GALWAY, Ireland--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Cappella Medical Systems has received two prestigious medical device awards for 2010. It was honored with the prestigious Medical Technology Company of the Year 2010 award at the fourth annual Medical Technology Industry Excellence Awards, jointly hosted by Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland and the Irish Medical Devices Association (IMDA). The IMDA represents over 140 medical devices companies that reside within Ireland. Cappella Medical also won the overall Emerging Company of the Year 2010 award.
Established in Galway in May 2005 and now employing more than 30 staff, Cappella Medical won both awards for creating an innovative solution for the treatment of complex coronary artery disease. Cappella’s Sideguard® is a next-generation, self-expanding ostial protection stent with unique delivery system which offers cardiologists a straightforward, effective solution that focuses on treating the sidebranch of diseased coronary arteries. The CEO of Cappella Medical Systems, Dr. Art Rosenthal, stated, “These awards are confirmation of the unique benefits of our technology. The proprietary Sideguard® balloon activated split-sheath design overcomes the historical problem of implanting self expanding stents. The cardiologist only needs to activate the balloon in customary fashion resulting in quick and precise deployment of the Sideguard® stent. The combined innovations of the Sideguard® delivery catheter and stent design redefine the use of self expanding nitinol stents for cardiology.”
Commenting on the awards, Cappella VP of Engineering, Clinical and Regulatory Affairs, Michael Gilmore said: "I am delighted and honored to accept this award on behalf of the Cappella team. The design and testing of a medical stent is a complex process and I commend each member of the team that brought Sideguard from concept to reality. This award is a wonderful recognition of our work as we look to applying the technology we have created in the development of Sideguard to additional stents for the treatment of coronary artery disease."
The IMDA director Sharon Higgins said: "Despite the current economic climate, we are very much witnessing the fruits of Ireland’s strong and dynamic national innovation strategy. As a young innovative company, Cappella is making an outstanding contribution towards establishing Ireland as ‘Innovation Ireland’ and is a perfect example of how we can retain and grow our position as a world leader in the medical technology sector. It is our pleasure to pay tribute to this up-and-coming medical devices company, and we also warmly commend the other very worthy finalists who each play a vital role in ensuring that Ireland continues to compete on the world stage."
About Cappella Medical Systems
Cappella, Inc. is a medical device company, developing novel solutions for the treatment of complex Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) and specifically bifurcation vascular disease. Cappella’s initial product, the Sideguard® Coronary Sidebranch Stent & Delivery System offers interventional cardiologists a straightforward, effective solution that focuses on treating the sidebranch of diseased coronary arteries first, rather than the main vessel. It allows the clinician’s preferred stent of choice to then be placed in the main vessel. The Sideguard® system combines a proprietary split-sheath technology delivery system that ensures precise placement with a unique trumpet-shape self expanding nitinol design that protects the ostium and promotes continuous wall apposition and positive remodeling. In addition, a new second radio-opaque marker has been added to the catheter as a reference point when visualizing under angiography to help facilitate proper positioning on the ostial borderline. Cappella Medical Devices Ltd., Galway, Ireland is the R&D and manufacturing subsidiary of Cappella, Inc. For more information, please visit the Cappella Medical Systems website at www.cappella-med.com