Magnendo awarded up to $32M by ARPA-H to advance autonomous robotic stroke intervention
Federal award supports development of magnetic robotic navigation technology designed to overcome the physical barriers limiting endovascular navigation and pave the way for autonomous endovascular interventions
NEWTON, Mass., August 7, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Magnendo Corp., an MIT spinout developing magnetic robotic navigation technology for endovascular intervention, today announced that it has been selected for an award of up to $32 million from the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) under its Autonomous Interventions and Robotics (AIR) program.
In the United States, hundreds of thousands of patients suffer ischemic strokes caused by large vessel occlusions each year, yet only a small fraction receive mechanical thrombectomy because the procedure requires highly specialized expertise available at relatively few hospitals. Even for experienced physicians, navigating guidewires and catheters through complex vascular anatomy remains technically demanding and time-consuming. Such unfavorable and tortuous vascular anatomy, commonly seen in stroke patients, can substantially prolong target access during the procedure, delaying time-critical treatment.
The AIR program, led by ARPA-H Program Manager Ileana Hancu, Ph.D., aims to catalyze the development of autonomous robotic systems capable of performing endovascular stroke interventions with progressively less direct human input. Its long-term vision is to expand patient access to advanced stroke care by reducing dependence on highly specialized expertise and enabling advanced procedures to be performed more consistently across a broader range of hospitals.
