MINNEAPOLIS– Cardialen, Inc., has been awarded a $3 million National Institutes of Health (NIH) Phase IIb SBIR grant for the development of an implantable, low-energy therapy for the cardioversion of atrial fibrillation (AF). The grant was awarded after an expert panel of cardiologists, scientists, and engineers gave the Cardialen therapy an exceptional peer review as part of a highly competitive grant process.
Professor Prash Sanders, Director of the Centre for Heart Rhythm Disorders, Adelaide Medical School, Australia, is the principal investigator of Cardialen’s MultiPulse Therapy™ (MPT™) for AF trial. “Atrial fibrillation remains a serious arrhythmia, and additional treatment options are needed,” said Professor Sanders. “Maintaining atrial fibrillation rhythm control in heart failure patients has shown to provide significant quality of life, mortality and hospitalization benefits. Cardialen’s MultiPulse Therapy could provide another important tool for patients receiving a CRT-D device.”
Atrial fibrillation, commonly known as A-fib, is an irregular and rapid heart rate that can lead to patient discomfort and increased risk of stroke. Approximately 34 million patients suffer from this condition worldwide. Approximately 26% of ICD patients, and 36% of CRT-D patients, receiving an implantable cardiac defibrillator have, or will likely experience, atrial fibrillation. Cardialen seeks to provide a therapy for those patients already receiving an implantable cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillator device.
