Protembis, a German medical device technology startup, has secured €20 Million ($21.8 million) in venture-debt financing from the European Investment Bank (EIB) to develop a revolutionary medical device known as “ProtEmbo” for protecting the brains of those undergoing heart treatment procedures.
Co-founded in 2013 by Karl von Mangoldt, Conrad Rasmus, and Oliver Schumacher, the startup aims to develop and commercialize cutting-edge technologies to help reduce the grave side effects for heart surgery.
According to the company’s announcement on Tuesday, July 30, the new financing would support the research, development, clinical trials, and commercialization of “ProtEmbo.” The latest capital boost comes a few months after Protembis closed its series B funding in March 2024, securing €30 million to support its pivotal clinical study for FDA approval.
ProtEmbo is a catheter-based innovative cerebral embolic protection system designed to deflect embolic material from arteries to the brain during left-side heart procedures such as transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR).
TAVR is an X-ray-guided surgical procedure often used to replace a narrowed aortic valve that fails to open fully. Unlike open-heart surgery, TAVR is minimally invasive as it involves minor incisions.
When used during such complex heart procedures, the device can help counter the adverse risks associated with such delicate procedures, including cognitive decline and stroke.
New Technology for a Safer TAVR
By 2025, the surgical approach is expected to help treat about 430,000 patients with severe forms of aortic stenosis. Despite being minimally invasive, TAVR has the risk of dislodging debris forming part of the aortic arch and the old aortic valve.
Dislodged aortic lining debris can travel through major arteries originating from the roof of the aortic arch, causing a blockage in the smaller blood vessels in the brain. The blockage may result in lesions that can trigger stroke or rapid cognitive decline.
However, ProtEmbo has been designed to solve this problem. The filter device is inserted in the artery through the left wrist to protect the brain from the detached debris by lining the upper part of the aortic arch.
