What Focal Medical does

Focal Medical is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing an implantable iontophoresis drug delivery platform for the targeted, localized delivery of chemotherapy to solid tumors. Founded in 2018 as Advanced Chemotherapy Technologies, a spinout from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill based on research by Joseph DeSimone and Jen Jen Yeh, the company rebranded to Focal Medical in November 2022 and was headquartered in Cary, North Carolina. The lead product candidate, ACT-IOP-003, is an implantable device that uses mild electrical current to actively drive gemcitabine into pancreatic tumor tissue via non-circulatory pathways, achieving drug concentrations 10-100 times higher at the tumor site than systemic IV delivery while virtually eliminating systemic exposure. A second candidate, IOP cisplatin, is in preclinical development for locally recurrent oral cavity cancer.

The company received FDA IND clearance in January 2024 to initiate a Phase 1b clinical trial of ACT-IOP-003 for locally advanced unresectable pancreatic cancer as a first-in-class combination drug-device product. Focal Medical raised approximately $20 million in combined equity and grant funding, anchored by a $5.5 million Series A led by Khosla Ventures in October 2020, a $2.5 million follow-on from Spectrum Financial in February 2021, and NIH/NCI grants totaling over $2.2 million. The intellectual property base consists of US Patent 10,695,562 B2 and a broader global portfolio exclusively licensed from UNC. The intended go-to-market is direct sales to specialized oncology centers and academic medical centers capable of laparoscopic device implantation, with revenue generated from combination product sales upon regulatory approval.

Focal Medical generated no commercial revenue and was acquired by Continuity Biosciences, LLC on June 4, 2025, with the acquirer obtaining the company's full patent estate, equipment, R&D facility in Cary, NC, licensing agreements with UNC, and key scientific staff. As a clinical-stage developer without marketed products, the company depended entirely on equity financing and NIH grants to fund operations prior to the acquisition.

Name

Focal Medical

Legal name

Focal Medical, Inc.

Website

https://focalmedical.co

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Focal Medical is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing an implantable iontophoresis drug delivery platform for targeted chemotherapy to solid tumors, with lead candidate ACT-IOP-003 for pancreatic cancer. Acquired by Continuity Biosciences in June 2025.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Cary

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Medical Device and Combination Product Sales: Focal Medical is developing and commercializing implantable iontophoretic drug delivery devices (ACT-IOP-003) for targeted chemotherapy delivery. As a clinical-stage company, revenue will be generated from sales of its combination drug-device products to healthcare providers and cancer treatment centers upon regulatory approval. The company also plans to expand its pipeline with additional therapeutic candidates for other solid tumors and genomic medicines.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Focal Medical develops and is commercializing an implantable iontophoretic drug delivery platform for targeted, localized chemotherapy to solid tumors. The lead product ACT-IOP-003 is an implantable combination drug-device that uses mild electrical current to actively drive gemcitabine chemotherapy directly into pancreatic tumor tissue via non-circulatory pathways, delivering 10-100x more drug concentration at the tumor site while virtually eliminating systemic exposure. The product has received FDA IND clearance for a Phase 1b clinical trial in locally advanced unresectable pancreatic cancer.

Product overview

Focal Medical is a clinical-stage oncology company that has developed an energy-based drug delivery system (iontophoresis platform) for local and precise delivery of small molecules directly to solid tumors. The platform delivers 10 to 100 times more drug directly to the target tumor versus systemic delivery while virtually eliminating systemic exposure. The lead product is ACT-IOP-003, an implantable iontophoretic device delivering gemcitabine for locally advanced nonresectable pancreatic cancer. A second product candidate, IOP cisplatin, is in pre-clinical development for oral cavity cancer. The company was acquired by Continuity Biosciences in June 2025.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ACT-IOP-003: Implantable iontophoretic product designed to safely achieve high concentration of gemcitabine in the pancreas via non-circulatory pathways with minimal systemic drug exposure.

