Today Lithuanian medical device company Sentante announced the closing of a €6 million Seed funding round led by Practica Capital with the participation of the EIC fund.
Endovascular management of cardiovascular diseases, such as stroke, heart attacks, and peripheral artery disease, involves over six million procedures annually.
Despite the market's size and innovation, the procedure has remained largely unchanged for over four decades.
Physicians typically operate next to an X-ray source while wearing heavy lead aprons, manually navigating catheters and guidewires inserted into the patient's vascular system. This method poses a heightened risk of medical errors and complications due to the non-ergonomic workspace and serious occupational hazards from prolonged X-ray exposure.
Sentante is an innovative teleoperated robotic system developed by UAB Inovatyvi Medicina.
It allows an entire endovascular intervention to be performed remotely, from a different room, so physicians and the entire medical team can work without exposure to harmful X-ray radiation.
Sentante will be easily incorporated into existing treatment workflow, as it uses the same medical devices as in a manual procedure.
In the future,it will allow physicians to perform endovascular treatment from a remote hospital, eliminating the need for physical patient transfer.
This innovation bears profound significance, particularly in critical cases such as stroke, where each passing minute significantly impacts the chances of a good outcome.
According to Edvardas Satkauskas, co-founder and CEO of Sentante:
"We appreciate the trust and support from our new investors to help us reach our critical milestones. Sentante will revolutionise the way endovascular procedures are performed and we are looking forward to introducing our robotic system into clinical practice.
Our innovative robotic technology will digitise and improve the procedure by empowering physicians to work with better accuracy, precision, and safety."
Dr. Tomas Baltrunas, co-founder and Chief Medical Officer of the company shared:
"We look forward to initiating the first-in-human clinical study in 2024, marking a pivotal milestone that will showcase Sentante's capabilities in peripheral vascular interventions.
Controlled intuitively via conventional endovascular devices as the interface, the Sentante robotic system senses operators' movements, providing a near-natural haptic force feedback experience. Even when working remotely, I can experience the same sensation of catheter and guidewire resistance as if I were physically present beside the patient."
Tomas Andriuškevičius, partner at Practica Capital, stated:
"We are thrilled to partner with Sentante, a company that aligns perfectly with our philosophy of supporting transformative innovations.
With its unique teleoperated endovascular intervention system, Sentante is set to redefine surgical practices globally, improving patient outcomes and medical professionals' well-being.
This investment underscores our commitment to advancing healthcare technologies that have the potential to create a significant, positive impact worldwide."
Svetoslava Georgieva, Chair of the EIC Fund Board, said:
"The EIC Fund aims to back European innovators in scaling their journey, and Sentante is a great example of how the European Union is helping top innovators.
The EIC Fund's ambitious commitment, alongside other investors, is an important step to boost their development."
The company will use the proceeds from the financing for the planned clinical trial of the Sentante robotic system and commercial launch preparation in targeted international markets.
Lead image: Sentante. Photo: uncredited.
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