Novelrad, based at Kibbutz Metzer in northern Israel, has developed what it calls a micro-sewing machine that places a multipoint, continuous running suture through a catheter, mimicking the surgical standard for closing holes in blood vessels and the heart. Its first product, the N-VCD, closes the large puncture in the artery left by large-bore catheter procedures, by placing a purse-string suture at the start of the procedure, according to Novelrad. The EIC Accelerator granted €2,499,999 towards a total cost of €4,121,069 for the project, which runs from August 2024 to January 2027, according to CORDIS.
The project's first report, covering August 2024 to May 2025, says Novelrad completed the design of the N-VCD, moved production to a class 7 clean room, completed 14 of 19 mechanical bench tests, and ran a preclinical validation study in 7 acute and 7 chronic animals, the first of which completed follow-up "with very good results", according to CORDIS. It said the company was preparing its first-in-human trial. A search of ClinicalTrials.gov in September 2026 found no registered study by Novelrad.
Company file
- Legal entity
- Novelrad Ltd, Kibbutz Metzer, Israel
- First product
- N-VCD large-bore vascular closure device
- Second product
- N-PFO, heart defect closure
- Technology
- Transcatheter continuous micro-suturing
- Stage
- Preclinical, preparing first-in-human study
- Ownership
- Privately held
- EIC funding
- Grant first, €2.5M
Where Novelrad Stands Now
Novelrad has not published news on its website beyond the EIC award. The project report lists biocompatibility, sterilisation and packaging validation steps under way in mid-2025 with outside test laboratories, and two patents granted in Europe and Japan, with others in national phases. Its investors, funding and staff numbers have not been disclosed, and as an Israeli private company its accounts are not public.
"With these fundamental achievements in hand, Novelrad is now preparing to initiate its First-In-Human (FIH) clinical trials."
Novelrad, EIC project report, 2025The Technology: A Purse-String Stitch Through a Catheter
Large-bore catheter procedures leave a large hole in the artery, which must be closed at the end. Novelrad's device places a continuous purse-string suture around the access site at the beginning of the procedure, with what the company describes as a ballpoint-pen interface. The same suturing platform is meant to close heart defects such as a patent foramen ovale.
What the EIC Award Promised, and What the Record Shows
The project runs until January 2027, so it is too early to judge it. It has delivered a finished design, most of the bench testing and a preclinical study. The first-in-human trial, which would show whether the device works in patients, has not been publicly registered more than a year after the company said it was preparing it.
- Design completionDeliveredProject report.
- Preclinical validationDelivered14 animals.
- Verification testing14 of 19May 2025.
- First-in-human trialUnverifiedNot registered.
The Money
The EU grant covers 61% of the €4.1 million project. Novelrad has to fund the rest, and the award was grant first, so any EIC equity would come later. No funding round has been announced.
What Cannot Be Checked
Questions for the EIC
Whether the first-in-human trial has started, where it will run, who funds Novelrad and whether the EIC Fund will invest are not public.
Why Europe Should Care
Novelrad says its technology is designed to improve results, shorten procedures and reduce hospital stays. The EIC grant has paid for the engineering and animal work behind those claims, but the clinical evidence in patients is still to be generated.
What the award promised
Minimally invasive suturing for vascular closure and heart defect repair.
What the record shows
A finished design and animal data, and no public human trial.
The Verdict
Ready for patients, not yet in them
Novelrad has done the engineering. The step into humans has yet to become public.
Novelrad and the EIC have not been asked for comment for this article. It is based entirely on public records and published statements, linked throughout.
