The sale of the rights to Karolinska Institutet Innovations AB project Extroducer to the company Smart Wise AB is KI Innovations second major deal in fewer than six months. The device is a microcatheter with unique features that make it possible to deliver drugs directly to hard- to-reach organs. The microcatheter was developed by three researchers in the fields of neuroscience and materials science under the leadership of KI Innovations.
“This is an innovation that takes the minimally-invasive interventions to a whole new level,” says Lilian Wikström, CEO of KI Innovations.
The Extroducer can be navigated through the bloodstream to inaccessible tissues; for example, to deliver drugs or cells locally. The product makes it possible to use blood vessels as internal paths in the body.
Purchaser Smart Wise will contribute to the further development of the microcatheter for applications in regenerative therapies for cardiovascular diseases, according to KI Innovations.
The microcatheter was developed by Staffan Holmin, professor of clinical neuroimaging at the Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet and senior physician in neuroradiology at the Karolinska University Hospital; Johan Lundberg, PhD resident physician in neuroradiology; and Stefan Jonsson, professor of materials science from KTH and research engineer at Karolinska Institutet with the support of KI Innovations.
“Support from KI Innovations has been invaluable, both during development and commercialization,” says Holmin. “The agreements we have signed with Smart Wise would not have been possible without their professional project management and business support.”
Source: Karolinska Institutet Innovations AB
