Cooper University Health Care’s Innovation Center has announced a license agreement with Upstream Access, Inc., a Cooper-founded, physician-led medical device startup developing a novel multi-directional vascular access system designed to improve endovascular procedures for patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD) and other vascular conditions.
The technology was invented at Cooper by Katherine McMackin, MD, MS, a vascular surgeon and director of vascular surgery research at Cooper University Health Care and assistant professor of surgery at Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, and Jeffrey P. Carpenter, MD, professor of surgery at Cooper Medical School of Rowan University and a nationally recognized vascular surgeon who remains active with Cooper University Health Care following his retirement from clinical practice.
Concurrently with the execution of the license agreement, Foundation Venture Capital Group (FVCG), an affiliate of the New Jersey Health Foundation (NJHF), has committed $500,000 in initial equity financing to Upstream Access. This investment builds on early grant funding, strategic guidance, and hands-on commercialization support provided by NJHF, which helped advance the technology from initial development through company formation. Upstream Access is currently pursuing a total financing round of $500,000 to $1 million to support upcoming development and regulatory milestones.
Addressing an Unmet Need in Vascular Care
The Upstream Access Multi-Directional Vascular Access System is designed to enable both antegrade and retrograde access through a single-entry point, reducing the need for additional access sites and improving overall procedural efficiency.
The novelty of the system arises from two unique components:
- Balloon-Anchoring Sheath: An inflatable anchoring mechanism secures the sheath within the vessel wall, reducing trauma or obstruction of blood flow. Its design allows users to pivot the sheath around the balloon-anchor to transition from antegrade to retrograde access from a single needle stick.
- Steerable U-Turn Catheter: A tightly curved, steerable catheter enables precise 360‑degree wire placement in any direction, with directional markers on the hub to guide catheter rotation.
“Upstream Access is pleased to partner with Cooper University Health Care and the New Jersey Health Foundation to further the development of our groundbreaking technology, which reduces the number of procedures needed to treat patients with vascular disease, thereby decreasing the likelihood of complications. We look forward to bringing this exciting interventional product to market,” said Dr. Carpenter, who also serves as chief scientific officer for Upstream Access.
“With vascular disease, we are often trying to treat complex, multi‑level pathology using access tools that were designed to work in only one direction,” said Dr. McMackin, the company’s president and CEO. “That limitation frequently forces physicians to create additional access sites or to stage procedures, which increases risk for patients. The Upstream Access system was designed to give vascular interventionists more options from a single-entry point, with the goal of simplifying procedures, reducing complications, and ultimately improving care for patients with vascular disease.”
Development and Commercialization Pathway
Upstream Access has completed early development and proof‑of‑concept testing and is currently in the prototype refinement phase. A U.S. provisional patent application has been filed, and regulatory consultants have identified a 510(k) FDA pathway.
“Upstream Access represents the type of clinician-driven innovation we seek to support—technologies grounded in real clinical challenges with a clear pathway to commercialization,” said James Golubieski, president and CEO of Foundation Venture Capital Group. “This investment reflects our confidence in the team and in the opportunity to bring a differentiated vascular access solution to market.”
The newly committ
ed financing will support continued prototype refinement, verification and validation testing, regulatory strategy development, and commercialization planning, positioning the company for future clinical and market entry milestones.
“Executing the license agreement and securing venture financing represent a major step forward for this technology and for Cooper’s growing innovation ecosystem,” said Neal Lemon, PhD, MBA, director of the Cooper Innovation Center. “Upstream Access exemplifies
The launch of Upstream Access marks a significant milestone for Cooper’s innovation mission, representing one of the earliest medical device startup companies to spin out of Cooper and establish operations in Camden. The company exemplifies the Innovation Center’s approach to building locally anchored, physician‑led ventures and underscores Cooper’s strategy to keep clinician‑invented technologies local, supporting startup formation, job creation, and commercialization activity in the city where these innovations originate, while advancing patient care and contributing to regional economic growth.
About Cooper University Health Care
Cooper University Health Care is a leading academic health system affiliated with Cooper Medical School of Rowan University. Cooper, headquartered in Camden, New Jersey, has revenues of more than $2.4 billion and an A+ credit rating from both S&P and Fitch Ratings.
Cooper has nearly 14,000 team members, including nearly 2,200 nurses, more than 1,200 employed physicians representing 95 specialties and subspecialties, and more than 700 advanced practice providers. how Cooper clinicians are translating real‑world clinical challenges into venture‑backed companies with the potential to improve patient care.”
Cooper operates MD Anderson Cancer Center at Cooper as well as three hospitals – its 663-bed flagship Cooper University Hospital in Camden, its 229-bed Cooper University Hospital Cape Regional in Cape May Court House, and Children’s Regional Hospital in Camden.
Cooper University Hospital in Camden is the only Level 1 trauma center in South Jersey and the busiest in the region. The hospital has been recognized as a top-performing regional hospital by U.S. News & World Report’s Best Hospitals annual survey for six years.
More than 2.54 million patients visit Cooper’s facilities annually. Cooper’s ambulatory network encompasses three outpatient surgery centers, seven urgent care centers, a wound care center, and more than 130 physician, physical therapy, and radiology offices extending from the Delaware River to the New Jersey shore.
Cooper was named one of America’s Best Large Employers for 2026 by Forbes, ranking among the top 200 in the nation. Visit CooperHealth.org to learn more.
About the Foundation Venture Capital Group
Foundation Venture Capital Group (FVCG) is a Princeton, New Jersey based organization that uses impact investing to provide pre-seed and seed funding to health-related start-up companies at their partner organizations to help them advance toward and through commercialization. FVCG is an affiliate of the New Jersey Health Foundation, a not-for-profit corporation that supports health-related research and education programs in New Jersey through its Research/Community Health and Social Service grant programs and its Innovation Grant program.
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