Products and services

• ACT-IOP-003 An implantable iontophoretic device that delivers gemcitabine (FDA-approved chemotherapeutic) directly to pancreatic tumors using non-circulatory pathways. The device uses mild electrical current to drive drugs into target tissue, achieving 10-100x higher drug concentration at the tumor site while minimizing systemic toxicity. FDA IND-cleared combination drug-device product for locally advanced unresectable pancreatic cancer.
• IOP Cisplatin Second targeted therapeutic product candidate using iontophoresis platform to deliver cisplatin (platinum-based chemotherapy) directly to locally recurrent oral cavity cancer tumors. Currently in pre-clinical development with NCI SBIR support.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% of mice showed average 40% tumor volume reduction with iontophoretic gemcitabine delivery vs. 140% tumor growth with intravenous gemcitabine in preclinical studies
• +3 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Continuity BiosciencescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 June 2025Acquired Focal Medical on June 4, 2025 to advance targeted drug delivery for pancreatic cancer. Continuity Biosciences obtained Focal Medical's entire patent estate, specialized equipment, scientific expertise, licensing agreements with UNC, and key staff. R&D facility in Cary, NC included in acquisition.
• Virginia Tech - Animal Cancer Care and Research CentercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 May 2023Collaborative research partnership for evaluating Focal Medical's iontophoretic drug delivery technology in naturally occurring oral cavity cancers in canine companion animals. Study conducted by Dr. Ilektra Athanasiadi, DVM, Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology. Data supports translation to human treatments.
• University of North Carolina at Chapel HillcoreTechnology or IntegrationExclusive licensing agreements with UNC for iontophoresis technology developed by Joseph DeSimone, Jen Jen Yeh, and James Byrne at UNC School of Medicine and UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center. Technology originated from UNC laboratories.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Novocure: Novocure develops Tumor Treating Fields (TTFields), an electric-field-based therapy for solid tumors including pancreatic cancer. Directly comparable mechanism — using localized electrical energy to treat solid tumors — and overlapping indications make it Focal Medical's most relevant direct peer.
• AngioDynamics: AngioDynamics markets the NanoKnife irreversible electroporation system, which uses electrical pulses to ablate solid tumors. Comparable electric-field-based interventional oncology approach and overlapping procedural use cases in pancreatic and other solid tumor treatment.
• Sirtex Medical: Sirtex markets SIR-Spheres Y-90 resin microspheres for targeted radiation therapy of liver tumors. Directly comparable in delivering localized high-dose therapy to solid tumors with reduced systemic exposure — same therapeutic-index philosophy as Focal Medical's iontophoretic approach.

Emerging players

• Profound Medical: Profound Medical develops TULSA-PRO for MR-guided transurethral ultrasound ablation, an energy-based interventional oncology approach. Comparable use of an energy modality for targeted tissue treatment in oncology, though its current focus is prostate rather than pancreatic cancer.
• IceCure Medical: IceCure develops cryoablation systems for tumor destruction, including breast and other solid tumors. Comparable minimally invasive interventional oncology approach for solid tumors using an energy-based modality, though using cold rather than electric fields.

Broad incumbents

• Medtronic: Medtronic operates broadly in implantable drug delivery and interventional oncology. Comparable as a broad incumbent with overlapping device capabilities in targeted therapy delivery, though not specialized in iontophoretic chemotherapy.
• Boston Scientific: Boston Scientific operates a sizable interventional oncology franchise following its BTG acquisition, including drug-eluting bead therapies and embolization products. Comparable as a broad incumbent in targeted oncology drug delivery, though using different drug-delivery modalities.
• Elekta: Elekta provides radiation therapy and brachytherapy systems for cancer treatment. Comparable as a broad incumbent delivering targeted energy-based therapy to solid tumors, though focused on radiation rather than chemotherapy delivery.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights2 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/FocalMedical
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/focal-medical-inc

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors3 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Focal Medical