In parallel with HeartWare’s pump development activities, significant R&D effort is allocated to the enhancement of HeartWare’s electronics and controller technologies. A key focus is the development of a fully implantable system based on Transcutaneous Energy Transfer (“TET”) technology.
TET technology enables a fully implanted battery pack to be periodically recharged using inductive coupling across the skin. This will allow implantation of the complete system, including batteries and controllers, and will eliminate the current need for a percutaneous driveline to a permanently connected controller. The aim of the program is to enable patients implanted with a HeartWare device to be free of any external charging system for up to several hours at a time.
By eliminating the percutaneous driveline, HeartWare expects to improve the adverse event profile extending the longevity of the therapy. We believe substantial quality of life improvements will increase adoption of the therapy among patients and referring cardiologists.
The fully implantable platform is being developed in collaboration with Dualis Medtech GmbH, a company spun out of the German Aerospace research organization, the DLR.
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