Milli-Spinner Thrombectomy Device for Clot Removal
Photo Credit: Jeremy J. Heit
Novel medical device for clot removal in multiple applications
More effective stroke treatment
Ruike Renee Zhao, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, and Jeremy J. Heit, associate professor of radiology and neurosurgery, first teamed up to think about how a device Zhao designed could be used to treat stroke patients by mechanically dissolving blood clots. With the HIT Fund’s help, the researchers are forming a startup company and have conducted animal testing.
Neither had ever worked to commercialize a technology before, but they have found initial success with the HIT Fund’s support and guidance, including from Director Nitin Parekh.
“Nitin is a perfect example of what you need for this to work,” Heit says. “We’re a physician and a scientist. We like to ask questions. But, if you’re going to take a scientific discovery and get it into patients, there’s a huge knowledge gap.”
The pair have also used HIT Fund resources to connect with outside counsel on patent issues. “The level of excitement – how much people appreciate the technology and how promising it is – has been very encouraging to us,” Zhao says.
About the Technology
Stanford researchers have designed an optimized rotation device that can mechanically dissolve a clot for fast and complete clot retraction. This approach could be more effective than current vacuum clot removal techniques and expand the range of treatable clots.
Current thrombectomy techniques, such as aspiration and stent retriever, fail to restore any blood flow in 15% of patients after multiple passes, with aspiration methods having a failure rate of 25%~33%. Both aspiration and stent retriever can fracture the clot during operation, leading to clot fragmentation and distal clots. This proposed procedure prevents fragmentation of the clot through shearing the clot, instead of stretching and breaking it. This invention can reduce the time required to remove large vessel occlusions that can lead to acute ischemic stroke.
A second application is to treat massive pulmonary embolism. These large, extensive blood clots in lung arteries are often difficult to remove with current vacuum catheter-based solutions and removal often results in significant blood loss. This invention can overcome these shortcomings resulting in faster, more effective clot removal.
Team Members
Renee Zhao
Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering and, by Courtesy, of Materials Science and Engineering
Jeremy J. Heit
Associate Professor of Radiology (Neuroimaging and Neurointervention) and, by courtesy, of Neurosurgery
Paul Yock
Martha Meier Weiland Professor in the School of Medicine and Professor of Bioengineering, Emeritus
Press:
- Sam Scott. Prints and the Revolution, Clearing the Way. Stanford Magazine (Winter 2025).