Starlight Cardiovascular Awarded $2.16M NIH SBIR Phase II Grant from National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

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Mar 22, 2023, 10:55 ET

Award supports design and preclinical testing of pediatric stent

SAN DIEGO, March 22, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Starlight Cardiovascular, Inc., a medical device company developing pediatric cardiovascular devices, announced that it has been awarded a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to advance development of its Ductus Arteriosus Stent System. The award will provide $2,158,183 to support preclinical testing of a stent that is designed to enable blood flow between the pulmonary and systemic circulations in critical Congenital Heart Disease (CHD).

CHD is the most common type of birth defect and affects 1.3 million babies born each year worldwide. Babies born with critical CHD require intervention to survive, and an open-chest surgery is the current standard of care. Starlight Cardiovascular is developing the Ductus Arteriosus Stent System as a minimally-invasive alternative to surgery.

Starlight's conformable stent delivered through a microcatheter is designed uniquely for pediatric anatomy and the ductus arteriosus, a blood vessel that exists in fetal circulation and closes shortly after birth. Dr. Daniel Levi, Director of the catheterization laboratory at UCLA Mattel Children's Hospital, stated, "With the Starlight stent, ductus stenting could become much safer and more effective. This device has the potential to allow thousands of infants each year to avoid a risky open chest surgery. Our community of doctors is eager to start using this device to help these infants, and we are excited that the NIH is supporting the development of this device."

This grant is supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R44HL158304. The content of this press release is solely the responsibility of the author and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH.

About Starlight Cardiovascular

Starlight Cardiovascular is a preclinical stage medical technology company developing a portfolio of devices to address pediatric Congenital Heart Disease.

www.starlightcardio.com

SOURCE Starlight Cardiovascular