Inquis Medical has raised $40 million in funding to support the development of its mechanical blood clot removal system.
The California-based startup’s Aventus minimally invasive thrombectomy platform received a pair of 510(k) clearances from the FDA earlier this year for clearing out the body’s peripheral blood vessels in cases such as venous thromboembolism.
The agency’s green lights covered Inquis’ 24 French, tissue-sensing catheter—with controls that light up based on whether the tip is in contact with blood, a clot or the vessel wall—as well as a blood return system and a clear canister that quickly filters out clots so the fluids can be pushed back into the body with a syringe.
The proceeds are slated to help expand Aventus’ reach—with the company saying it has almost completed enrollment in a pivotal clinical trial of patients suffering from pulmonary embolism—while it also prepares for the system’s commercial launch in 2025.
The series B financing was led by the investment firm Marshall Wace alongside backing from ShangBay Capital, Yu Star, EnPointe Ventures and Pierre Lamond. Marshall Wace Managing Director Andrew Goldberg joined Inquis’ board of directors.
The company estimates that up to 900,000 people in the U.S. are affected by venous thromboembolism annually, with more than half of cases leading to life-threatening embolism in the lungs.