Grant: Idea to Innovation

The Idea-to-Innovation Phase I project is aimed at the design and fabrication of a pre-commercial (beta) prototype of a novel device for the recanalization of obstructed peripheral and coronary arteries such as chronic total occlusions (CTOs). The project will involve a team of engineers from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the Université de Sherbrooke (UdeS) and cardiologists from the Sherbrooke University Hospital (CHUS) and the Montreal Heart Institute (ICM).The proposed system offers a radically different solution to the problem of crossing chronic total occlusions as it offers a new energy source for crossing occlusions, namely high-amplitude mechanical waves such a shock waves, which have been shown to be safe and effective in other medical contexts such as urology and orthopaedics. As well, with the proposed system the energy deposition device is the wire itself, which can be engineered to have similar size and flexibility as existing guidewires, and not some bulky catheter that is difficult to maneuver to the occlusion.The proposed project is thus a critical step in the development of this technology as it will allow us to engineer, build and test an improved second generation (beta) prototype that would demonstrate the technical and commercial viability of the technology. The specific objectives of the project are to:1- Design, build and test a single-transducer generator to replace our current 13-transducer generator prototype.2- Design, build and test 0.014'' waveguides having comparable mechanical properties as current commercial guidewires.3- Design, build and test a quick-connect mechanism for the easy replacement of waveguides during/after a procedure.