CAMDEN, NJ — Upstream Access, Inc., a company formed by two Cooper Norcross Health surgeons, has received a $320,893 Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) award from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to advance a novel vascular access technology developed through Cooper Norcross Health’s innovation efforts. The project, titled “Development of Combined U-turn Catheter and Self-Anchoring Sheath System for Turning Direction of Established Percutaneous Vascular Access,” is designed to improve vascular access procedures and broaden treatment options for patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD).

The project will be led by Jeffrey Carpenter, MD, and Katherine McMackin, MD, MS, surgeon innovators at Cooper Norcross Health who founded Upstream Access in April 2026. Their invention was advanced with support from the Cooper Norcross Health Innovation Center, which helps identify, protect, and commercialize innovations developed by Cooper clinicians and researchers.

Drawing on their expertise in vascular surgery, clinical innovation, and device development, the inventors designed the technology to address a longstanding challenge in endovascular procedures.

The system enables surgeons to redirect guidewires and gain multidirectional access within blood vessels from a single insertion point. This approach could help surgeons visualize and treat multiple vessels while potentially reducing procedural complexity, costs, and patient risk in the diagnosis and treatment of peripheral artery disease.

PAD affects more than 12 million Americans and remains a significant cause of disability and poor vascular health. Current vascular access approaches often require multiple procedures or additional vessel entry points to adequately visualize and treat affected arteries. The Upstream Access technology is designed to address these limitations by enabling both antegrade and retrograde vessel access from a single insertion site.

“This Notice of Award is an important milestone for Upstream Access and demonstrates the value of clinician-driven innovation,” said Dr. Carpenter, principal investigator for the study. “The support of NIH will enable us to advance the development of this technology and generate the data necessary to bring a potentially transformative vascular access solution closer to patients.”

The project also reflects the growing impact of the Cooper Norcross Health Innovation Center, which supports the translation of promising discoveries from concept to commercialization. Through intellectual property assessment, market analysis, regulatory planning, startup formation support, and industry engagement, the Center helps innovators transform clinical insights into products that can improve patient care and create economic impact. The award to Upstream Access represents a successful example of this translational innovation model.

“Clinical innovation is most powerful when frontline health care professionals can identify unmet needs and work collaboratively to develop solutions,” said Dr. McMackin. “This award validates both the clinical importance of the problem and the potential of the solution we have developed.”

The NIH-funded Phase I project will focus on demonstrating technical feasibility and generating data to support future product development and commercialization activities. The project began in mid-September 2026.

The award underscores the strength of the innovation ecosystem emerging in Camden, led by the Cooper Norcross Health Innovation Center, where clinicians, researchers, entrepreneurs, and commercialization professionals collaborate to accelerate the translation of medical discoveries into real-world health care solutions. Through partnerships between Upstream Access, Cooper Norcross Health, and the Cooper Norcross Health Innovation Center, this technology has advanced from clinical concept to federally funded development, positioning it for future commercialization and patient impact.

About Upstream Access, Inc.

Upstream Access, Inc. is a Camden, New Jersey-based medical device company focused on developing innovative technologies that improve vascular access procedures and expand treatment options for patients with vascular disease.

About the Cooper Norcross Innovation Center

The Cooper Norcross Innovation Center supports the identification, protection, development, and commercialization of innovations originating from Cooper Norcross Health clinicians, researchers, and staff. Through intellectual property management, industry partnerships, startup formation, and commercialization support, the Center helps transform health care innovations into products and companies that improve patient outcomes.

NIH Funding Statement

Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R43HL182394. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

About Cooper Norcross Health

Cooper Norcross Health, formerly Cooper University Health Care, is a leading academic health system affiliated with Cooper Norcross Medical School of Rowan University. Headquartered in Camden, New Jersey, Cooper Norcross Health has revenues of more than $3 billion and an A+ credit rating from both S&P and Fitch Ratings.

Cooper Norcross Health has nearly 14,000 team members, including more than 2,200 nurses, more than 1,200 employed physicians representing 95 specialties and subspecialties, and more than 700 advanced practice providers.

The health system operates MD Anderson Cancer Center at Cooper as well as four hospitals – its 663-bed flagship Cooper Norcross University Hospital in Camden, its 229-bed Cooper Norcross University Hospital Cape Regional in Cape May Court House, Children’s Hospital at Cooper Norcross Health in Camden, and The Recovery Village Cherry Hill at Cooper, a rehabilitation and inpatient treatment facility for substance use disorders, in partnership with Advanced Recovery Systems.

Cooper Norcross 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 eight years.

More than 2.54 million patients visit Cooper Norcross Health facilities annually. Its 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.

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