OUR FOUNDING TEAM

Dr. Brian Courtney and Dr. Aman Thind came together in 2007 to build the foundation for a medical device company.

Valued Partnerships

Brian and Aman found out very early in their partnership that they could work well together and complemented each other’s abilities.

They were good at identifying solutions to complex problems with true clinical impact. Brian and Aman also realized the importance of partnerships clinically, academically as well as with government and industry. With this, they decided to build a company together that would build on these partnerships and allow for development of critically important medical devices in Canada.

Conavi's Story

2018

Conavi Receives Late-Stage Innovation Grant from CMA

Conavi Medical is the recipient of the Late-Stage Innovation Grant from the Canadian Medical Association’s Joule Innovation Group. The Joule Innovation grant will give Conavi an opportunity to scale and solve medical challenges worldwide.

See the announcement here

2018

Japanese Sales Strategy of Novasight Hybrid™ System Announced

Conavi Medical is pleased to announce that Japan Lifeline has submitted an application for the regulatory approval of the Novasight Hybrid^TM intravascular imaging system in Japan. In addition, Japan Lifeline will serve as the exclusive distributor of the Novasight Hybrid intravascular imaging system in Japan. Novasight Hybrid is the world’s first system to have been used clinically that is capable of providing both intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) on a single imaging catheter. Earlier this year, the Novasight Hybrid system received FDA 510(k) clearance in the United States and was featured by Conavi Medical at the TCT 2018 Interventional Cardiology conference.

Dr. Brian Courtney, Conavi Medical’s Chief Executive Officer, comments that “The announcement of Japan Lifeline applying for regulatory approval is an important commercial event for the company. Intravascular imaging is used frequently in the 260,000 angioplasty and stenting procedures performed every year in Japan. The Novasight Hybrid system is uniquely able to simultaneously acquire inherently co-registered IVUS and OCT images. I have been fortunate to work with a number of cardiologists in Japan whose experience and knowledge of intravascular imaging is incredibly profound. The input that we have received from Japanese physicians in the development of our product has been incredibly valuable in ensuring that our technology fits well with their clinical needs.”

“In PCI (Percutaneous Coronary Intervention) in Japan, imaging catheters are used in more than 90% of all cases. The Novasight Hybrid system is the world’s first and unique device as a single disposable catheter combined with both IVUS and OCT functions, enabling physicians to observe the same lesions simultaneously in the coronary artery. In Japan, only one of either IVUS or OCT is covered by reimbursement for one procedure, so we believe that Novasight Hybrid system will perform to the best of the needs in clinical settings in the near future” said Keisuke Suzuki, President and Chief Executive Officer of Japan Lifeline. “We are very keen to expand our intervention business more than ever. In March this year, we launched drug eluting stents. With the Novasight Hybrid system newly added to our product portfolio, we expect to accelerate sales of the existing products too.”

See the announcement here

2018

First Clinical Use of Novasight Hybrid™ System

Conavi Medical is pleased to announce the first clinical use of the Novasight Hybrid^TM System, which enables simultaneous imaging of coronary arteries with both intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) and Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT). IVUS or OCT are typically used by interventional cardiologists to image coronary anatomy during minimally invasive procedures, such as angiograms, angioplasty and stenting procedures. Drs. Tej Sheth and Natalia Pinilla Echeverri are co-investigators at Hamilton General Hospital where the procedures were performed under a Health Canada Investigational Testing Authorization. The technology originated from Dr. Courtney’s laboratory at Sunnybrook Research Institute in Toronto and is being commercialized by Conavi Medical.

“The purported advantages of the synergistic information that IVUS and OCT can provide have been highly anticipated in the interventional cardiology community,” says Dr. Brian Courtney, President and CEO of Conavi. “These cases performed in Hamilton represent the first worldwide clinical use of any system that combines IVUS with OCT on a single catheter. In an era of personalized and precision medicine, we believe that the ability to collect comprehensive imaging data in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) provides an important opportunity to generate improved clinical decision-making capabilities for these patients in the future.”

”The Novasight Hybrid imaging catheter is a deliverable imaging system that is able to rapidly and simultaneously acquire co-registered IVUS and OCT images,” says Dr. Sheth. “In this study, we are collecting the first human images with this novel imaging system to confirm the functionality of the technology in the clinical environment and to help inform future studies. We have been able to identify some early examples of the synergies between these two modalities in our clinical experience so far. Ultimately, hybrid IVUS/OCT imaging has the potential to overcome the limitations of IVUS or OCT alone in accurately characterizing atherosclerotic tissue and in guiding coronary interventions.”

See the announcement here

2018

MedTech Innovator Selects Conavi for 2018 Showcase

Conavi Medical is pleased to announce that we are among the 50 companies selected by MedTech Innovator to participate in the organization’s 2018 showcase. MedTech Innovator is a non-profit organization designed to identify and support innovative early-stage medical device companies. As part of our selection, the Conavi team will attend several MedTech Innovator conferences and events to pursue opportunities for mentorship and support from healthcare industry leaders.

2018

Novasight Hybrid™ System Receives FDA 510(k) Clearance

Conavi receives 510(k) clearance from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for our Novasight Hybrid System. The system enables simultaneous imaging of coronary arteries with both intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) and Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT). IVUS or OCT are typically used by interventional cardiologists to image coronary anatomy during angioplasty and stenting procedures.

“This is the world’s first intravascular imaging system for clinical use with the capability to acquire both IVUS and OCT images using a single catheter. IVUS and OCT are the two most commonly used intravascular imaging technologies in addition to angiography,” says Dr. Brian Courtney, President and CEO of Conavi. “The Novasight Hybrid System provides the resolution and contrast of OCT with the larger field of view of IVUS, and displays the images in a precisely co-registered fashion.”

