Procyrion™ | Articles

Procyrion Featured in The Houston Chronicle: Health-care companies got most venture funds in Houston in Q1

Houston Chronicle

When locally based medical device company Procyrion announced a $16 million venture-capital deal in January, it marked a milestone not just for the startup but for Houston as well.

April 12, 2018

Articles

Procyrion Honored As An Innovator Reshaping Texas

Texas Monthly

Procyrion recognized in Texas Monthly Magazine as on of the 15 Innovators Reshaping Texas.

January 29, 2018

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Publications

Procyrion Recognized as One of "Ten Start-ups Changing Healthcare"

Scientific American

Procyrion, and its Aortix™ circulatory assist device, was recently recognized in Scientific American as one of "Ten Start-ups Changing Healthcare".

December 18, 2017

Articles

High Stakes Quality: Meet Katherine Cox, Quality Magazine's 2017 Quality Professional of the Year

If you have a problem, you want to have Katherine Cox around. Her problem solving skills, team mindset and dedication to quality have earned her Quality Magazine's 2017 Quality Professional of the Year award.

April 1, 2017

Articles

Procyrion Named to Becker's List of Disruptive Healthcare Companies to Watch in 2017

Becker's Hospital Review

Founded in 2005, this Houston-based biotechnology company developed the Aortix system. The Aortix, a minimally invasive catheter-based heart pump, is designed to rest the heart by reducing afterload and improve blood flow to vital organs, according to Procyrion.

January 31, 2017

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Procyrion Named as One of Most Innovative Companies in 2016 by PM360

pm360online.com

Founded in 2005, Procyrion, Inc. has identified an opportunity in the sweet spot—the time between when the drugs start to fail and a last-resort surgical intervention—to treat millions of NYHA Class III-IVa heart failure patients using a novel and minimally invasive catheter-based heart pump, Aortix.

December 21, 2016

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Awards

Procyrion Expands Office Space in Preparation for Commercialization and Growing Team

Bloomberg

Houston heart pump developer Procyrion Inc. today announced the expansion of their office to support their growth and the further development of their ground breaking technology, Aortix™, a catheter-based circulatory support device.

November 4, 2016

Press Releases
Articles

ISO 13485 places new emphasis on risk management

Quality Magazine

New changes to ISO 13485, published this spring as EN ISO 13485:2016, mean U.S. medical device companies that sell in Europe will need to integrate risk-based approaches throughout their quality management systems. The emphasis on risk management is the biggest of several changes in the third version of ISO 13485.

October 1, 2016

Articles

How Motors Are Enabling a Pioneering Cardio Device

Qmed.com

Houston-based Procyrion has an intra-aortic pump, presently in the preclinical stage, that is only 6 mm by 6.5 cm long and is actually deployed deployed with a self-expanding anchoring system downstream of the heart in the femoral artery.

June 27, 2016

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Achieving Quality in The Startup Environment

Quality Magazine

In today’s marketplace, where regulatory requirements are increasingly more stringent and consumer satisfaction is paramount, establishing a high-level quality management system should be a priority for businesses of all sizes.

June 22, 2016

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Disruptive Heart Assist Device by Procyrion

Universal Biotech

Procyrion, located in Houston, Texas was one of the laureates of 2015 Innovation Prize organized by Universal Biotech, subsidiary of Universal Medica Group. The start-up is developing Aortix™ a first-in-class circulatory assist device for ambulatory treatment of chronic heart failure.

June 9, 2016

Articles

Procyrion Hires Rice BIOE graduate alumnus Chris Durst

Rice University Department of Bioengineering

Micro heart pump maker Procyrion has recently added key team members as it prepares for first-in-human studies. The Houston-based developer of a circulatory assist device intended to treat chronic heart failure announced Rice University alumnus Chris Durst as senior director of product development.

May 31, 2016

Articles

Keeping Heart Failure Patients on Their Feet

Medical Device and Diagnostic Industry

Procyrion envisions their Aortix™ device as a less-invasive approach that would keep heart failure patients ambulatory while under treatment. The small Aortix device, under development now, is being designed for the Class III and IVa heart failure patient.

May 20, 2016

Articles

The Biotech Revolution makes its way to the Bayou City

CW39 NewsFix

Houston-based Procyrion will be housed in one of the 21 facilities at JLabs and under the direction of a Medical Center regular, Dr. Reynolds Delgado. He invented Aortix, a kinder, simpler way to keep the blood flowing through the heart while patients wait what could be years for a transplant.

