What Cerulean Scientific does

Cerulean Scientific is a privately held medical device company founded in 2016 and headquartered at Duke University's life sciences entrepreneurship hub in Durham, North Carolina. The company is developing implantable and indwelling medical devices coated with Cerulean Surface Technology, a tethered liquid perfluorocarbon coating licensed exclusively from the Wyss Institute at Harvard University. The technology creates an omniphobic, liquid-like surface layer inspired by the pitcher plant, designed to resist clogging, obstruction, and biofouling on devices made from PTFE, silicone, and polyurethane. Cerulean Scientific is pre-commercial: its devices are not yet FDA 510(k) cleared and are not available for sale in the United States.

The product portfolio is anchored in neurosurgery and vascular access, including a ventricular catheter and external ventricular drain for hydrocephalus treatment and a hemodialysis catheter and vascular graft for vascular access. Peer-reviewed preclinical data in the Journal of Neurosurgery reported improved survival time and reduced cell attachment versus standard catheters, and a 90-day sheep study showed 0% clogging versus 100% clogging for leading hemodialysis catheters. A peripheral vascular graft study comparing against Gore's heparin-coated Propaten graft is expected in 2026. The technology is also licensed to two medtech OEM partners for cochlear implant tubes and disposable endoscopic camera lenses.

The business model combines proprietary device sales, OEM technology licensing, and non-dilutive grant funding. The company has raised approximately $20 million in grants from the National Institutes of Health and the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs, including a $5.4 million CDMRP grant in 2022 targeting FDA 510(k) clearance for hydrocephalus devices. Customers and research collaborators include Duke University, Washington University, Virginia Commonwealth University, and Harvard's Wyss Institute. Leadership comprises CEO Tim Hopper, Founder and Executive Chairman Andrew Jones, CTO Todd McFarland, and Advisor and Board Director Bill Walker, with the team reportedly carrying 100 years of combined medical device experience.

Name

Cerulean Scientific

Legal name

Cerulean Scientific

Website

https://ceruleanscientific.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Cerulean Scientific is a pre-commercial medical device company developing tethered liquid perfluorocarbon-coated catheters and vascular grafts that resist clogging and biofouling, serving hydrocephalus, hemodialysis, and peripheral vascular patients while licensing its platform to medtech OEMs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Implantable Medical Devices

NAICS

Surgical Appliance and Supplies Manufacturing (339113), Surgical and Medical Instrument Manufacturing (339112)

SIC

Surgical & Medical Instruments & Apparatus (3841)

akta.pro primary industry

Single-Use Medical Disposables & Procedure Kits (Drapes, Tubing, Catheters, Syringes, Custom Packs) (HLAHANAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Specialty & Functional Coatings (Anti-microbial/Anti-slip/Insulating) (IMAIAKAM)

Keywords

• Implantable medical devices
• Surface coating technology
• Hydrocephalus treatment devices
• Hemodialysis catheters
• Vascular grafts

Headquarters

HQ city

Durham

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Proprietary Medical Device Sales: Selling proprietary implantable medical devices including ventricular catheters, external ventricular drains, hemodialysis catheters, and vascular grafts featuring Cerulean Surface Technology directly to healthcare providers.
2. Technology Licensing to OEMs: Licensing the tethered liquid perfluorocarbon coating technology to other medtech companies for use in their products. Already licensed to two companies for cochlear implant tubes and disposable endoscopic camera lenses.
3. Grant Funding: Non-dilutive funding from NIH and Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) supporting R&D and clinical trials. Nearly $20 million raised in grants.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Cerulean Scientific develops and manufactures implantable and indwelling medical devices coated with its proprietary Cerulean Surface Technology, a tethered liquid perfluorocarbon coating licensed from Harvard's Wyss Institute that resists clogging, obstruction, and biofouling. Its product portfolio includes ventricular catheters and external ventricular drains for hydrocephalus treatment, as well as hemodialysis catheters and vascular grafts for vascular access. The company also licenses its surface coating technology to other medical device OEMs for integration into their products.

