06.10.14
Flow Forward Medical Inc., an early-stage medical device company developing technology to help hemodialysis patients through the rapid creation of high-quality vascular access sites, has launched operations as an independent company at the Venture Accelerator in the Kansas Bioscience Park in Olathe, Kan.
Flow Forward initially was founded in 2011 as a subsidiary of Novita Therapeutics LLC, a privately held life-sciences incubator.
“Flow Forward is focused on developing the AFE (arteriovenous fistula eligibility) System, which has the potential to substantially increase the number of hemodialysis patients using an arteriovenous fistula (AVF),” said F. Nicholas Franano, M.D., CEO of Flow Forward. “Currently, many patients are unable to get a functional AVF due to inadequate vein size and poor vein maturation, and we believe our system can help overcome these problems.”
Hemodialysis is a lifesaving treatment for end-stage renal disease that requires the patient to have a vascular access site. The preferred type of site for hemodialysis patients is an AVF, due to improved patient survival, reduced complications and hospitalization rates, and large reductions in the cost of care when compared with other forms of access. However, nearly half of U.S. hemodialysis patients do not currently use an AVF for vascular access, primarily due to inadequate vein diameter and high rates of AVF failure.
The AFE System is a small, temporary, minimally invasive blood pump designed to rapidly dilate peripheral veins through flow-mediated dilation prior to AVF surgery. Use of the AFE System could increase patient eligibility for AVF and improve success rates after AVF surgery. In a recent presentation at the American Society of Nephrology annual meeting, Flow Forward reported results of a small pilot non-clinical study showing vein dilation 20 times faster and a large reduction in vascular scar tissue formation during vein maturation, when compared with traditional AVF creation.
“This represents real innovation, with the potential to deliver benefits to patients that would not have previously been thought possible,” said Tom Krol, managing director at the Kansas Bioscience Authority and a Flow Forward investor and director. “Successful development and commercialization of the AFE System could alleviate some of the burden that vascular access failure places on patients, healthcare providers and payers.”
Flow Forward initially was founded in 2011 as a subsidiary of Novita Therapeutics LLC, a privately held life-sciences incubator.
“Flow Forward is focused on developing the AFE (arteriovenous fistula eligibility) System, which has the potential to substantially increase the number of hemodialysis patients using an arteriovenous fistula (AVF),” said F. Nicholas Franano, M.D., CEO of Flow Forward. “Currently, many patients are unable to get a functional AVF due to inadequate vein size and poor vein maturation, and we believe our system can help overcome these problems.”
Hemodialysis is a lifesaving treatment for end-stage renal disease that requires the patient to have a vascular access site. The preferred type of site for hemodialysis patients is an AVF, due to improved patient survival, reduced complications and hospitalization rates, and large reductions in the cost of care when compared with other forms of access. However, nearly half of U.S. hemodialysis patients do not currently use an AVF for vascular access, primarily due to inadequate vein diameter and high rates of AVF failure.
The AFE System is a small, temporary, minimally invasive blood pump designed to rapidly dilate peripheral veins through flow-mediated dilation prior to AVF surgery. Use of the AFE System could increase patient eligibility for AVF and improve success rates after AVF surgery. In a recent presentation at the American Society of Nephrology annual meeting, Flow Forward reported results of a small pilot non-clinical study showing vein dilation 20 times faster and a large reduction in vascular scar tissue formation during vein maturation, when compared with traditional AVF creation.
“This represents real innovation, with the potential to deliver benefits to patients that would not have previously been thought possible,” said Tom Krol, managing director at the Kansas Bioscience Authority and a Flow Forward investor and director. “Successful development and commercialization of the AFE System could alleviate some of the burden that vascular access failure places on patients, healthcare providers and payers.”