ClinicalTrials.gg
RecruitingNCT07517588EXPLORE-MRaceUpdated Sep 1, 2026

EFS of Posterior Leaflet Replacement to Reduce Mitral Regurgitation (United States)

An interventional study of MR-ace Implant and Delivery System in Mitral Regurgitation, sponsored by Polares Medical SA. Recruiting at 3 sites in United States. Open to participants aged 21 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-09-01.

Sponsored by Polares Medical SA · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
15
Allocation
Not applicable
Ages
21 Years and older
Sex
All
01

Study summary

The goal of this early feasibility clinical trial is to learn if the device MR-ace Implant and Delivery System works in patients with moderate or severe mitral valve regurgitation. It will also learn about the safety of the device MR-ace Implant and Delivery System. The main questions it aims to answer are:

Does implanting the MR-ace device reduce the symptoms of mitral regurgitation? Does the device reduce the the leak through your mitral valve?

Participants will:

Be implanted with the device Visit the clinic for checkups and tests at 30 days, 6 months, 12 months, and 2, 3, 4 and 5 years following your procedure Complete a quality of life survey

02

Conditions studied

  • Mitral Regurgitation
03

In context

Mitral Valve Insufficiency

468 studies on the registry are indexed under Mitral Valve Insufficiency; 164 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 15 is below the median of 68 across 279 interventional studies indexed under Mitral Valve Insufficiency.

Browse Mitral Valve Insufficiency studies →

Lead sponsor

Polares Medical SA is the lead sponsor of 11 studies on the registry; 6 are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
21 Years and older
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  1. Patient has symptomatic moderate-to-severe to severe functional mitral regurgitation despite stable doses of maximally tolerated guideline directed medical therapy (GDMT) per the Local Heart Team.

    Note: In the 30 days prior to performing screening assessments, no new GDMT medications should be introduced and current doses should be stable (i.e. no decrease of > 50% or increase of > 100%) excluding diuretics. Any changes beyond this range would not be considered stable GDMT.

  2. Functional MR graded 3+ or higher (using a scale of 0 to 4+) by transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) within 60 days prior to study procedure as evaluated by the sponsor's Echo Core Lab.
  3. (NYHA) Functional Class II, III or ambulatory IV heart failure
  4. Patient must present with an STS Score less than 10% and deemed by the Local Heart Team to be at high risk but operable for mitral valve surgery.
  5. The Local Heart Team deems the patient unsuitable for commercially approved transcatheter mitral valve therapies
  6. 21 years of age or older
  7. Native mitral valve geometry and size is compatible with the Polares MRace system
  8. Anatomy is suitable for transfemoral transseptal access with the Polares MRace system
  9. Patient is willing to participate in study and provides signed IRB/EC-approved
  10. Treating physician and patient agree that patient is able to return for all required post-procedure follow-up visits
  11. Patient is approved by an independent Patient Eligibility Committee

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Echocardiographic parameters (any of the following, assessed by the Echo Core Lab)

    1. (LVEF) \< 30%
    2. Pulmonary artery systolic pressure (PASP) > 70mmHg or > 2/3 SBP (Systolic Blood Pressure)
    3. Left Ventricle End Diastolic Volume (LV EDV) > 200 mL
    4. Left Ventricle End Systolic Volume (LV ESV) > 140 mL
    5. Left Ventricle End Diastolic Diameter (LV EDD) > 70 mm
    6. Left Ventricle End Systolic Diameter (LV ESD) > 55 mm
  2. Severe Right Ventricle (RV) dysfunction as per assessment by Local Heart Team or Eligibility Committee .
  3. Severe tricuspid regurgitation.
  4. Severe aortic stenosis or insufficiency.
  5. Severe mitral annulus calcification.
  6. Diseased mitral anterior and/or posterior leaflet, such as flail, / prolapse, or/ heavy moderate to severe calcification.
  7. Barlow's disease.
  8. Presence of an implanted vena cava filter or any other device (e.g. ASD closure device) that may interfere with femoral vein access or delivery system access to the mitral valve.
  9. for transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) or MDCT scan
  10. Active infection or endocarditis or infection requiring antibiotic therapy within 2 weeks of scheduled procedure.
  11. Previous mitral valve surgery or transcatheter mitral valve procedure.
  12. Prior orthotopic heart transplantation.
  13. Evidence of intra-cardiac, inferior vena cava (IVC) or femoral venous thrombus. History of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or pulmonary embolism within 6 months of the index procedure.
  14. Untreated Class I indication for pacing (CRT). Implant or revision of any pacing device \< 30 days prior to intervention
  15. Any untreated coronary artery disease requiring revascularization. Coronary, carotid, or endovascular artery disease treated percutaneously \< 30 days prior to study procedure. Cardiac surgery \< 90 days prior to study procedure.
  16. Myocardial infarction requiring intervention \< 30 days prior to study procedure
  17. Infiltrative cardiomyopathies (e.g., amyloidosis, hemochromatosis, sarcoidosis), hypertrophic or restrictive cardiomyopathies, and constrictive pericarditis)
  18. Active peptic ulcer or upper gastrointestinal bleeding \< 90 days prior to study procedure.
  19. Stroke \< 180 days prior to study procedure.
  20. Severe requiring oral therapy or oxygen therapy.
  21. Severe renal insufficiency (creatinine > 3.0 mg/dL) or patient requiring dialysis
  22. Cardiogenic shock at time of enrolment. Hemodynamic instability requiring inotropic support or mechanical heart assistance.
  23. Concurrent medical condition with a of less than 2 years
  24. Pregnancy or breastfeeding at time of enrolment with a positive pregnancy test within 14 days of study procedure.
  25. History of bleeding diathesis or coagulopathy or leukopenia (WBC \< 3,000 mcL) or acute anemia ( \< 9 g/dL) or thrombocytopenia ( \< 50,000 cells mcL)
  26. Known or contraindication to aspirin, heparin, ticlopidine or clopidogrel, nitinol, tantalum or allergy to contrast agents that cannot be pre-medicated.

