NeuroSigma Inc. spun out NSVascular Inc. to develop two stent lines using thin-film nitinol technology developed at the University of Calif.-Los Angeles under an exclusive licensing agreement.

Los Angeles-based NeuroSigma said its new subsidiary plans to develop one type of stent to treat brain aneurysms and another to treat peripheral artery disease.

The UCLA technology uses a "shape-memory" alloy of nickel and titanium called nitinol — widely used to make stents for a variety of indications — in a thin with "super-hydrophylic" properties that reduce the ability of blood platelets to adhere to the stent’s surface, according to a press release.

A UCLA/NeuroSigma team has already been working on the stents project for five years (it’s the fourth licensing agreement between the company and the school), taking them to the pre-clinical animal trials stage, according to the release.

"For the past five years our engineering team has benefited from collaborating with a top-notch UCLA medical team, spearheaded by Dr. Dan Levi and Dr. Fernando Vinuela. I am looking forward to working closely with the experienced management team at NeuroSigma and NSVascular in commercializing this promising technology," said Greg Carman, UCLA Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and a co-founder of NSVascular, said in prepared remarks.

"The successful convergence of engineering and medicine is exemplified by the accomplishments of this team. We would like to applaud these accomplishments and the dedication on the medical side of Drs. Fernando Vinuela, Dan Levi, David Rigberg and Colin Kealey and on the engineering side of Professors Greg Carman and Youngjae Chun and Dr. K.P. Mohanchandra, to transition TFN-covered stents from the laboratory to the clinic and welcome them as co-founders and scientific advisors of NSVascular," added NeuroSigma president and CEO Leon Ekchian.