Groundbreaking MedTech device by UCD spin-out secures €6m in funding

LaNua Medical, aNovaUCDspin-out company, has successfully secured €6 million in funding under the Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund (DTIF) for its pioneering ECORE™ device.

The ECORE™ device will help to modernise embolisation procedures – a technique used by surgeons and radiologists to control the flow of blood in certain areas of the body. The umbrella-shaped device will enter blood vessels deep within the body and form an occlusive barrier. 

This will make it easy, safe, and cheaper for doctors to treat internal bleeding, vascular malformations and many benign and malignant tumours. 

A collaboration by LaNua Medical with Integer Holdings and UCD, the ECORE™ project aims to help improve patient outcomes, lower hospital costs, minimise duration of hospital stays, and reduce stress and procedure times for practitioners.

“This represents another important milestone for LaNua Medical,” said Dr Cormac Farrelly, the company’s co-founder and CMO and an Interventional Radiologist at the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital.

“The funding provides a real boost to this already exciting project and will enable more effective collaboration between ourselves, UCD and Integer Holdings. It will accelerate the development and validation of our technology to be effective across a large range of sizes and different blood vessel types.”

LaNua Medical was co-founded by Dr Farrelly,(opens in a new window)(opens in a new window)Dr Eoin O’Cearbhailland Dr Sajjad Amiri from theUCD School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, and Tom Fitzmaurice in 2024 with the support of NovaUCD.

A number of other UCD researchers will be working on the ECORE™ project. These include(opens in a new window)(opens in a new window)Professor Aisling Ní Annaidh,(opens in a new window)(opens in a new window)Professor Philip Cardiffand(opens in a new window)(opens in a new window)Dr Mert Celikinfrom the UCD School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering and theUCD Centre for Biomedical Engineering.

The DTIF is a €500 million fund managed by the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment with support from Enterprise Ireland. It aims to support investment in the development and deployment of disruptive technologies and applications on a commercial basis.

“The projects announced today highlight the strength of Irish innovation in areas such as healthcare, sustainability and advanced manufacturing,” said Jenny Melia, CEO of Enterprise Ireland.

“By backing these ambitious collaborations, we are enabling companies to develop and commercialise cutting-edge technologies with the potential to transform lives, create new markets and deliver real economic impact for Ireland.” 

By: Rebecca Hastings, Digital Journalist, UCD University Relations