart valve surgery remains highly invasive and has a longer recovery time.And currently, there are no FDA-approved transcatheter mitral or tricuspid valve replacement systems available, so heart valve replacement still largely relies on manual procedures.Capstan Medical is developingNew Generation Heart Valve ImplantsAndThe world's first transcatheter robotic delivery platformThis is a solution that can treat mitral and tricuspid valve diseases through a catheter while the heart is beating.
Capstan Medical Cardiac Robotic Surgery SystemThrough minimally invasive methodsInsert the catheter into the patient's heart；ThenOperating Robotic Delivery Platform, accurately positioning the heart valve implant to the location of the original valve that needs replacement or repair;Can monitor and adjust the position and angle of the catheter in real time to adapt to different anatomical structures, lesion types, and pathological conditions;
Capstan Medical's Mitral Valve ImplantNext, the doctor releases the heart valve implant through the robotic delivery platform, allowing it to expand and secure itself in the position of the original valve.Open-heart surgery refers to a surgical procedure performed by opening the chest cavity to gain visual access and operating on the heart muscle, valves, or arteries.It takes 3-6 hours, and the patient's chest will be opened 8 to 10 inches.Thoracotomy is usuallyTrigger a variety of complications,Such as complications of the respiratory system, anemia, neurological complications, wound and respiratory tract infections, impact on upper limb movement, and incisional hernia.Capstan Medical's Delivery Catheter and Mitral Valve ImplantCapstan MedicalFor patientsProvide a less invasive alternative, while ensuring the precise placement of heart valve implants, significantly shortening patient recovery time, and minimizing the risk of complications.Transcatheter treatment can address heart valve disease through a small incision in the groin, whileWithoutAccording to open-heart surgeryRequire stopping the heartbeat or opening the chest。This technology can reduce the patient's recovery time from several months to just a few weeks, and even the most critically ill patients can undergo such surgery.# Technical Details SharingAt the time of announcing the details of this financing, company founder Maggie Nixon shared some insights on surgical robotics technology.The latest developments.
Maggie Nixon said, "We have establishedRobot Architecture and Catheter Range of Motion, allowing doctors to precisely reach the target location in the heart to optimize the placement of the implant.Currently making the device easier for clinicians to operate.Plan the path through preoperative CT images and use technical guidance to reach the designated position.Simplified the navigation process for doctors.In terms of control, the companyIntroduced new coordinated motion control functions, replacing simple button operations with more advanced coordination algorithms. As more clinicians operate these devices, we will gain valuable experience.In the past three months,The Clinical Advisory Board conducted rigorous testing on our device."This helps us design the next generation of products. Currently, we have finalized the configuration for the first human trials. Meanwhile, based on user feedback, we are transitioning from an Xbox controller to a custom controller to meet the actual user interface needs during pre-critical and critical activities."
Capstan Medical is developing a robotic platform and catheter delivery system for cardiac implants used in mitral and tricuspid valve replacement procedures.In the field of structural heart disease, the tricuspid valve has received unprecedented attention. With the launch of TriClip and Evoque products,Capstan Medical Gained valuable market insights.
According to this,Capstan Medical Optimized the size and geometry of the implant and improved its folding mechanism. Currently, the companyPreclinical studies are underway, including chronic animal implantation experiments.. These studies will continue until the first half of next year, followed by the initiation of formal verification and validation processes, as well as the first human surgery.Numerous clinical studies have revealed the distribution curve of tricuspid valve sizes, with some being on the smaller side and others on the larger side. When observing patients,Capstan Medical NotedThe degree of annular dilation was greater than expected.. In view of this,Capstan Medical It was decided to slightly increase the originally selected standard size to better target the median of the size distribution and more precisely meet the needs of the majority of patients.Demand.
The mitral valve on the left side of the heart differs significantly from the tricuspid valve on the right, primarily in terms of pressure. The pressure in the tricuspid valve area is lower, so it does not require the same rigid supporting structure as the mitral valve.Capstan Medical Committed toEnsure compatibility of implants with various anatomical structures, maintaining its good compliance to adapt to the existing anatomical features.
Capstan Medical Developed by the companyModular robotic platform capable of adapting to various catheter tools.These catheters use a unified backend interface on the robotic platform, and the operations for the tricuspid and mitral valves differ: for mitral valve surgery, the catheter needs to enter from the right side of the heart, cross the interatrial septum, and reach the left side.
Tricuspid valve surgery, however, does not require crossing the interatrial septum but directly accessing the tricuspid valve area, which leads to different movement requirements for the catheter. Each catheter has specific specifications to allow precise navigation to particular areas of the heart.
Capstan Medical was founded in 2020, originating from Occam Labs. The company's founders have extensive experience in both startups and commercial medical technology.
They formed a team together with founding engineers Spencer Noe and Peter Gregg.Simultaneously developing implants, catheters, and surgical robotic platforms,Bringing Minimally Invasive Solutions to Cardiac Surgery.
Currently, the company has not disclosed more information about the product, and MedRobot will continue to follow up.The Subsequent Development of Capstan Medical。
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