Monday, October 27, 2008

Thermedical lands $3.6M grant to stop sudden cardiac death

By Mass High Tech Staff

The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute has awarded Thermedical Inc. with a $3.6 million grant to develop and test a prevention treatment for sudden cardiac death. The Competing Phase 2 Renewal grant provides three years of funding.

The Somerville-based life sciences firm said in a statement that it plans to evaluate its Saline Enhanced Radiofrequency (SERF) ablation system in treating ventricular tachycardia (VT). The SERF system kills myocardial tissue using radiofrequency electrical energy. VT plays a role in about 300,000 cases of sudden cardiac death, the company said. So far, to prevent cardiac death from VT, doctors have to use implantable cardioverter defibrillators that can cost about $70,000 per patient.

The grant funds will help Thermedical bring its SERF ablation system to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, in aiming for Investigational Device Exemption for clinical trials. If the tests are successful, SERF ablation could provide a cheaper alternative to ICDs.

Privately held Thermedical was founded by Michael G. Curley and Patrick S. Hamilton and is funded by several NIH Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grants.