ReSuture, a Surprise-based medtech startup, has obtained a patent for surgical training technology that the company says will jumpstart its growth and improve patient care.
The company's recently approved patent for its synthetic vascular tissue paves the way for the technology to improve surgical training, reduce complications and streamline medical device sales and development. The synthetic vascular tissue can handle sutures and is anatomically precise, according to the company.
Hannah Eherenfeldt, cofounder and CEO of ReSuture, told AZ Inno the patent will help the company generate even more credibility with customers, investors and the health care market.
“The patent validates the novelty of what ReSuture is building and protects the company's core competency, building vascular structures with disease states,” she said. “It helps ReSuture establish a competitive moat and creates barriers of entry for other companies that may be entering the market. It's an asset that may be of value to a future potential acquisition partner.”
ReSuture testing surgical data analytics platform
ReSuture’s surgical training models are already in the market and its clients include several major medical device manufacturers, including W.L. Gore.
The company is validating and testing a surgical data analytics platform that interfaces with its physical models in partnership with a machine learning lab at Arizona State University. It’s collecting data from surgeons at St. Joseph's Hospital and Creighton School of Medicine with research support and funding from the National Science Foundation and the WearTech Applied Research Center.
ReSuture claims its technology delivers the most accurate procedural experience outside of the operating room, allowing surgeons to perfect necessary skills that they typically learn on the job. The company's product includes sensors that track and quantify operative movement and pressure, which have significant commercial potential for medical research, hospitals and surgical robotic companies.
ReSuture’s technology leverages machine learning to evaluate surgical proficiency during simulations and provide insights into performance, potentially laying the groundwork for standardized assessments in the medical field, according to the company.
The startup's partnerships with ASU's School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence and the WearTech Applied Research Center are integral to ReSuture’s future as the company continues to scale, Eherenfeldt said.
The WearTech Applied Research Center, at Park Central in midtown Phoenix, is a public-private partnership between the Partnership for Economic Innovation, Arizona State University and the state government. It launched in 2019 with a mission to expand the wearable technology ecosystem in the state.
Company seeks sales executive, software developer
ReSuture has experienced notable growth since its inception in 2019. The company, cofounded by Eherenfeldt and Benjamin Knapp, is a recipient of two federal research grants totaling more than $1.26 million.
In 2023, the company pivoted its target customer segment to the medical device industry, allowing it to accelerate revenue growth and expand its facilities and team, Eherenfeldt said. Eherenfeldt was a 2022 finalist in the AZ Inno Fire Awards, and was a member of the inaugural 2021 Class of Inno Under 25 startup founders.
ReSuture is looking to hire its first sales executive and a software developer to build out the user interface of its data analytics platform.
“We will likely also hire another assembly technician to help manufacture our synthetic anatomical models,” Eherenfeldt said.
