PRESS RELEASE
Amsterdam, 16/11/2023
StarTric is poised to revolutionize the treatment of tricuspid heart valve regurgitation with the first minimally invasive, transcatheter approach that replicates the Clover surgical technique.
Tricuspid regurgitation (TR) is a very serious and widespread cardiovascular disease. It results in reduced oxygenation of the whole body, seriously impacting quality of life and causing atrial fibrillation, heart failure and high mortality. TR affects 0.4% of the total population and 4% of those above 75 years of age, that is about 4 million patients in Europe and 70 million patients worldwide. Open-heart surgery has historically proven to be effective, but it is applied to only less than 3% of patients; all others, in particular the more fragile ones, cannot be treated because of its dramatic operational mortality (9%).
A few years ago, a first-generation of minimally invasive technologies, not originally conceived for the tricuspid valve but adapted from mitral application, was introduced to address these untreated patients. By consolidated clinical evidence this first-generation of technologies is failing its goal: it can effectively treat only a minority of patients, leaving the need for a safe, effective and accessible tricuspid repair therapy widely unmet, if not exacerbated.
StarTric can address this significant and widely recognized unmet need. StarTric is the first and only minimally invasive repair technology, conceived specifically for the tricuspid valve as a transcatheter replica of one of the most effective open surgery techniques, the Clover.
StarTric technology consists of a tiny device that can be easily adapted to fit the patient anatomy and safely implanted with a beating heart, by means of a transfemoral catheter, producing the end result and outcomes of the Clover technique, and addressing the therapeutic need of the vast population of TR patients.
Daniele Zanotti, CEO, and Eugenio Passanante, COO & CFO, are leading this venture. Daniele has a strong scientific and business background, including a track record of successful launch of technology start-up’s and CEO value creation in several clinical areas, such as structural heart diseases and vascular therapies. Eugenio, first CEO and founder, led the venture through the feasibility and first funding rounds, now contributing with a double expertise of high-tech cardiac products distributor and venture finance. Based in Italy, but with an international outlook, their mission is to develop and establish StarTric as a standard-of-care for the TR patients worldwide. The StarTric team notably includes KOLs Prof. Ottavio Alfieri and Prof. Michele De Bonis, co-founders and pioneers of the Clover technique.
“From the beginning, we recognized the great possibility to make a serious impact for the many patients suffering from TR, with the unique potential of democratising treatment by transferring the successful clinical outcomes of the Clover surgical technique to the StarTric transcatheter repair device. Today, StarTric’s journey takes an exciting new direction, reinforced by a strengthened leadership team and the valuable support of NLC’s network” states Eugenio Passanante.
“After many years spent in taking medtech innovations from drawing board to market, StarTric represents the most motivating and impacting endeavour I have ever led. With a stellar clinical and technical team, a solid design concept, and now an ideal venture partner such as NLC, we have a serious opportunity to become a game changer in the structural heart, tricuspid arena. Our vision is not limited to transfer the efficacy of open surgery at its best to a transcatheter device, but also to make this device accessible to most cardiac centers and patients, by pushing ahead the current limits of usability and precise patient personalisation”, says Daniele Zanotti.
Since its kick-off in 2020, Startric’s technology has met all feasibility requirements, while advanced prototypes have been successfully tested for safety and functionality on ex vivo and in vivo swine models, including pathological ones. The next step consists of reaching the design freeze of the final product, on which to perform pre-clinical and clinical validation.
About NLC – The European Healthtech Venture Builder
NLC is the leading European healthtech venture builder. NLC identifies top-notch early-stage healthcare inventions and brings them to market, acting as the connecting link between technology innovation and entrepreneurship in medtech, biotech and digital health. To optimize patient care and enhance its positive and sustainable impact, NLC collaborates with corporates such as Philips and healthcare and academic research institutions such as Oxford University and Mayo Clinic.
NLC is a certified B Corp and supports UN Sustainable Development Goals 3, 9, 17. With its growing team of more than 80 professionals and over 110 portfolio ventures built across 11 European countries, NLC is currently expanding its impact-driven operations to the US and the Gulf region.
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FOR MORE INFORMATION
Startric
Daniele Zanotti
CEO
Eugenio Passanante
COO & CFO
Website