Royal DSM is to collaborate with Strait Access Technologies (SAT) to develop the world’s first durable and cost-effective transcatheter replacement heart valves with polymeric leaflets. This collaboration is initially focused on developing valves to treat rheumatic heart disease.
A press release reports that existing mechanical or animal-tissue replacement valves are unsuited for the challenging pathologies of typically-younger rheumatic heart disease patients. Additionally, lack of suitable medical facilities and high valve costs effectively meaning that the majority of patients living with rheumatic heart disease have a risk of a premature death.
SAT and DSM are collaborating to produce breakthrough products that address the unique biological, cost and access challenges posed. The replacement heart valves being developed by SAT and DSM will be based on platform technologies developed by SAT in recent years. At their core, a press release reports, the valves will use DSM’s advanced and proven CarboSil Thermoplastic Silicone-Polycarbonate-urethane (TSPCU) biomedical polymers negating the need for invasive open-heart surgery or the lifelong burden of anticoagulant drugs. In a second phase, these polymeric leaflet valves will be offered to patients in developed economies suffering heart valve failure associated with age, diet and other factors.
Tim Shannon, vice president of Sales & Marketing at DSM Biomedical, comments: “There is a global trend towards more cost-effective safe treatments with comparable outcomes versus the existing standard of care. SAT’s strong technical and clinical expertise, combined with DSM’s CarboSil TSPCU and regulatory expertise in the cardiovascular therapeutic area, will improve access to advanced healthcare in the regions that need it most.”
