Capstan Medical designed its mitral coronary heart valve implant with a self-expanding nitinol body. | Supply: Capstan Medical
Coronary heart illness continues to be a number one explanation for dying within the U.S., killing almost 700,000 People every year, in keeping with the Facilities for Illness Management. Santa Cruz, Calif.-based Capstan Medical mentioned it has been working to merge surgical robotics with catheter-based know-how utilizing supplies reminiscent of nitinol, in addition to next-generation implants.
Maggie Nixon, CEO of Capstan Medical, just lately offered an replace on the startup‘s surgical robots and her perspective on minimally invasive medical know-how. She additionally mentioned her group’s work with nitinol, current funding from Intuitive Ventures, and what she has discovered about management for the reason that former Intuitive Surgical engineer-turned-executive turned Capstan’s CEO.
Nitinol is an almost equiatomic steel alloy of nickel and titanium with distinctive properties, together with superelasticity (additionally known as pseudoelasticity) and form reminiscence. Superelasticity or pseudoelasticity means medical-grade nitinol reveals nice elasticity below stress and might snap again to its authentic form when strain is launched.
The alloy’s properties enable medical gadgets to compress to a decrease profile when being positioned in a affected person utilizing a catheter. Implants made from nitinol reminiscent of coronary heart valves can develop to their supposed dimension and form on the web site of implantation and stay contained in the affected person. In the meantime, nitinol remedy gadgets reminiscent of ablation catheters can develop contained in the physique, deal with focused tissue, after which compress once more for retrieval.
Form reminiscence means medical-grade nitinol can bear in mind its authentic form and return to it when heated. For instance, some catheter-delivered implants are designed to develop to their pre-formed form at physique temperature for everlasting placement.
The excerpts under have been evenly edited for house and readability.
Capstan works carefully with nitinol suppliers
Is there something Capstan has discovered about nitinol that you would share with our readers?
Nixon: A few of it’s in our secret sauce, so we prefer to be delicate to it. However what I say greater than something is you’ve received to associate along with your producers. We work so carefully with not simply our nitinol uncooked materials suppliers ensuring that we’re getting a constant provide chain arrange, however we work so carefully with our producer by means of our improvement course of and implementation, all through their pilot line transfers and whatnot.
If you happen to view that as one thing the place you throw it over the wall to a provider and count on that you just’re going to get one thing again that works, it’s simply not the way it works. Nitinol is amongst our closest provider relationships, and we navigate these very rigorously as a result of we view that as a partnership.
Do you wish to give a shout-out to any of the companions that you just’re working with on nitinol?
Nixon: We work with Admedes in Germany, and they’re improbable companions.
Capstan CEO Maggie Nixon. | Supply: Capstan Medical
Nixon shares classes in management
What have you ever discovered about management because you turned CEO?
Nixon: I stepped in in 2022 to steer Occam Labs, which is the incubator that Capstan has come out of. After which in 2023, I moved into the centered Capstan Medical CEO position.
So I went from Intuitive — which was 12,000 or 13,000 individuals — into an organization that was 15 individuals. The very first thing I did was constructed a desk and a chair and and received my pc working. And probably the most unbelievable a part of all of it’s simply the vitality round what we’re looking for to perform. That’s been the thrilling factor.
We’ve grown our group to most likely slightly over 75 on the Capstan aspect alone, however actually what it’s about is everyone’s received that very same mentality and fervour as we’re looking for to deal with this house and the creativity that we’re bringing to the desk so as to deal with it in a brand new method.
Conserving that momentum is one in every of my greatest priorities as a frontrunner within the coming years for Capstan. That foundational vitality from the group goes to gas us simply as a lot because the {dollars} that come by means of the fundraises.
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Intuitive nonetheless a key a part of the community
And all the things’s pleasant with Intuitive Surgical?
Nixon: My time at intuitive was immensely invaluable, and I’m nonetheless shut associates and collaborators with them.
Intuitive Ventures continued their funding, and I feel the world of all the things that Intuitive is doing. I nonetheless use them deeply in my community.
Do you have got recommendation for get in entrance of Intuitive Ventures or make a deal occur?
Nixon: Muriel Thinard McLane and Vivian Golfin (De Ruijter) and that group are so lively. At a number of the funding conferences, you’ll see them on panels and whatnot. Actually, one of the simplest ways to have interaction with them is seize them at a type of conferences.
No less than that’s my perspective. They’re continuously scanning the setting for for unbelievable alternatives, and they’re among the most lively, particularly within the early-stage conferences.”
Editor’s word: This text was syndicated from The Robotic Report sibling web site Medical Design and Outsourcing.
