Capstan Medical designed its mitral coronary heart valve implant with a self-expanding nitinol body. | Supply: Capstan Medical

Coronary heart illness continues to be a number one reason behind demise within the U.S., killing almost 700,000 People every year, in accordance with the Facilities for Illness Management. Santa Cruz, Calif.-based Capstan Medical mentioned it has been working to merge surgical robotics with catheter-based know-how utilizing supplies akin to nitinol, in addition to next-generation implants.

Maggie Nixon, CEO of Capstan Medical, lately offered an replace on the startup‘s surgical robots and her perspective on minimally invasive medical know-how. She additionally mentioned her group’s work with nitinol, current funding from Intuitive Ventures, and what she has realized about management for the reason that former Intuitive Surgical engineer-turned-executive grew to become Capstan’s CEO.

Nitinol is a virtually equiatomic metallic alloy of nickel and titanium with distinctive properties, together with superelasticity (additionally referred to as pseudoelasticity) and form reminiscence. Superelasticity or pseudoelasticity means medical-grade nitinol reveals nice elasticity underneath stress and might snap again to its authentic form when stress is launched.

The alloy’s properties permit medical gadgets to compress to a decrease profile when being positioned in a affected person utilizing a catheter. Implants manufactured from nitinol akin to coronary heart valves can increase to their supposed measurement and form on the website of implantation and stay contained in the affected person. In the meantime, nitinol remedy gadgets akin to ablation catheters can increase contained in the physique, deal with focused tissue, after which compress once more for retrieval.

Form reminiscence means medical-grade nitinol can keep in mind its authentic form and return to it when heated. For instance, some catheter-delivered implants are designed to increase to their pre-formed form at physique temperature for everlasting placement.

The excerpts under have been frivolously edited for house and readability.

Capstan works intently with nitinol suppliers

Is there something Capstan has realized about nitinol that you possibly can share with our readers?

Nixon: A few of it’s in our secret sauce, so we wish to be delicate to it. However what I say greater than something is you’ve received to accomplice along with your producers. We work so intently with not simply our nitinol uncooked materials suppliers ensuring that we’re getting a constant provide chain arrange, however we work so intently with our producer via our improvement course of and implementation, all through their pilot line transfers and whatnot.

Should you view that as one thing the place you throw it over the wall to a provider and count on that you simply’re going to get one thing again that works, it’s simply not the way it works. Nitinol is amongst our closest provider relationships, and we navigate these very rigorously as a result of we view that as a partnership.

Do you need to give a shout-out to any of the companions that you simply’re working with on nitinol?

Nixon: We work with Admedes in Germany, and they’re incredible companions.

Capstan CEO Maggie Nixon. | Supply: Capstan Medical

Nixon shares classes in management

What have you ever realized about management because you grew to become CEO?

Nixon: I stepped in in 2022 to steer Occam Labs, which is the incubator that Capstan has come out of. After which in 2023, I moved into the centered Capstan Medical CEO position.

So I went from Intuitive — which was 12,000 or 13,000 folks — into an organization that was 15 folks. The very first thing I did was constructed a desk and a chair and and received my laptop working. And probably the most unbelievable a part of all of it’s simply the power round what we’re looking for to perform. That’s been the thrilling factor.

We’ve grown our group to most likely somewhat over 75 on the Capstan facet alone, however actually what it’s about is all people’s received that very same mentality and keenness as we’re looking for to handle this house and the creativity that we’re bringing to the desk with a purpose to handle it in a brand new approach.

Protecting that momentum is one in every of my largest priorities as a frontrunner within the coming years for Capstan. That foundational power from the group goes to gas us simply as a lot because the {dollars} that come via the fundraises.

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Intuitive nonetheless a key a part of the community

And every little thing’s pleasant with Intuitive Surgical?

Nixon: My time at intuitive was immensely beneficial, and I’m nonetheless shut pals and collaborators with them.

Intuitive Ventures continued their funding, and I believe the world of every little thing that Intuitive is doing. I nonetheless use them deeply in my community.

Do you might have recommendation for find out how to get in entrance of Intuitive Ventures or make a deal occur?

Nixon: Muriel Thinard McLane and Vivian Golfin (De Ruijter) and that group are so energetic. At lots of the funding conferences, you’ll see them on panels and whatnot. Truthfully, the easiest way to have interaction with them is seize them at a type of conferences.

At the very least that’s my perspective. They’re always scanning the atmosphere for for unbelievable alternatives, and they’re among the most energetic, particularly within the early-stage conferences.”

Editor’s observe: This text was syndicated from The Robotic Report sibling website Medical Design and Outsourcing.