May 11, 2016

Articles

In the City with the World’s Largest Medical Center, There’s Still No Biotech—Yet

Houstonia

Houston has everything it needs to create thriving biotech and pharmaceutical industries. Now, if only its research and business communities can learn to work together.

April 28, 2016

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If I knew then...

Crain's Houston

In this ongoing series, Crain's asks executives, entrepreneurs and business leaders about mistakes that have shaped their business philosophy. Procyrion's CEO Ben Hertzog shares his lessons learned.

November 17, 2015

Articles

2015 Create the Future Design Contest Winners

Medical Design Briefs

The 13th annual "Create the Future" Design Contest for engineers, students and entrepreneurs worldwide attracted a record number of entries - nearly 1,160 innovative product ideas from engineers and students in more than 60 countries.

November 2, 2015

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Awards

2015 Create the Future Design Contest: Grand Prize Winner

Medical Design Briefs

Procyrion, Inc. of Houston, TX is developing the first catheter-deployed heart pump intended for long-term treatment of chronic heart failure. Thinner than a #2 pencil and only 6cm long, AortixTM has the potential to become a low-risk circulatory assist device for a broad range of patients.

November 1, 2015

Awards
Articles

Advances in Interventional Heart Failure Hemodynamic Support at TCT 2015

DAIC

Manesh Patel, M.D., associate professor of medicine, and director of interventional cardiology and the cath labs at Duke University, explains the innovations in interventional heart failure technologies, including the Aortix percutaneous heart pump.

October 30, 2015

Articles

Procyrion’s Aortix device could heighten heart pump competition

MassDevice

Pay attention to Procyrion over the next several months. CEO Benjamin Hertzog tells MassDevice.com that the company plans on heading to the clinic with a device that could heighten competition among makers of cardiac assist devices.

October 22, 2015

Articles

How Auto Racing Prepared Me For The Startup Life

Texas CEO Magazine

Sitting behind the wheel of a racecar is a lot like sitting behind the wheel of a startup. Both are temperamental, requiring lots of close attention; both have big goals, involving a team and a host of varied skills; both can go off track in a matter of seconds, demanding both patience and quick thinking.

October 17, 2015

Articles

Implementing a Quality System

MD+DI

For startup executives, quality systems can be a financial drain. When poorly implemented, they can even be an impediment to product and business development. But a well-implemented quality system, on the other hand, can be an important tool for business risk mitigation.

October 15, 2015

Articles

Procyrion's micro-heart pump moving forward

Today's Medical Developments

Experiments boost Procyrion's micro-heart pump presented at scientific conference; Circulatory pump earns spot in TCT Interventional Innovation "Shark Tank” competition; earned a share of the 2015 Universal Biotech Innovation Prize.

October 13, 2015

Articles

Procyrion raises $10M to get minimally invasive mini heart pump in the clinic

FierceBiotech

Procyrion is developing the first catheter-deployed micropump for the heart. It's nabbed a $10 million Series B round to back clinical development of its tiny, chronic heart failure device that consists of a continuous flow pump that is mounted via the femoral artery inside the heart to the descending thoracic aorta.

October 9, 2015

Articles

Analysis To Limit Shear Stress, Improve Axial Blood Pump Flow Presented At ISRBP

BioSpace

enmodes GmbH, a German company that designs and engineers innovative medical designs, put Houston-based Procyrion Inc.’s Aortix™ micro heart pump through a series of computational fluid dynamic simulations to improve the overall design and performance of the prototype in preparation for first-in-human trials.

September 21, 2015

Articles

Procyrion CEO discusses its life-changing pump designed to heal the heart

Medical Design & Outsourcing

Ben Hertzog is the CEO of Procyrion, a Houston-based company that is developing Aortix, a custom designed pump built around a powerful micro-motor mounted on a set of expandable struts. Aortix is designed to rest and heal the heart by reducing afterload and improving blood flow to vital organs.

August 4, 2015

Articles

Procyrion Nominated Semi Finalist for Biotech Innovation Prize

BioNews Texas

Houston, Texas-based startup Procyrion, Inc. has been selected as one of the semi finalists for the 7th Universal Biotech Innovation Prize 2015, for the development of the Aortix heart pump system for patients with chronic heart failure.

July 2, 2015

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Awards

Medical Innovation Competition Pits Country Against Country

Medical Design Technology

Procyrion (Houston, TX) is addressing heart failure with Aortix, a catheter-deployed micro-pump. Thinner than a #2 pencil, Aortix augments heart function by reducing afterload, allowing the heart to work at a sustainable level while perfusing vital organs.

