Artedrone says preclinical studies show its Sasha microbotic system can autonomously perform mechanical thrombectomy for stroke treatment.
Paris-based Artedrone, a Truffle Capital medtech portfolio company, said on April 17 that it has submitted results for publication in a research journal.
Artedrone’s Liane Teplitsky will sit on a panel exploring the future of neurovascular intervention at DeviceTalks West, Oct. 15–16, 2025 in Santa Clara, California. Register at West.DeviceTalks.com.
Only a small percentage of people suffering from a stroke have access to a competent thrombectomy stroke center, according to Artredrone, which says its Sasha system can help address the problem. Artredrone designed the system, which utilizes magnetic, autonomous, catheter-based micro-robots, to enable cardiologists and radiologists at cardiology centers to perform thrombectomies.
“Despite the severe burden of large vessel strokes globally, there is limited access to life-saving treatments for patients,” said Artredone CEO Liane Teplitsky, who led Zimmer Biomet’s robotics program for four years. “These results bring us one step closer to our goal of bringing cutting-edge technology to market that will democratize complex stroke interventions, which will dramatically change the treatment landscape.”
The Artedrone preclinical program has been evaluating Sasha’s mechanical thrombectomy performance in various settings, including in vitro and in vivo porcine cerebral anatomies, as well as in vitro human cerebral vasculature. In each of the previous models, pre- and post-procedure vessel perfusion was analyzed to confirm the effectiveness of the microrobot design. Most notably, the latest successful preclinical milestone examined both biological analog clot and native clot retrieval from in-vivo porcine cerebral anatomy.
“Mechanical thrombectomy is by far the most efficient treatment for large vessel stroke but is currently highly underused due to the fact that it is often only performed at specialized stroke centers, which denies life-saving treatment access to millions of patients,” said Dr. Frédéric Clarençon, head of the Department of Interventional Neuroradiology at Pitié Salpêtrière Hospital and a principal investigator on the study.
“We’re encouraged by these preclinical results and will be conducting additional studies to advance Sasha as a means to expand access to mechanical thrombectomy for stroke patients around the world.”
