Cardiovasc

Cardiovasc has a technology for growing functional endothelial cells in places where they normally do not grow. The company's two-part platform is built on a surface activation process that covalently bonds agents to materials, and a synthetic peptide, P-15, that attracts and anchors endothelial cells. The company's initial product will be a catheter-delivered stent, coated with the peptide, designed to encourage complete endothelialization and renew the interiors of aged and failing saphenous vein coronary bypass grafts.

The endothelium, the thin layer of cells that lines blood vessels and controls vascular function, holds the key to vascular health. Injuries or disruptions to the endothelial lining lead to thrombosis and hyperplasia, the leading causes in the failure of grafts and stents used to treat cardiovascular disease. Lack of endothelial lining is particularly problematic for small diameter vessels that cannot tolerate vessel lumen encroachment.

These problems occur in coronary bypass grafts taken from the patient's saphenous veins or other autologous vessels, where the natural...

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