CX 2023: Day one in focus

The first-to-podium presentation of the BASIL-2 trial were presented to a packed Kensington 1 auditorium, but there was plenty more on offer on day one of CX 2023.

First-in-human study update indicates “excellent” patency results with restorative dialysis graft

In a Podium First presentation during this year’s Vascular Access Masterclass, Frans Moll (Utrecht, Netherlands) provided the audience with an update on the novel Axess graft (Xeltis), which is intended to improve haemodialysis access outcomes via endogenous tissue restoration (ETR).

“THIS GRAFT CAN BRING A BRIGHTER future for the increasing number of patients who depend on dialysis treatments,” Moll told CX Daily News. “And, I think we could see this in the next two-to-three years—the study is running, patients are actively being enrolled, and we are seeing very positive outcomes. We always have to be modest, but we are certainly optimistic about this.”

Initially, the speaker highlighted the goal of this device—to provide an implantable polymer-based technology that harnesses the body’s natural ability to regenerate cells. The Axess graft utilises supramolecular chemistry and precise electrospinning, offering the basis for a tuneable medical device that can act as a scaffold and allow the body to effectively create its own vessel.

Following implantation, ETR enables the graft to gradually be absorbed by the body, resulting in a ‘natural, living’ graft akin to an autologous arteriovenous fistula (AVF). Moll also noted that the proprietary technology behind Axess can be ‘coded’ during the manufacturing process, enabling absorption times to be adjusted.

The goal here—according to Moll—is to combine the early-stage benefits of an arteriovenous graft (AVG), including the possibility for early cannulation and no maturation requirement, with the more long-term advantages associated with AVFs, such as improved patency rates, and a reduced number of interventions and infections over time.