CrannMed

What CrannMed does

Crannmed Limited is a privately held Irish medical device company, founded in 2018 and headquartered in Galway, that is developing SakuraBead — a resorbable embolic microsphere platform intended for vascular embolization procedures in chronic inflammatory musculoskeletal conditions. The core technology consists of precisely calibrated microspheres made from organic biocompatible materials with an embedded enzyme that controls degradation independently of patient physiology, allowing customized reabsorption windows from hours up to six months. The microspheres temporarily occlude pathological neo-vessels feeding inflamed tissue and are fully reabsorbed, restoring native vascular circulation and enabling re-intervention — a structural differentiator versus permanent embolic microspheres.

The company's lead application is Genicular Artery Embolization (GAE) for knee osteoarthritis, supported by a 15-patient first-in-human pilot (93% showed significant pain reduction at 6 months, mean reduction 74.75%) and the 89-patient SURE international randomized controlled trial (enrollment completed March 2026, 2:1 GAE versus steroid injection). Two FDA Breakthrough Device Designations have been secured — for knee osteoarthritis (2022) and adhesive capsulitis / frozen shoulder (2023) — alongside an FDA Investigational Device Exemption for the SURE trial and an EU CE Mark pathway. The platform is being extended to lumbar embolization for lower back pain (facet joint OA, spondylosis) and tendinopathies including plantar fasciitis.

CrannMed is currently pre-commercial and expects to begin sales of SakuraBead in US and EU markets before the end of 2026, contingent on regulatory clearances. The business model is a direct enterprise field-sales motion targeting interventional radiologists and orthopedic surgeons at hospital systems and outpatient IR centers, supported by an in-house Class 100,000 cleanroom manufacturing facility in Galway. The company has been funded primarily through non-dilutive European sources, including a €3.5M Horizon EIC Accelerator grant (2021), a 2023 Irish DTIF grant with University of Galway and Synecco Ltd, and up to €12.5M in EIC Accelerator blended financing announced February 2026 (€2.5M grant plus a potential €10M equity investment under Horizon Europe).

Name

CrannMed

Legal name

Crannmed Limited

Website

https://crannmed.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CrannMed is a privately held Irish medical device company developing SakuraBead, a resorbable embolic microsphere platform for Genicular Artery Embolization and other vascular embolization procedures targeting chronic inflammatory musculoskeletal pain, with a primary focus on knee osteoarthritis ahead of US and EU commercial launch.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Interventional Radiology Embolization Devices

NAICS

Biological Product (except Diagnostic) Manufacturing (325414)

SIC

Surgical & Medical Instruments & Apparatus (3841)

akta.pro primary industry

Microbiome Manufacturing, Formulation & Delivery Technologies (encapsulation, spores, oral delivery) (HLAAAFAJ)

Keywords

• Resorbable embolic microspheres
• Interventional radiology devices
• Vascular embolization products
• Minimally invasive medical devices
• Orthopedic medical devices

Headquarters

HQ city

Dublin

HQ country

Ireland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Medical Device Sales: CrannMed generates revenue from the sale of its SakuraBead resorbable embolic microsphere device and associated delivery systems. As a pre-commercial company currently in clinical trials, commercial revenue is expected to begin before the end of 2026 following FDA and CE Mark approvals. The product is sold to hospitals and interventional radiology centers through a direct field sales force.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CrannMed develops and manufactures SakuraBead, a resorbable embolic microsphere medical device made from organic biocompatible materials with an embedded enzyme that controls in-vivo degradation. The microspheres are precisely calibrated for Genicular Artery Embolization (GAE) and are intended to temporarily occlude abnormal blood vessels driving chronic inflammation in conditions such as knee osteoarthritis, adhesive capsulitis (frozen shoulder), lower back pain, and tendinopathies, before being fully reabsorbed and restoring native vascular circulation. The company is pre-commercial and expects to launch SakuraBead in the US and EU markets before the end of 2026 following completion of clinical trials and regulatory approvals.

Product overview

CrannMed is a medical device company developing a single core technology platform based on resorbable embolic microspheres called SakuraBead. The technology is designed to temporarily occlude abnormal blood vessels associated with chronic inflammatory conditions before being completely reabsorbed by the body. The product portfolio centers on the SakuraBead platform with multiple anatomical applications: SakuraBead for Knee Osteoarthritis (the primary commercial focus), SakuraBead for Frozen Shoulder, SakuraBead for Lower Back Pain, and SakuraBead for Tendinopathies. The company is conducting two major clinical programs—the SURE pivotal trial for knee osteoarthritis and a pilot study—supporting regulatory submissions for both US FDA and EU CE Mark approvals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SakuraBead Resorbable Embolic Microspheres A resorbable embolic microsphere medical device made from organic biocompatible materials with an embedded enzyme that controls in-vivo degradation. The microspheres are precisely calibrated to temporarily occlude abnormal blood vessels driving chronic inflammation and are completely reabsorbed into the body, restoring native vascular circulation. Intended for interventional radiologists and orthopedic surgeons performing vascular embolization procedures.
• SakuraBead for Knee Osteoarthritis Targeted clinical application of SakuraBead for Genicular Artery Embolization (GAE) to treat knee osteoarthritis pain by temporarily blocking neo-vessels and associated nerve growth in osteoarthritic knee tissue. For interventional radiologists treating patients aged 40-79 with mild-to-moderate knee osteoarthritis who have exhausted conservative therapies.
• SakuraBead for Lower Back Pain Clinical application of SakuraBead for lumbar embolization to treat facet joint osteoarthritis and spondylosis-related lower back pain by targeting neo-vessels in the lumbar vasculature. For interventional radiologists treating patients with chronic lower back pain who have exhausted alternative treatments.
• SakuraBead for Frozen Shoulder (Adhesive Capsulitis) Clinical application of SakuraBead for arterial embolization to treat adhesive capsulitis (frozen shoulder) by embolizing the vasculature of the synovial lining through radial or femoral artery access. For interventional radiologists treating patients with frozen shoulder characterized by pain and decreased range of motion.
• SakuraBead for Tendinopathies

