IME Medical Electrospinning and STENTiT enter into development cooperation on resorbable endovascular support grafts to regenerate vascular tissue

WAALRE, Netherlands, Feb. 10, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- IME Medical Electrospinning, a global leader in electrospun medical devices, today announced that it has entered into a collaboration with Dutch medical device company STENTiT, to join forces in the further development and production of regenerative endovascular support grafts (see video). These resorbable fibrous implants hold the promise to rebuild a new blood vessel inside the existing artery, by exploiting the natural healing response of the body.

IME's technological solutions enable the manufacturing of innovative devices like STENTiT's endovascular support grafts, which are aimed to mimic the natural human extracellular matrix for implants in the human body in nanometer and micrometer format. Human cells rebuild these matrices leading to new body tissue. This is in contrast to implants of traditional structures, which are seen as foreign and therefore can lead to scar tissue formation or rejection phenomena.

STENTiT is an emerging player in the field of regenerative medical devices, offering a breakthrough solution for cardiovascular interventions developing first-of-its-kind regenerative endovascular blood vessel implants. Using a catheter-based approach, it provides the ability to restore the artery without the need for an invasive surgical intervention. The aim is to ultimately restore the affected artery from the inside-out to provide a life-lasting solution.

Bart Sanders, CEO of STENTiT, says:

"We are thrilled to join forces with IME Medical Electrospinning to further optimize our fibrillated endovascular implants. IME is a highly innovative and leading company in the field of Medical Electrospinning, for which I'm confident that together we will spur the development of a superior and reproducible product, while getting STENTiT ready to scale."

Judith Heikoop, CEO of IME Medical Electrospinning, adds:

"We are extremely proud to have been able to expand our collaborations with such a promising company like STENTiT. IME Medical Electrospinning develops medical devices in close collaboration with an ever-growing portfolio of customers and partners worldwide within the industry, the scientific environment, hospitals and medical institutes. This collaboration is testimony to our strategic goal to become a trusted partner worldwide in co-developing electrospun medical devices that will cause a revolution in the industry and will enable tissue rebuilding."

IME has set the worldwide standard in the co-development and production of scalable and reproducible nanometer and micrometer scaffolds that enable scientists to develop medical implants helping the human body to repair itself, such as heart valves, blood vessels, nerves, tendons, skin and bone. IME operates a brand new high-end GMP Laboratory and set of cleanrooms. With this the company is able to not only develop and manufacture its top-end proprietary electrospinning machines, but to also produce the actual scaffolds for the intended medical implants for their customers. The cleanroom facilities enable the production of Class I, II and III medical devices.

About Medical Electrospinning

Applying specific polymers, IME's advanced equipment creates fiber-based medical device solutions that mimic the natural human extracellular matrix in nanometer and micrometer format for implants and membranes in the human body. Human cells recognize these artificial matrices (scaffolds) as the body's own, facilitating the repair of the damaged tissue for heart valves, blood vessels, nerves, tendons, skin and bone etc. This is in contrast to implants and membranes of traditional structures, which are seen as foreign and therefore can lead to scar tissue or rejection phenomena. The MediSpinä XL platform has been developed specifically for MedTech industrial manufacturing of medical devices and is now also suitable for pharmaceutical drug delivery applications and ensures firm control over the crucial parameters of the electrospinning process, leading to reproducible and consistent end-products.

About STENTiT

STENTiT is a medical device spin-off company from Dutch Eindhoven University of Technology, focusing on the development of regenerative endovascular implants. These devices trigger a natural healing response by the circulating blood cells, in which the implant is being rebuilt with new vascular tissue while safely dissolving over time.

Since the establishment of the company in 2017, STENTiT has received broad international recognition and awards for its high-potential approach, covering world leading stages. As the company is currently going through the next translational phases, STENTiT is on its way to fulfill its ambition to become the new standard in endovascular treatment, providing a life-lasting solution for millions of patients around the world.

For more info, please visit www.stentit.com

About IME Medical Electrospinning

For over ten years, IME Medical Electrospinning has been a leading player in the field of developing and implementing electrospinning processes and equipment for the manufacturing of medical devices for (regenerative) medicine and drug delivery. Electrospinning is a flexible process for producing extremely thin fibers and structures that have excellent properties to help regenerate human tissue. IME Medical Electrospinning has developed a unique set of innovations in electrospinning technology for the reproducible and scalable production of electrospun material under tightly controlled conditions required for the MedTech and Pharma market. Customers and scientific partners include the MedTech and Pharma industry, scientists and health institutions.

More information available at www.ime-electrospinning.com

For further inquiries:

IME Medical Electrospinning, Waalre, The Netherlands
Judith Heikoop M.Sc. Ph.D.
T: +31 40 28 27 956
E: j.heikoop@ime-electrospinning.com

STENTiT, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
Bart Sanders M.Sc. Ph.D.
T: +31 40 24 72 445
E: b.sanders@stentit.com

For media:

LifeSpring Life Sciences Communication, Amsterdam
Léon Melens
T: +31 6 538 16 427
E: lmelens@lifelspring.nl

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