Novuson Surgical awarded $1.47M grant

Award by NIH is to mitigate the effects of perioperative bleeding in surgically reconstructed great vessels in neonates utilizing Direct Therapeutic Ultrasound.


Bothell, Washington – Novuson Surgical, a medical device company, has been awarded a $1.47 million Phase 2 SBIR grant by the National Institute of Health's (NIH) National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) to further develop a novel approach to mitigate the effects of perioperative bleeding in surgically reconstructed great vessels in neonates utilizing a therapeutic modality of ultrasound.

Novuson, a spinout from the University of Washington's highly regarded Applied Physics Laboratory's Center for Industrial and Medical Ultrasound, was founded by Stuart B Mitchell, PhD and his partner Francesco P. Curra, PhD.

"Our overarching research objective is to mitigate the effects of perioperative bleeding in surgically reconstructed great vessels, thus reducing the perinatal morbidity and mortality associated with surgical procedures." said Stuart B. Mitchell, PhD, chief scientific officer of Novuson. "We are honored that the NHLBI has awarded us this grant. We believe that this technology will have a significant positive impact on patient outcomes.

"The reconstruction of the aortic arch in children with severe congenital heart disease often requires transection of the great vessels. Due to the complex nature of the repair, the anatomy of the neonatal arch, and the anti-coagulation regimen that is required during the cardio-pulmonary bypass, perioperative bleeding is a significant, important and frequent complication. There is a critical, unmet clinical need for an effective method to effect perioperative hemostasis in such patients".

About Novuson Surgical
Novuson Surgical is a privately held company based in Bothell, WA. Novuson Surgical's patented technology delivers Direct Therapeutic Ultrasound (DTU) energy for cauterization and hemostatic control without transmission of electricity through the patient, and provides safety and predictability in the most critical surgical applications.

About the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NHLBI, provides global leadership for a research, training, and education program to promote the prevention and treatment of heart, lung, and blood diseases and enhance the health of all individuals so that they can live longer and more fulfilling lives.

Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R44HL124683. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

Source: Novuson Surgical Inc.