Quantifiable outcome

• 93% of patients (14/15) showed significant decrease in knee pain at 6-month follow-up in pilot trial
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 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

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Helen RyancoreOthers · 6 May 2026Chair of the Board with over 25 years' experience in the medical device industry, including as CEO of Creganna Medical (which grew five-fold under her leadership). Serves as strategic advisor to Atlantic Bridge Ventures and director for Enterprise Ireland.
• Dr. Ari IsaacsoncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 December 2024Global Principal Investigator and Clinical Advisor for the SURE trial. Dr. Isaacson is Medical Director of IR Centers Raleigh, North Carolina, and co-founder of STREAM, the US national training conference for embolization. He collaborated with the FDA on the first US clinical trial of GAE for knee osteoarthritis.
• Institute of Clinical Trials, University of GalwaycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 November 2023CrannMed's DTIF-funded project partner for accelerating development of next-generation embolics for chronic inflammatory conditions. The Institute provides clinical trial expertise and infrastructure for the company's pivotal trials.
• Synecco LtdcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 November 2023DTIF-funded project partner alongside CrannMed and the Institute of Clinical Trials, University of Galway. Synecco contributes device development and manufacturing expertise to the next-generation embolics project.
• Professor Mark LittlecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUK Chief Investigator for the GENESIS and GENESIS II GAE trials; initiated the first European study on GAE for knee osteoarthritis. Lead author on the 2025 first-in-human publication for SakuraBead. Consultant Interventional Radiologist at Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust and Professor of Radiology at the University of Reading.
• Dr. Sid PadiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrincipal Investigator of GRAVITY, a randomized controlled trial comparing GAE vs standard-of-care in 110 knee osteoarthritis patients. Professor of Radiology and Director of Interventional Radiology at UCLA. One of the largest clinical datasets for GAE in the United States.
• Dr. Bedros TaslakiancoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociate Professor of Clinical Interventional Radiology and Vice Chair of Research at University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. Led systematic review and meta-analysis of GAE for knee osteoarthritis (2023) and a prospective trial on GAE effects on pain and inflammatory biomarkers (2025), both published in JVIR.
• Dr. Jessie StewartcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssistant Professor of Interventional Radiology at UCLA. Presented pilot research on lumbar treatment feasibility using SakuraBead at the SIR Conference in April 2025.
• Dr. Leigh CasadabancoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBoard-certified vascular and interventional radiologist and Assistant Professor at University of Colorado. Authored the most-referenced meta-analysis of the GAE procedure, comparing techniques and outcomes from operators worldwide to identify and share good practice.
• Andy Lewis, PhDcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnical Advisor and Board Observer. Formerly VP R&D at BTG/Boston Scientific (Biocompatibles UK Ltd.), specializing in advanced biomedical polymer systems. Led the development of the first commercial drug-eluting bead (DEB) technology for liver cancer treatment.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Merit Medical: Merit Medical manufactures Embosphere and other embolic microspheres used in vascular embolization procedures. It is the most direct competitor to CrannMed in the embolic microsphere category, although its products are permanent rather than resorbable.
• Terumo: Terumo manufactures HydroPearl and other embolic microspheres for vascular embolization. It competes directly in the embolic bead category across interventional radiology indications globally.
• Sirtex Medical: Sirtex markets SIR-Spheres resin microspheres for radioembolization and has expanded into other embolic technologies. It competes in the embolic microsphere space with overlapping customer base in interventional radiology.

Broad incumbents

• Boston Scientific: Boston Scientific acquired BTG and markets the DC Bead and LC Bead families of drug-eluting embolic beads, plus other interventional oncology and embolization products. It is a broad incumbent with overlapping embolic microsphere capabilities.
• Penumbra: Penumbra is a major interventional vascular player with the Ruby coil and POD (Penumbra Occlusion Device) product lines for embolization. It is a broad incumbent expanding into peripheral embolization that overlaps with CrannMed's target accounts.
• Guerbet: Guerbet is a global specialist in medical imaging and interventional solutions, with embolic agents including Lipiodol and EmboCept. It is a broad incumbent competing in interventional radiology and embolization workflows.
• Medtronic: Medtronic has a broad peripheral vascular and interventional portfolio including embolization products. While not focused on musculoskeletal embolization, it is a potential strategic acquirer and serves the same hospital interventional radiology customers.
• Stryker: Stryker has an interventional spine and vascular franchise with overlapping call points in interventional radiology and orthopedic surgery. It is a broad incumbent and potential strategic acquirer in the musculoskeletal intervention space.

Emerging players

• Instylla: Instylla is developing resorbable hydrogel embolic technology (Instylla HES) for peripheral vascular embolization. As an emerging player with a similar resorbable approach, it is a closely comparable strategic peer for both competitive and potential M&A purposes.
• ABK Biomedical: ABK Biomedical is developing next-generation embolic technologies including resorbable and radiopaque microspheres for oncology and other indications. It is an emerging player in the advanced embolic microsphere category with comparable clinical-stage positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInie.linkedin.com/company/crannmed

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds4 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 CrannMed