# Development of a Minimally Invasive Partial Circulatory Support Device for Chronic Use

> **NIH NIH R43** · CORVION, INC. · 2022 · $428,204

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
The Nautilus pump is a centrifugal, totally implantable, compact, long-lasting partial circulatory assist device
implanted via a minimally invasive pacemaker pocket approach to support LV function for late-stage heart failure
intervention. The Nautilus pump will be connected to the systemic circulation by attachment of the pump’s inflow
port to a cannula placed into the subclavian vein and positioned in the left atrium via a transseptal approach, and
the outflow port to a vascular graft anastomosed to the subclavian artery. This revolutionary partial support pump
is being designed to eliminate the need for invasive techniques to implant full support devices (sternotomy or
thoracotomy) and eliminate the need for percutaneous cables and/or drivelines. The Nautilus pump and system
will be a minimally invasive, low energy consumption system that will not impose excessive afterload on the LV,
therefore maintaining pulsatility. Furthermore, it will retain native heart ventricular muscle integrity, offering the
best environment for LV reconditioning. Another feature to be integrated to the pump is the next-generation
transcutaneous energy transfer (TET) system, which does not require direct external coil skin contact to power
the pump. This is a remarkable feature that is not present in any other competitors’ systems.
Leveraging pump affinity laws, which govern centrifugal pump performance and are useful to modify pumps for
new and different required duties, and the Company’s extensive intellectual property portfolio, the Nautilus pump
is being designed based on our full support assist pump. It will combine permanent magnetic levitation with a
low shear hydrodynamic bearing to produce an ultra-low power consumption pump that still retains the superior
blood handling characteristics of full maglev technology. This highly efficient pump is then combined with
implantable grade batteries and a light, external mobile wireless power source, making it a totally implanted and
wirelessly powered system that does not require a percutaneous driveline, direct skin contact, or bulky external
batteries. In-vivo preliminary studies using the full circulatory support pump device validated all the innovative
features in this grant proposal, such as a high-efficiency pump with a low hemolysis rate.
This SBIR Phase I proposed grant objectives are addressed in two specific aims that will be executed for eight
months. In Aim 1, the Nautilus pump will be designed, and a prototype is fabricated to accommodate 2 – 3 L/min
flows at physiologic pressures. In Aim 2, in-vitro studies, using a recirculating blood test loop, will be performed
to determine red blood cell hemolysis, platelet and leukocyte activation, vWF degradation, and function, as well
as overall blood hemostatic potential, compared to our full circulatory support pump and the BPX-80 Bio Pump™
(Medtronic - Minneapolis, MN, US).
The conclusion of the proposed aims will demonstrate the feasibility and...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10378419
- **Project number:** 1R43HL162109-01
- **Recipient organization:** CORVION, INC.
- **Principal Investigator:** Greg Aber
- **Activity code:** R43 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $428,204
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-02-11 → 2023-02-10

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10378419

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10378419, Development of a Minimally Invasive Partial Circulatory Support Device for Chronic Use (1R43HL162109-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10378419. Licensed CC0.

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