BALTIMORE, Jan. 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — CoapTech, Inc, a medical device company focused on delivering transformative solutions for minimally-invasive surgery, announced today it has been awarded a $50,000 grant by the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia-based Pennsylvania Pediatric Medical Device Consortium (“PPDC”) for its PUMA-G Peds System, a device designed to provide a safer way to place feeding tubes in children.
The PUMA System™ is a new category of minimally invasive devices, enabling ultrasound procedures in hollow organs of the body where previously it was impossible or unsafe to do so. The PUMA-G Peds System is being developed to allow ultrasound-based placement of gastrostomy tubes in pediatric patients as an alternative to traditional endoscopic or fluoroscopic procedures. Endoscopic procedures cannot “see through” tissue which can result in organ damage or other complications. Fluoroscopic procedures require the use of ionizing radiation which presents long term risk of cancer. The PUMA-G Peds System uses ultrasound to visualize tissue and organs in real time without ionizing radiation. It is designed to operate like the currently available adult PUMA-G System, with modifications to accommodate the pediatric patient population.
“CoapTech is honored to receive this competitive award from PPDC,” said CoapTech Co-founder and CEO Howard Carolan. “We are lucky to work with a strong, world-renowned clinical team as we develop this important pediatric version of the PUMA-G feeding tube placement system.” The consortium chose CoapTech as one of five awardees from ten finalists in competition to receive grants.
CoapTech spun out of the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) where the technology was developed. UMB’s technology transfer arm, UM Ventures, Baltimore, also provided direct investment in the company.
“We’ve seen the significant potential for CoapTech’s technology from the beginning and we’re excited to see the company advancing its PUMA System to benefit pediatric patients,” said Phil Robilotto, Associate Vice President for the Office of Technology Transfer at University of Maryland, Baltimore, and Director of UM Ventures, Baltimore.
About CoapTech CoapTech is a Baltimore-based medical device company commercializing a new platform called the PUMA System, which allows ultrasound to be utilized in hollow organ cavities. The PUMA (Point-of-care Ultrasound Magnet Aligned) System enables several new minimally invasive, bedside medical procedures, substantially reducing costs while improving patient safety and experience. The platform’s first product application, PUMA-G for ultrasound gastrostomy, has been cleared for use in the U.S. by the FDA via the 510(k) pathway and has received a CE mark. CoapTech was selected as a Medtech Innovator 2019 Best-in-Class Startup company and was named 2018 Maryland Incubator Company of the Year for Best Medical Device Company. Visit www.coaptech.com for more information or connect via Twitter at @coaptech.
About Pennsylvania Pediatric Medical Device Consortium (PPDC) Funded by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and based at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), the PPDC provides know-how and seed funding to help innovators translate promising ideas into commercial medical devices for use in children. The PPDC is a collaboration among CHOP, Drexel University and the University of Pennsylvania. For more information on the PPDC, visit http://www.phillypediatricmeddevice.org
About Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia was founded in 1855 as the nation’s first pediatric hospital. Through its long-standing commitment to providing exceptional patient care, training new generations of pediatric healthcare professionals and pioneering major research initiatives, Children’s Hospital has fostered many discoveries that have benefited children worldwide. Its pediatric research program is among the largest in the country. In addition, its unique family-centered care and public service programs have brought the 546-bed hospital recognition as a leading advocate for children and adolescents. For more information, visit http://www.chop.edu.
SOURCE CoapTech, Inc.