Apneacure provides a permanent, minimally invasive implant that forms a tendon‑like tether to advance and stabilize the tongue base, maintaining airway patency during sleep. The biocompatible polymer scaffold remodels into collagen over several months, delivering a passive, device‑free treatment for moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea for patients who cannot use CPAP and for otolaryngology practices performing airway‑corrective procedures.
Funding
Funding not disclosed
Founders
Product
Problem
Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) affects roughly one billion adults worldwide, with hundreds of millions requiring intervention. Standard therapies such as CPAP suffer from high non‑adherence rates (30‑60 %) and rely on external hardware, leading to ongoing discomfort and limited long‑term effectiveness.
Solution
Apneacure’s Biological Tendon‑like Tether Technology (BTTT) provides a permanent, passive treatment for OSA through a single surgical implantation. A biocompatible scaffold is placed to anchor the tongue base, after which the patient’s own tissue remodels the scaffold into a collagenous, tendon‑like structure that maintains airway patency during sleep. The procedure eliminates the need for nightly devices, reduces infection risk, and offers a durable anatomical correction that persists without further intervention. Clinical data from animal studies and an initial human implant demonstrate successful tendon formation and airway clearance, supporting a clear regulatory pathway toward market approval. The solution is delivered via a modular, ISO 13485‑compliant manufacturing process and supported by a certified surgeon‑training program to ensure consistent implantation outcomes.
Target Audience
The primary customers are adult patients with moderate to severe OSA who are unable or unwilling to use CPAP therapy, and the otolaryngology/sleep surgery practices that perform airway‑corrective procedures.
Features
- One‑time minimally invasive implantation of a polymer‑based tissue scaffold designed for rapid integration with native musculature.
- Scaffold undergoes in‑situ remodeling over ~8 months, forming a tendon‑like tether that mechanically advances and stabilizes the tongue base.
- Passive system with no moving parts, eliminating mechanical failure modes associated with CPAP or oral appliances.
- High biocompatibility and low immunogenicity, resulting in minimal rejection and infection risk.
- MRI‑validated airway expansion pre‑ and post‑implant, confirming anatomical correction.
- Patent protection in major markets (USA, China, EU, UK, Germany, France, Spain, South Africa).
- Scalable, modular production line adhering to ISO 13485 quality standards, enabling on‑demand manufacturing.
- Comprehensive surgeon certification and training program to standardize implantation technique across regions.