Holistick Medical SAS reported a $5 million round for development of the first generation of a light-activated implant for a patent foramen ovale (PFO). Truffle Capital provided the startup with $4.6 million, while Bpifrance provided $470,000 in non-dilutive funding. “This robust financing provides us with the resources needed to catapult our strategy forward and reinvent the treatment of heart defects such as PFO, which can be associated with occurrence of stroke in young people,” Boris Warnack, CEO of Paris-based Holistick Medical, told BioWorld.
Holistick Medical is an early-stage company developing an innovative device aimed at treating common cardiac defects, such as Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO), which can be linked to occurrence of stroke in young individuals. PFO is a septal defect, causing blood flow between left and right atria, and can be found in 25% of the population – in most cases without any impact on the individual’s health. Several recent clinical studies have shown a significant reduction of recurring stroke after PFO closure. Unlike current metallic devices, Holistick uses flexible materials, allowing an atraumatic, small footprint PFO closure while leaving the septum intact.
