Jaguar LAA Acquires J&J's Laminar Program, Marking J&J's Exit From LAA Closure Market
核心洞察
Jaguar LAA, Inc. (搜索) has acquired assets related to the Laminar (搜索) program from Johnson & Johnson, which is exiting the left atrial appendage closure market.
The Laminar (搜索) program uses a catheter-based approach with rotational motion to close and eliminate the LAA while leaving minimal device exposure in the left atrium.
Jaguar was formed in partnership with Santé Ventures (搜索) and members of the Laminar (搜索) management team, with Santé leading company formation and financing.
Jaguar LAA, Inc. (搜索), a privately held medical device company headquartered in Santa Rosa, California, announced on Sept. 11, 2026, that it has acquired assets related to the Laminar (搜索) program from Johnson & Johnson. The transaction positions Jaguar to advance the Laminar program and its differentiated approach to left atrial appendage (LAA) closure for patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (搜索) (AFib), and marks Johnson & Johnson's exit from the LAA closure space.
The deal brings key Laminar (搜索) program assets together with members of the team responsible for their development in a newly formed, independent company. Jaguar intends to build on the clinical and development work completed to date and advance the program through its next stages of development and regulatory review. Financial terms were not disclosed.
A Differentiated Device Design
AFib is a common heart rhythm disorder associated with an increased risk of stroke (搜索). In patients with non-valvular AFib, the LAA is an important source of thrombus formation and has long been an area of clinical focus in cardiology and electrophysiology.
The Laminar (搜索) program uses a catheter-based approach and rotational motion to close and eliminate the LAA while leaving minimal device exposure within the left atrium. That design detail—minimal residual device exposure in the left atrium—is where Jaguar is staking its differentiation. The two FDA-approved percutaneous LAA closure devices already on the market, Boston Scientific's WATCHMAN (搜索) and Abbott (搜索)'s Amulet (搜索), both leave an implant in place within the atrium. Whether Laminar's approach translates that structural difference into a clinical one is the question the program's next development stages will need to answer.
"We believe the Laminar (搜索) technology offers a differentiated approach to LAA closure, particularly through its ability to leave minimal device exposure within the left atrium," said Jason Rogers, Chief Medical Officer of Jaguar. "We are excited to continue the work behind the program and explore its potential to provide an important new treatment option for patients with atrial fibrillation."
Company Formation and Financing
Jaguar was formed in partnership with Santé Ventures (搜索) and members of the Laminar (搜索) management team. Santé, alongside management and other investors, led the formation and financing of Jaguar and the transaction with Johnson & Johnson. Santé Ventures, founded in 2006, is a healthcare and life sciences investment firm with more than $1 billion in capital under management, investing in early-stage medical technologies, biotechnology, and digitally enabled healthcare services, with offices in Austin, Texas, and Boston, Massachusetts.
Structurally, Jaguar consolidates the intellectual property, technical expertise, and institutional backing in one place, then pursues regulatory clearance without the constraints of a large-device portfolio around it.
Development Path Ahead
The program still has development and regulatory review ahead of it, so the timeline to a U.S. approval bid is not set. The number to track is how quickly Jaguar moves from its existing clinical and development work into a pivotal study design, which will determine whether the minimal-exposure claim can be tested at the scale regulators require. Non-valvular AFib is common enough that even incremental improvements in device profile matter at scale, as stroke (搜索) risk in this population rises sharply with comorbidities, making LAA closure an active area of cardiology and electrophysiology practice.