Galway, Ireland-based startup Signum Surgical said today that it has landed more than $3 million in grants to help fund its efforts to gain U.S. and European regulatory clearance of a device intended to treat a condition that can cause fecal incontinence.
The grants include $2.04 million from the European Union Horizon 2020 SME Instrument and $1.15 million from Ireland’s Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund (DTIF). Part of the money will help Signum Surgical launch of a 12-month clinical study of its BioHealx device, which is designed to treat anal fistula. An anal fistula is an artificial tunnel between the rectum and skin of the buttocks that can develop due to an infected or blocked anal gland. If left untreated, an abscess may form, and the infection may travel through the patient’s sphincter muscle. The condition primarily affects young men and up to one in 5,000 people worldwide, according to a 2011 study published in Deutsches Ärzteblatt International.