Dr. Liam Farrissey, Joan McCabe, Shelly Moloney, and Dr. Brendan Cunniffe | CrannMed Limited
Competition Sponsor: EIT Health
Awardee Year: 2020
CrannMed is focused on the treatment of chronic pain associated with Knee Osteoarthritis, the 4th leading cause of disability worldwide. The disease has a very high prevalence rate, effecting 327 M people globally with a global societal cost of 1% of GNP. Symptoms of this disease include chronic pain, immobility, reduced quality of life & high levels of depression with the only treatment options being:
- ineffective, highly addictive opioids & drugs that cause serious health problems, death & result in people experiencing chronic pain for an average 28 years
- an extremely painful, expensive major knee replacement surgery of limited lifespan
The CrannMed solution, is based on a clinical study by Prof. Okuno, who completed the first Genicular (Knee) Artery Embolisation (GAE), a minimally invasive process of shutting down the blood supply to the newly created microvasculature which showed immediate and long-lasting pain reduction and restoration of mobility. Okuno’s study showed that if you can block these new blood vessels you stop the Osteoarthritic degradation cycle with a reduction in pain and restoration of mobility, therefore proving GAE as an alternative treatment avenue.
EmboSure consists of patented bioresorbable embolic particles and a flow directed delivery system specifically for GAE which will treat all the symptoms of KOA as well as slowing the progression of the disease. This will dramatically reduce the global societal costs & effects of this disease but more importantly allow people to have a better quality of life with restored mobility and reduced pain.
To learn more about this proposal, email healthylongevity@nas.edu.