Mercator MedSystems

About Mercator MedSystems

Mercator MedSystems, Inc. is a medical technology company that develops and commercializes catheter-guided micro-infusion systems for targeted, site-specific delivery of therapeutic agents. The company was founded in 2000 by Kirk P. Seward and Albert Pisano, spinning out of the University of California, Berkeley, and was formerly known as EndoBionics, Inc. Seward, who serves as the President and CEO, invented the company's core technology and has a background in mechanical engineering from MIT and UC Berkeley.

The company's business model centers on the manufacturing and sale of its proprietary medical devices to healthcare providers and forming strategic partnerships for clinical development and commercialization. Its primary market includes interventional cardiology, oncology, and regenerative medicine, with a focus on treating conditions like peripheral artery disease (PAD) and deep vein thrombosis (DVT). Mercator generates revenue through the sale of its FDA-cleared and CE-marked catheter systems and through milestone payments and royalties from commercial partnerships, such as its agreement with Shenzhen Salubris Pharmaceuticals for the Chinese market.

Mercator’s main products are the Bullfrog® and Cricket™ Micro-Infusion Catheters. These devices are designed to inject drugs, genes, or cells directly and non-systemically through blood vessel walls into adjacent tissues. The Bullfrog device, a wire-guided endovascular catheter, uses a hydraulically actuated microneedle to deliver substances to the adventitial and perivascular tissues, areas around the blood vessel. This technology allows for highly targeted therapy, aiming to improve patient outcomes by delivering agents precisely where needed and minimizing the systemic side effects associated with conventional drug administration. The catheters are available in various sizes to treat vessels ranging from 2mm to 16mm in diameter. The company has raised a total of $31.8M over 3 funding rounds, with investors including Shenzhen Xinlitai Pharmaceutical, Volcano Capital Management, and Aphelion Capital.