The gold standard for fixation has always been a suture line. We made it deliverable through a catheter.
Acunex Vascular Systems is developing a catheter-delivered continuous suturing system for endograft fixation in endovascular aortic repair (EVAR), bringing the durability principle of the surgical anastomosis to a minimally invasive procedure.
The problem
An abdominal aortic aneurysm gives almost no warning
The aorta is the body's main artery. An abdominal aortic aneurysm is a permanent widening of its abdominal segment, where the wall thins and stretches under arterial pressure. It grows slowly and painlessly over years, and most people carrying one never know it is there. For many, the rupture is the first symptom.
35 million
people aged 30 to 79 were living with an abdominal aortic aneurysm worldwide in 2019
No symptoms
in the vast majority of cases, until the moment the aneurysm ruptures
80%
of ruptures are fatal once deaths occurring before hospital are counted
Prevalence: Sampson et al., global and regional prevalence of abdominal aortic aneurysms, Annals of Surgery, 2023. Rupture mortality: published case series and registry data; roughly half of patients do not reach hospital alive.
Durable repair depends on durable fixation
Endovascular aortic repair has transformed the treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysms, replacing open surgery with a catheter-based procedure. But the long-term durability of EVAR remains its central challenge: the stent graft must stay sealed and anchored in a vessel that continues to change over time.
When fixation is lost, graft migration and loss of proximal seal (type Ia endoleak) can re-expose the aneurysm to pressure and drive costly reinterventions, years after an initially successful repair.
Today's fixation is point-based
Current endograft fixation relies on radial force, hooks, or discrete anchors, concentrating load at individual points in the aortic wall.
Open surgery solved this long ago
In open repair, the graft is secured with a hand-sewn continuous suture line, the gold standard for a durable, load-sharing attachment. That option has never existed endovascularly.
Our approach
A continuous suture line, delivered endovascularly
The Acunex system is designed to place a continuous circumferential suture construct that fixes the endograft to the aortic wall from within, through a catheter and without open surgery.
Continuous, not point-based
A running suture construct is designed to distribute fixation load along the full circumference of the graft, rather than concentrating it at discrete anchor points.
A proven surgical principle
The concept mirrors the anastomotic suture line of open aortic repair, translated to an endovascular delivery. It is the fixation method vascular surgeons have trusted for decades.
Built for the EVAR workflow
The system is being developed to complement contemporary stent grafts and integrate with standard endovascular technique.
The Acunex system is in preclinical development. Design details are the subject of pending patent applications.
Status
Where we are
- Concept and design: core continuous-fixation construct defined and iterated with practicing vascular surgeons.
- Intellectual property: international patent application filed (PCT/IL2026/050699); an additional patent application is pending.
- Bench and ex vivo validation: fixation concept demonstrated in ex vivo porcine tissue models.
- Next: design refinement, preclinical testing, and regulatory strategy development for FDA and CE mark pathways.
Acunex has been supported by grants from the Israel Innovation Authority (Tnufa), the Edmond de Rothschild Foundation, and the Portland Trust.
Team
Founded by engineers, guided by surgeons
Yathreb Asaad-Helou, PhD
Co-Founder & CEO
PhD in Biomedical Engineering from the Technion, specializing in cardiovascular nanomedicine engineering.
Areen Shtewe, MSc
Co-Founder & CTO
MSc in Biotechnology Engineering & Bioinformatics. Sixteen years of experience across industry, startups, and research.
Contact
We welcome conversations with clinicians, investors, and potential partners.
info@acunexvascular.com