Aqua Regenerative Therapies

Aqua Regenerative Therapies (Aqua-RT) was a medical technology company specializing in the development of regenerative vascular grafts. The company's core innovation was a synthetic, biodegradable elastomer scaffold made of poly(glycerol sebacate) (PGS), designed to be implanted as a cell-free graft that would eventually be replaced by the patient's own tissue. This off-the-shelf approach aimed to address the limitations of current vascular grafts, which often suffer from infection, thrombosis, and lack of growth potential. Aqua-RT's primary clinical targets included vascular access for hemodialysis and the treatment of peripheral arterial disease. Founded as a spin-out from the University of Pittsburgh, the company leveraged advanced biomaterials research to create functional, living blood vessels. In 2018, Aqua-RT was acquired by Vascudyne, which integrated the technology into its broader regenerative medicine portfolio.