NMT Medical receives NIH grant for phase 1 study of PFO closure technology

By Lisa Kerner

Erie, Pa., Jan. 25 - NMT Medical, Inc. said it received a phase I grant from the National Institutes of Health's Small Business Technology Transfer Program and has begun research to evaluate the new BioTREK bioactive PFO (a common cardiac defect) closure technology.

NMT Medical is investigating the potential connection a PFO and brain attacks such as migraine headaches and stroke. A PFO can allow unfiltered venous blood to enter the arterial circulation of the brain, possibly triggering a cerebral event or brain attack, according to a company news release.

The research is being conducted at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H., under the direction of Aaron V. Kaplan, M.D., associate professor of medicine and director of research, cardiac catheterization laboratories.

Additional details about the phase 1 study were not released.

BioTREK closure technology incorporates a biosynthetic material that uses the body's own regenerative capability to restore function naturally, officials said. NMT Medical's minimally invasive, catheter-based implant technology has been used to close more than 20,000 PFOs.

BioTREK is the company's second biological closure technology, following its BioSTAR implant technology. The company also markets the CardioSEAL and STARFlex closure technologies.

Boston-based NMT Medical designs, develops and markets proprietary implant technologies.

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