Medical device company, NeuroSigma, Inc's majority-owned subsidiary, NSVascular, Inc. (NSV), has acquired a portfolio of patents and related trade secrets covering the fabrication of Thin-Film Nitinol (TFN) from TiNi Alloy Company, including US Patent No. 6,746,890 entitled "Three Dimensional Thin Film Devices and Methods of Fabrication," an important piece of the portfolio covering the production of three-dimensional TFN constructs.
NSV was formed in 2011 to commercialize TFN-covered stent technology, exclusively licensed from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Nitinol is a superelastic nickel and titanium alloy with unique properties that allow deformation and subsequent recovery of the full shape upon exposure to body heat. NSV is initially focused on developing and commercializing TFN-covered stents for endovascular applications, with its most advanced product being a flow-diverting stent for treating intracranial aneurysms. The unique properties of TFN allow for the fabrication of stents that can be compressed and inserted into vessels through very small catheters, a necessity for endovascular technologies being used in the brain.
Intracranial aneurysms result from weaknesses in cerebral blood vessels, which can rupture; potentially leading to stroke and death. It is estimated that up to one in fifteen Americans will develop an intracranial aneurysm in their lifetime. Current endovascular techniques for treating this condition include placing small coils inside the aneurysm sac. While the procedure is effective, it can be time-consuming and the aneurysms are prone to recurrence.
In contrast, flow-diverting stents may offer a simpler and more permanent solution, whereby a minimally-invasive catheter is used to insert the device into the blood vessel over the neck of the aneurysm, resulting in diversion of blood away from the aneurysm sac. Preclinical data indicates that NSV's TFN-based flow diverter promotes faster occlusion and resorption of the aneurysm, thus lowering the chance of recurrence.
David Johnson, Ph.D., founder, lead inventor and president of TiNi Alloy Co, recently joined NeuroSigma as Director of Advanced Materials to spearhead the flow-diverter development program. "I am pleased to transfer these important assets from TiNi Alloy to NSV," said Dr. Johnson. "The technology covered in this portfolio provides key fabrication advantages as we forge ahead with our next generation flow-diverter."
"TiNi Alloy's comprehensive patent portfolio and related trade secrets are very complementary to the TFN-covered stent intellectual property NSV exclusively licensed from UCLA last year," said Leon Ekchian, Ph.D., president and CEO of NeuroSigma. Colin Kealey, M.D., Manager of Business Development at NeuroSigma added, "Flow-diverting stents are one of the highest potential growth areas in the neurovascular market, and we believe that our TFN-based flow-diverter offers significant advantages over existing technologies."