July 1, 2015

Articles
Awards

Motors keep hearts running: minimally-invasive micro-motors

Medical Device Developments

Procyrion CEO Benjamin Hertzog discusses the need for minimally invasive cardiology tools, and explains how micro-motor technology and customised components could open up safe and effective treatment options.

June 22, 2015

Articles

Procyrion Aortix Cardiorenal Assist Pump Presented At ISHLT 35th Annual Meeting

Cardiovascular Disease News

The research team behind Houston-based Procyrion, Inc.’s Aortix long-term circulatory support pump for chronic heart failure patients will deliver a presentation at the 2015 International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT) 35th Annual Meeting & Scientific Session in Nice, France.

April 10, 2015

Articles

Circulatory Support Without Surgery

Medical Design Technology

Procyrion, Inc. of Houston, TX is developing the first catheter-deployed circulatory assist device designed for long-term treatment of early-stage heart failure. Thinner than a #2 pencil, Aortix has the potential to become a low-risk treatment option for a broad range of patients.

April 10, 2015

Articles

Houston companies take top spots at SXSW pitch competitions

Houston Business Journal

A number of Houston companies made their presence known at Austin's SXSW Interactive festival this year. Procyrion's Jace Heuring giving his pitch at the 2015 Hatch Pitch competition.

March 18, 2015

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Awards

Cardiorenal Benefits of Aortix Device to be Presented at ACC.15 in San Diego, CA

Procyrion

Carlos del Rio, Ph.D. of QTest Laboratories will present his findings using Aortix™, a catheter-deployed circulatory assist pump for the treatment of chronic heart failure being developed by Procyrion, Inc., at the American College of Cardiology’s 64th Annual Scientific Session and Expo (ACC.15)

March 12, 2015

Articles

Medical device modified for use in children

Today's Medical Developments

Omar Benavides, Ph.D., a senior product development engineer with Procyrion, presented results from the first large animal study completed with the modified circulatory assist device under the grant at the Consortium’s 2nd Annual Pediatric Device Innovation Competition held at the University of Maryland.

February 23, 2015

Articles

Hatch Pitch Unveils Tech Startup Lineup for Upcoming SXSW Demo Day

Xconomy.com

Houston’s Procyrion, a medical device company that makes Aortix™, a thinner-than-a-pencil circulatory support pump that can be implanted in the aorta via a catheter. The device is designed to act like a crutch, helping patients with damaged hearts push more blood through the circulatory system and on to vital organs.

February 11, 2015

Articles

Pumps Inside Arteries Help Cardiac Patients

Machine Design

Cardiologists will soon be fitting patient's aortas with tiny pumps to help diseased hearts rest and heal, thanks to engineers at Procyrion Inc., Houston, who designed a circulatory-assist device. It’s called the Aortix™ and it accelerates native blood flow with entraining jets, creating better overall circulation.

August 28, 2014

Articles

When Technologies Collide, Outcomes Improve for Cardio Patients

MDDI

In forecasting the future of cardiovascular disease in the United States, a report by the American Heart Association shows Baby Boomers and cardiovascular disease on a direct collision course. By 2030, it is projected that more than 40% of Americans will have some form of cardiovascular disease.

August 21, 2014

Articles

Circulatory Support Without Surgery for Heart Failure Patients

Medical Design Briefs

A team of life science entrepreneurs in Houston has developed the first catheter-deployed circulatory assist device intended for long-term use to treat chronic heart failure. Aortix™ provides a minimally invasive treatment for the more than two million chronic heart failure patients who are too sick for medication.

August 1, 2014

Articles

$50,000 Pediatric Device Innovation Grant Awarded to Procyrion

Today's Medical Developments

Procyrion Inc., a medical device firm developing the first catheter-deployed circulatory assist device intended for long-term use in the treatment of chronic heart failure, has been awarded a $50,000 grant from the National Capital Consortium for Pediatric Device Innovation.

July 15, 2014

Awards
Articles

Procyrion Director named one of QMed's "30 Under 30 Medtech Innovators"

Qmed

A life-long do-it-yourselfer, Will Clifton is now involved with the development of the Procyrion Aortix—a small LVAD meant to be implanted inside an artery in a minimally invasive procedure. Clifton has managed Procyrion's Preclinical R&D program including sourcing sites, drafting protocols, and executing studies.

June 30, 2014

Awards
Articles

Finding the Right Balance When Trading Equity for Cash

BoA Small Business Community

Establishing the equity stake might boil down to simple mathematics, notes Ben Hertzog, president and CEO of Procyrion, a Houston-based medical device startup that recently received $2.9 million in funding.

