Olathe-based Metactive lands $1.5M, two medical patents
March 21, 2017 | Meghan LeVota
Olathe-based medical device company Metactive released a pair of positive announcements for the firm.
Dr. Nick Franano
In addition to being awarded two patents, the firm closed on a $1.5 million Series A funding round — bringing its total raised to over $9 million. The round was co-led by the Mid-America Angels and an unnamed investor. Previously, the firm has engaged in partnerships with the Kansas Bioscience Authority and the National Institutes of Health.
Metactive Medical focuses on the creation of embolization devices that fights cancer. It’s latest, the Blockstent Microcatheter for embolization of peripheral arteries and veins and the Ballstent Microcatheter for embolization of cerebral aneurysms, are now patented.
CEO Nick Franano said that the issuance of these patents gives Metactive exclusive rights in the U.S. and international market. He added that the capital will help accelerate the firm.
“This new funding provides Metactive with the resources to continue the development and testing of its novel embolization devices,” Franano said in a release. “Our preclinical study results show that both devices routinely provide immediate, complete, and durable occlusion, something that market leading coils, flow diverting stents, and mesh vascular plugs can’t deliver. We look forward to a time when standing in the interventional suite wearing heavy lead protective garments, placing multiple devices, and performing serial angiography waiting for a vessel to occlude will no longer be required to complete an embolization procedure.”
Embolization is a treatment that blocks the flow of blood in specific segments of arteries and veins, enabling doctors to divert blood away from cancerous tumors and other abnormal tissues. More than 150,000 peripheral vascular embolization procedures are performed each year around the world using coils and vascular plugs, which can be difficult to use and often result in incomplete treatment.
Franano is also the CEO of Flow Forward Medical, which recently raised $1 million for its vascular health device.
2017 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Q&A: Troy Nash grew up in public housing; now he’s leading real estate innovation at UMKC
Editor’s note: The following story was written and first published by the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Click here to read the original story. [divide] Executive MBA professor named new real estate center director With more than two decades of leadership in public-private partnerships, economic development and community engagement, Troy Nash will serve as director of the Lewis…
Renderings: World Cup innovation-networking hub, FIFA fan fest plans unveiled by KC organizers
Short-term fun, long-term gains. It’s a win-win for Kansas City, local leaders said Thursday, announcing new high-profile concepts set to take the pitch alongside the summer 2026 FIFA World Cup — games that could redefine the region in front of a global audience. “The KC region has an incredible opportunity to showcase our market’s business environment,…
AI disruption is already here: Here’s how Kansas City workers navigate reality redefined by tech
Editor’s note: This story was originally published by The Beacon, a member of the KC Media Collective, which also includes Startland News, KCUR 89.3, American Public Square, Kansas City PBS/Flatland, and Missouri Business Alert. Click here to read the original story from The Beacon, an online news outlet focused on local, in-depth journalism in the public interest.…
Swifties made her work famous; Now this KC maker has opened a fourth retail shop
Sales jumped after Taylor Swift was seen wearing one of EB and Co.’s rings at a key moment in the popstar’s high-profile romance with Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. The jolt of exposure helped propel the brand’s expansion — most recently the opening of a fourth shop in downtown Lee’s Summit. “This location was requested…