Iowa Approach said today that it closed an equity financing with Boston Scientific (NYSE:BSX) for an unspecified amount.
The stealthy Iowa City-based startup is developing a catheter-based ablation treatment for atrial fibrillation. The proceeds from Boston Scientific are earmarked for product engineering and pre-clinical work, according to a press release.
"Iowa Approach’s system may have the potential to overcome the shortcomings of current ablation techniques to become the gold standard," president & CEO Allan Zingeler said in prepared remarks. "Our approach has 2 major advantages: Simplicity and speed. Our ablation method requires no expensive 3D mapping, no sophisticated imaging, no intracardiac echo and no transseptal puncture. Moreover, the time to make the entire continuous and transmural lesion isolating all of the pulmonary veins takes less than 1 minute. Simplicity and speed are why we are excited about our potential clinical utility and broad commercial practicality."
Iowa Approach was founded in 2012 "to commercialize an innovative collection of catheter-based tools" to treat afib, according to its website. The site lists Dr. Steve Michelsen, a cardiology fellow at the University of Iowa, as founder and chief scientific officer.
Mickelsen’s LinkedIn page also lists him as the founder of Needle Eye Medical, another UI spinout that’s working on an ultrasound device to aid in needle stick procedures.
Iowa Approach won a $100,000 grant from the Iowa Acceleration fund in 2013. Last month the company said it raised $750,000 of a hoped-for $2.5 million round.