June 25, 2014

Articles

Helping the Heart Heal Itself

Today's Medical Developments

Aortix is a catheter-deployed, long-term treatment option for chronic heart failure that is designed to reduce the workload of the heart – allowing it to rest and heal without surgery. Even more exciting, this device opens up the opportunity to treat younger, healthier patients before years of progressive damage occur.

June 19, 2014

Articles

Houston’s Procyrion Adds Seasoned Financial Executive To Board of Directors

BioNews Texas

Houston-based Medical device company Procyrion, Inc., recently made a significant personnel move to promote one of the company’s executives to its board of directors. Last week, Steven Oldham was appointed to the board, and will represent Procyrion’s Series A stockholders...

May 5, 2014

Articles

Houston’s Procyrion, Inc. To Present Aortix Catheter-Deployed Circulatory Assist Device at ACC.14

BioNews Texas

Procyrion and its novel Aortix device continue to gain momentum in the medical marketplace, the company has announced it will present its catheter-deployed circulatory assist device at the American College of Cardiology 63rd Annual Scientific Session and Expo (ACC.14) scheduled for March 29–31 in Washington D.C.

March 27, 2014

Articles

Houston Medtech Firm Procyrion Aims to Help Heart Heal Itself

Xconomy

The Houston medtech startup’s device is called Aortix™, a circulatory support pump that is thinner than a pencil and can be implanted in the aorta, the major artery coming from the heart, through a catheter threaded up from the thigh through the femoral artery.

March 25, 2014

Articles

Advances in Percutaneous Ventricular Assist Devices

DAIC

The latest in pVAD hemodynamic support technology in development and a look at future devices to treat heart failure.

March 18, 2014

Articles

Procyrion, Inc. Recognized as Top Life Science Company

BioNews Texas

Procyrion recognized by the Rice Alliance as a “Top Life Science Company” for its Aortix™ medical device.

March 3, 2014

Awards
Articles

Transcatheter Pump May Aid Heart Failure Patients

DIAC

Procyrion Inc. is developing a catheter-deployed circulatory assist device intended for long-term use in the treatment of chronic heart failure. The 6-mm diameter Aortix device is narrower than a pencil and is delivered via a catheter in a minimally invasive outpatient procedure lasting about 10 minutes.

February 7, 2014

Articles

Texas Emerging Technology Fund Delivers Second Tranche of $1.5 Million Funding To Houston-Based Procyrion, Inc.

BioNews Texas

Houston-based Procyrion, Inc. has proven that its viability in the biotech sector is worthy of Texas state funding. Yesterday, the privately-held medical device company, which is also associated with the Houston Technology Center, announced the closing of $750,000 second tranche from the Texas Emerging Technology Fund.

January 24, 2014

Articles

Procyrion, Inc. Receives Second Tranche of $1.5 Million of Texas Emerging Technology Fund

Procyrion

Procyrion, Inc., a privately-held medical device firm developing the first catheter-deployed circulatory assist device intended for long-term use in the treatment of chronic heart failure, today announced the closing of $750,000 second tranche from the Texas Emerging Technology Fund.

January 14, 2014

Articles

Houston-Based Procyrion, Inc. Launches New Scientific Advisory Board

BioNews Texas

Houston medical device company Procyrion, Inc. recently announced the establishment of a new scientific advisory board. Appointments to the new board include several leading cardiologists and cardiovascular researchers, including Emma Birks, MBBS, PhD; Hani Sabbah, PhD; Keith Aaronson, MD and Joseph Rogers, MD.

January 8, 2014

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Machinist is unsung hero of heart treatment advances

Houston Chronicle

Juan Fernandez, the machinist at Houston's Methodist Hospital, works on a project in his machine shop at Methodist, Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2013, in Houston. Fernandez's handiwork has made some very significant contributions to in the history of cardiovascular surgery.

January 4, 2014

Articles

Aortix™ Minimally Invasive Intra-Aortic Circulatory Support Pump

MedGadget

Procyrion, a company based in Houston, Texas, has developed and is working on bringing to market a new intra-aortic support pump that may help people with heart failure “reduce afterload, reduce workload of the heart, and increase end-organ perfusion,” according to the company.

January 2, 2014

Articles

A Peek Inside Houston's Startup Scene

Entrepreneur

Houston's budding entrepreneurs aren't hanging up shingles for lack of better options. With energy and life sciences playing a big role in the city's economy, the recession didn't hit Houston as hard as it did in many places.

February 24, 2013

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