Product overview

Cerulean Scientific is developing a portfolio of implantable and indwelling medical devices that resist clogging, obstructions, and biofouling. The company's products center on Cerulean Surface Technology™, a tethered liquid perfluorocarbon coating licensed from Harvard's Wyss Institute. Current products include the Cerulean Ventricular Catheter™ and External Ventricular Drain for hydrocephalus treatment, and the Cerulean Hemodialysis Catheter™ and Vascular Graft for vascular access. The company is pursuing FDA 510(k) clearance and plans to commercialize its own products while also licensing the technology to other medtech OEMs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Cerulean Surface Technology™: Durable, omniphobic coating technology inspired by the pitcher plant for medical devices that resist clogging, obstructions and biofouling.
• Cerulean Ventricular Catheter™
• Cerulean Hemodialysis Catheter™
• Cerulean Surface

Products and services

• Cerulean Ventricular Catheter™

Quantifiable outcome

• 98% of leading ventricular catheters fail within 10 years; 40% fail within 1 year
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard UniversitycoreTechnology or IntegrationExclusive licensing agreement for tethered liquid perfluorocarbon coating technology. The technology was originated at Harvard's Wyss Institute and provides the foundation for Cerulean Scientific's surface modification platform for medical devices.
• Virginia Commonwealth UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner for groundbreaking hydrocephalus studies, working alongside Washington University to advance technology toward FDA 510(k) clearance.
• Washington UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOriginal research partner for ventricular catheter studies that began at Washington University and are now continuing at Cerulean Scientific and Virginia Commonwealth University. Studies aim to advance technology to FDA 510(k) clearance.
• Duke UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCerulean Scientific operates from Duke University's life sciences entrepreneurship hub. Clinical collaboration with Duke neurosurgeon Dr. Patrick Codd who endorsed the technology.
• Medtech OEM Partners (Cochlear Implant)minorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerTechnology licensed to a company for use in cochlear implant tubes.
• Medtech OEM Partners (Endoscopic Camera)minorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerTechnology licensed to a company for use in disposable endoscopic camera lenses.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• DSM Biomedical: DSM Biomedical supplies specialty biomaterial coatings used on implantable and catheter devices, making it an adjacent comparable to Cerulean's coating platform as a tier-2/coating-supply peer.

Broad incumbents

• Penumbra: Penumbra is a broad incumbent in vascular and neurovascular interventional devices that competes for the same hospital specialists and procurement relationships Cerulean would target with its vascular catheters and grafts.
• Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD): BD is a broad incumbent with a large vascular access and hemodialysis catheter portfolio (including the Bard and Power-Trialysis lines) that Cerulean's anti-fouling catheters would compete against across hospital systems.
• Medtronic (Neurosurgery & Vascular): Medtronic is a broad medtech incumbent selling leading ventricular catheters, shunts and a large vascular access portfolio (including Mahurkar and Palindrome hemodialysis catheters), making it the primary share donor Cerulean would target post-510(k).
• Spectranetics / Philips (Image-Guided Therapy): Philips (via Spectranetics) participates in vascular and atherectomy devices that compete with coated catheter products; comparable in targeting the same hospitals and interventional specialists Cerulean would need to reach.

Direct peers

• ICU Medical: ICU Medical is a direct peer in hemodialysis and vascular access catheters, with the Neutron and other coated hemodialysis catheters directly competing with Cerulean's coated hemodialysis catheter for hospital procurement contracts.
• Integra LifeSciences: Integra is a direct peer in hydrocephalus/neurosurgery, selling Codman Hakim and other ventricular catheters and CSF management devices — precisely the standard-of-care products Cerulean's coated ventricular catheter is designed to displace.
• W. L. Gore & Associates (Gore Medical): Gore's PROPATEN heparin-coated vascular graft is the named comparator in Cerulean's 2026 sheep study, making Gore the most direct peer in coated vascular access and the benchmark Cerulean must outperform for clinical and commercial credibility.
• Teleflex: Teleflex manufactures Arrow and other branded hemodialysis and central venous catheters that compete directly with Cerulean's coated vascular access products, particularly in the hospital channel Cerulean plans to enter.

Emerging players

• Surmodics: Surmodics is a peer in surface coating technologies applied to medical devices (Parylene and hydrophilic coatings for catheters and guidewires), making it directly comparable as a coating-platform licensor with overlapping OEM customers.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cerulean-scientific

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Cerulean Scientific