Route 92 Medical collects $111M for its brain blood clot-clearing devices
Summary
Route 92 Medical, the stealthy California developer of a catheter-based blood clot removal system for people suffering from stroke, has secured $111 million in funding to help complete its clinical testing and carry its device through the FDA. In addition, while traditional approaches have involved pushing a thin guidewire through the clot itself to move an aspiration catheter or stent retriever into position, Route 92’s device is designed to reach its mark without disturbing the occlusion. “We believe that our catheter technology featuring the Monopoint operating system will ultimately serve as a platform to revolutionize neurovascular aspiration thrombectomy for large vessel occlusions,” Route 92’s co-founder and CEO, Tony Chou, said in a statement. “The company’s Monopoint system featuring the Tenzing Delivery Catheter is well-positioned in the rapidly growing neurovascular market.” While the company has been largely quiet about its progress—despite attaining 510(k) clearances from the FDA in 2018 and 2020 (PDFs) for percutaneous catheter access devices—earlier this week, data from a first-in-human study was published in the BMJ’s Journal of NeuroInterventional Surgery. A final reperfusion rate affecting at least the target area was achieved in 96% of patients, with about a third of those cases employing secondary devices and multiple passes.