    Note. Patient must be able to tolerate at least one antiplatelet medication AND one anticoagulant medication.

  27. Severe dementia or lack of capacity due to conditions that result in either inability to provide for the trial/procedure, prevent independent lifestyle outside of a chronic care facility, or will fundamentally complicate rehabilitation from the procedure or compliance with follow-up assessments.
  28. Patient is in need for emergent or urgent surgery for any reason or any planned cardiac surgery within the next 12 months.
  29. Company employees or their immediate family members.
  30. Patient is considered to be part of a vulnerable population, is under guardianship, or subject to any other medical, social or psychological conditions that preclude appropriate consent and follow-up.
  31. Patient is participating in another clinical study for which follow-up is currently ongoing.
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(11)

Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.

NYHA class (heart failure)

The New York Heart Association’s four classes of how much heart failure limits physical activity.

I
No limits: ordinary activity causes no undue tiredness or breathlessness.
II
Slight limits: comfortable at rest, ordinary activity causes symptoms.
III
Marked limits: comfortable at rest, less than ordinary activity causes symptoms.
IV
Symptoms even at rest; any activity makes them worse.

Studies set their own limit — many outside heart failure leave out class III–IV, while heart failure studies may ask for a particular class. Check the class this study names.

Informed consent

Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.

You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.

LVEF (left ventricular ejection fraction)

The share of blood the heart’s main pumping chamber (the left ventricle) pushes out with each beat, measured by an echocardiogram (heart ultrasound) or a MUGA scan. About 50–70% is normal.

Contraindication

A reason a treatment, test or procedure should not be given to a particular person, such as an allergy, another illness or a medicine they take.

Clinically significant

Judged by the study doctor to matter for your health or for the study. It is a doctor’s decision, so ask the study team if you are unsure whether something counts.

COPD

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: long-term lung disease that makes it hard to breathe out, including emphysema and chronic bronchitis.

Corticosteroids (steroids)

Anti-inflammatory medicines such as prednisone, prednisolone and dexamethasone — not the anabolic steroids used for muscle.

Studies differ in what they allow: check which steroid medicines, routes (tablets, injections, creams, inhalers, eye drops) and doses this study accepts.

Life expectancy

The study doctor’s estimate of how long someone is likely to live. Criteria use it so that people can stay in the study long enough for it to answer its question.

Hemoglobin (Hb)

The protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen. A low level is anaemia, which can cause tiredness and breathlessness. Measured in g/dL or g/L (9 g/dL is 90 g/L).

Platelets

Blood cells that help blood clot. Too few raises the risk of bleeding and bruising. A usual adult range is about 150–400 × 10⁹/L (150,000–400,000 per µL); each lab has its own reference range.

Hypersensitivity

An allergy, or another reaction of the immune system, to a substance. “Hypersensitivity to the study drug” means a known allergic reaction to it — not every side effect a medicine can have.

05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
15 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Treatment

    treatment with the study device

    Device: MR-ace Implant and Delivery System

Interventions

  • DeviceMR-ace Implant and Delivery System

    This study device uses a transcatheter procedure through your leg veins to place the MRace implant and cover the posterior leaflet of your own mitral valve.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Primary Safety Endpoint

    All-cause mortality

    Time frame: 30 days post procedure

  2. Primary Performance Endpoint

    Reduction in mitral regurgitation (Grade 2+ or less) as evaluated by 2D transthoracic echocardiography.

    Time frame: 30 days post procedure

Secondary outcomes

  1. Secondary Safety Endpoint

    Rate of major safety events using MVACR2 classification

    Time frame: 30 days, 6 months, 12 months, 2 years, 3 years, 4 years, and 5 years post procedure

  2. Secondary Performance Endpoint

    MVARC2 success criteria

    Time frame: 30 days, 6 months, 12 months, 2 yrs, 3 years, 4 years, and 5 years post procedure

07

Study locations

1 of 3 sites recruiting
08

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: Undecided — There is potential to present findings at conference.

No publications or documents are linked to this record.

09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Sep 1, 2026, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT07517588
Lead sponsor
Polares Medical SA
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Apr 8, 2026
Start date
Sep 1, 2026 (estimated)
Primary completion
Dec 31, 2027 (estimated)
Completion
Dec 31, 2032 (estimated)
Last update
Sep 1, 2026

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
Yes
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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No contact was published for this record. The registry link below has the sponsor’s details.

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