ARTICLE SUMMARY:
SyMap Medical is developing a selective map-and-ablate technology that has the potential to substantially improve outcomes following renal denervation for treatment-resistant hypertension.
Recent setbacks in renal denervation (RDN) clinical trials have delayed US market approval, and have once again raised questions about the ultimate clinical utility of this device-based treatment for hypertension. (See “Challenges Continue for Renal Denervation Trials,” MedTech Strategist, December 2021.) Although there is now a good deal of positive clinical evidence that RDN works to lower blood pressure, it is also clear that existing RDN systems have limitations, most notably their inability to precisely monitor and verify nerve ablation during the procedure. One young company working to address these issues is SyMap Medical Ltd., headquartered in Suzhou, China. SyMap has developed a unique mapping/selective ablation RDN technology that company co-founder Jie Wang, MD, PhD, believes could provide the next major advance in the field.
