XFFLEXX bets on cryotherapy to tackle the leading cause of death in the world

XFFLEXX, located in Liège (Belgium), is developing CRYO MORPHO^TM, an innovative technology based on early therapeutic hypothermia (cryotherapy) aimed at reducing the neurological damage risks for patients suffering from cardiorespiratory arrest and cerebral vascular accidents. Today, XFFLEXX is preparing for a capital increase to invest in prototyping and in pre-clinical tests for international validation that will lead to the production and the commercialization of its product.

From a compress to a helmet

The very first technology developed by XFFLEXX is a compress providing specific thermal capacities, going from negative to positive temperatures used to provoke thermal shocks,followed by a constant temperature. The company has been developing this technology but with a particular focus on cryotherapy applications (such as post-operative orthopedics, veterinary use and sports traumatology).
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Today, XFFLEXX integrates this compress within a helmet, which if used at an early stage, could significantly reduce the number of deaths and mainly the disability of the patient who has suffered from cardiorespiratory arrest or a cerebral vascular accident.

Cerebral vascular accidents kill 80 in 100 patients

“Half of the patients suffering from cerebral vascular accidents (50 in 100) dies on site while one third dies 10 days after their admission in the ER. The others survive but with more or less serious after-effects”, says Prof. Said Haichimi-Idrissi (UZ Gent and Vrij Universiteit Brussel).

By immediately decreasing the temperature of the patient’s brain and body, the helmet helps to reduce neurological damages (which can go up to 50 %) for the patient who has been resuscitated after an arrest or a cerebral accident.

“Cardiorespiratory arrests represent the first cause of death in the world (0.5 to 1 for 1,000 inhabitants/year) while cerebral vascular accidents, the first cause of disability. Our technology will help saving lives!” explains Guy Jouhannet, co-founder of XFFLEXX.

A technology not for pre-hospital use only

This non-invasive system, which does not require cryo serum injections or cryo gas insufflations, is currently studed by CHU Liège in cooperation with CHU Saint-Pierre (in Brussels) and CHU Tivoli (in La Louviere). But XFFLEXX wants to take this one step further by pairing the helmet with Automatic External Defibrillators (AED) for public access, making it available to anyone.

The AED market is indeed in constant progression: more than 1 defibrillator for 2,000 inhabitants in industrialized countries (that include 1.5 billion inhabitants) and the number of AED follows the trend with an increase of 20 %/year.

A first capital increase setting ensured the operational development of the therapeutic hypothermia helmet. Today, XFFLEXX needs a second capital increase to invest in prototyping and in pre-clinical tests for international validation that will lead to the production and the commercialization of its product.

Making this technology available for the public should considerably improve on-site care conditions for the victims of cardiorespiratory arrests and cerebral vascular accidents.