Dr. Courtney continues, “This regulatory clearance represents an important milestone for the company as we build a portfolio of image guidance products for cardiovascular procedures. We are delighted to now be able to offer physicians in the USA the opportunity to use the Novasight Hybrid System to obtain intravascular images of coronary arteries as part of their care for patients undergoing interventional procedures.”

2017

Conavi Enters into Distribution Agreement with China Grand Pharmaceutical and Healthcare

Conavi announces that we have entered into an agreement with an affiliate of China Grand Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Holdings Limited (CG Healthcare) to serve as the exclusive distributor of our Foresight ICE System and Novasight Hybrid System in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau.

Dr. Brian Courtney, Conavi’s President and Chief Executive Officer, states that “This agreement represents an important commercial milestone for Conavi. China has the second largest volume of cardiovascular interventional procedures in the world and is growing quickly as a result of extensive investments in healthcare infrastructure. We are delighted to have found a partner that shares our vision of bringing the potential benefits of advanced image guidance to a broad range of existing and emerging minimally invasive cardiovascular procedures to patients in China.”

Conavi’s Foresight ICE System has received 510(k) clearances from the United States Food & Drug Administration (FDA) and a Medical Device License from Health Canada and is currently being marketed in North America. The Novasight Hybrid System combines the two most frequently used intravascular imaging technologies, intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) and optical coherence tomography (OCT), into a single catheter and platform. The Novasight Hybrid System has been submitted to the US FDA for 510(k) clearance.

2017

Foresight ICE™ System Receives FDA Clearance for Expanded Feature Set

Conavi announces 510(k) clearance from the FDA for our Foresight ICE System expanded feature set. The enhancements include Color Doppler, Pulsed Wave Doppler, 2D and 3D measurements, and ECG-gated 3D image acquisition. These enhancements are expected to help electrophysiologists and interventional cardiologists in the US by providing them with the tools to make decisions during minimally invasive cardiovascular procedures.

“This system is the world’s first intracardiac echo system with the capability to acquire 2D and 3D images with a broad field-of-view that includes both side-viewing and forward-looking capabilities. We have now expanded upon this foundation by adding image quality enhancements, features to minimize the effects of cardiac motion and the inclusion of additional imaging modes.” says Dr. Brian Courtney, CEO of Conavi.

The system’s indication for use has been expanded to include the ability to assess physiology with its new Doppler capabilities. Dr. Courtney continues, “The addition of Doppler imaging and flow quantification greatly expands the range of clinical scenarios in which Conavi’s Foresight ICE System can be used. As a result, we are the only provider of rotational ICE that provides Doppler capabilities, and thus benefit from being able to target regions of the cardiac anatomy anywhere around the 360-degree field-of-view of our catheter. The achievement of this 510(k) clearance demonstrates Conavi’s commitment to being a highly responsive source of imaging technologies to physicians performing electrophysiology procedures, structural heart interventions and other cardiovascular procedures that stand to benefit from image guidance.”

2017

Conavi Partners with Nova Scotia Health Authority and Government of Canada

Conavi announces that we are spearheading a collaborative effort to develop an imaging and tissue cutting probe for guided cardiovascular surgeries. The miniaturized probe leverages ultrasound technology for both imaging and precision cutting, allowing physicians to diagnose and treat serious conditions in a minimally invasive manner.

The Government of Canada is investing $2.6+ million over five years in the Nova Scotia Health Authority (NSHA) to develop the endoscope prototype. Throughout the development, Conavi will lend our medical and technological expertise to assist the NSHA in taking the solution from concept to creation. Upon creation, Conavi will commercialize the solution for cardiovascular surgical applications, allowing patients worldwide to benefit from improved clinical outcomes.

Fellow Toronto-based company Synaptive Medical will also assist in developing the solution and will likewise commercialize the solution for neurological applications.

Read more here.

2017

Foresight ICE™ System Receives Health Canada Clearance

Conavi announces that we are now authorized to market and sell the Foresight ICE™ System in Canada. The Foresight ICE System is the first catheter-based ultrasound system capable of providing both 2D and 3D ultrasound images of cardiac anatomy around the circumference of the catheter’s tip.

The authorization comes from Health Canada—Canada’s federal regulator responsible for monitoring and evaluating the safety, effectiveness, and quality of diagnostic and therapeutic medical devices. After evaluating the Foresight ICE System, Health Canada granted a Canadian Medical Device License (MDL)—giving us the clearance needed to market the solution in our home country of Canada.

“Attaining Health Canada approval for our Foresight ICE System represents a key milestone in our mission to provide Canadian physicians with superior visual guidance to achieve improved clinical outcomes” says Murray Maynard, President and CEO of Conavi Medical. “Not only does this approval allow us to begin marketing our technology in Canada, but a device license in our domestic market is key to obtaining regulatory approval in other jurisdictions.”

2017

DAIC Recognizes Conavi’s Innovation

Conavi is pleased to announce that our Foresight ICE System has been identified by Diagnostic and Interventional Cardiology (DAIC) as among the most innovative new technologies at the 2016 Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) meeting in Washington, DC.

Reaching more than 25,000 healthcare professionals, DAIC is an award-winning cardiac technology publication. This year’s TCT allowed DAIC to become acquainted with Conavi’s Foresight ICE System—the first catheter-based system capable of providing both 2D and 3D ultrasound images of the cardiac anatomy around the circumference of the catheter’s tip.

Recognizing the clinical significance of our solution, DAIC singles out the Foresight ICE System in a video posted to its website. See the video here (we appear at the 3:18 mark).