BrightWater Medical, Inc. says it has successfully completed a Series A financing round for $5.2 million which will cover initial costs for product development, intellectual property, and regulatory filings for BrightWater’s innovative ConvertX™ Nephroureteral Stent System and will accelerate its on-going, advanced development towards US and European approvals.
Background
The ConvertX System is designed to eliminate the need for a second invasive interventional procedure in more than 300,000 patients treated for severe ureteral obstructions annually. It consists of a single device that is intended to replace a series of two separate invasive procedures to treat severe obstructions of the ureters, which convey urine from the kidneys to the bladder. In the two traditional procedures, the interventional radiologist first implants a nephrostomy catheter to externally drain urine and in the second procedure implants a nephroureteral “NU stent” to circumvent the blockage. The ConvertX System, in contrast, is implanted only once and converts from a nephroureteral catheter to an NU stent, without the need for sedation or local anesthesia, in less than one minute.
The newly announced funding round was led by OSF Ventures, the corporate investment arm of regional health system OSF HealthCare, and included investments from angel groups and private investors.
Company comments
“BrightWater and the ConvertX System embody the emerging technologies we target that have the potential to improve patient outcomes and reduce the financial burden to the health care system,” said Kevin Schoeplein, CEO of OSF HealthCare. “Our venture program is focused on companies that provide innovative solutions beneficial to our system as well as to the broader health care market.”
“We’re gratified to be partnered with a group of investors who share our mission to improve the patient experience and reduce health care costs,” explained leading interventional radiologist Bob Smouse, M.D., founder and CEO of BrightWater Medical and Associate Professor of Radiology & Surgery at the University of Illinois College of Medicine. “Being selected and vetted by a health care system with such vast clinical expertise provides us with operational, medical and industry expertise along with relationships that will be instrumental as we move towards commercialization.”
Source: Business Wire
