Apreo Health to Present First-in-Human Data for Novel Airway Scaffold in Late-Breaking Abstract at ATS 2025

Company emerges from stealth with a new class of interventional therapy designed to expand access to treatment for severe emphysema

Apreo Health, a clinical-stage medical device company developing a novel, tissue-sparing treatment for severe emphysema, today announced its emergence from stealth and upcoming presentation of first-in-human clinical data at the American Thoracic Society (ATS) 2025 International Conference, May 16-21 in San Francisco. The company’s BREATHE 1&2 feasibility studies will be presented as a late-breaking abstract on Monday, May 19.

Apreo is developing the BREATHE Airway Scaffold, a first-of-its-kind implant designed to relieve pressure in overinflated lungs without removing or sacrificing healthy tissue. Unlike traditional interventions that are limited in who they can treat and carry significant complication rates, Apreo’s approach is intended to reach more patients and integrate more seamlessly into clinical practice.

The BREATHE 1&2 feasibility studies enrolled 60 patients across five sites in Australia and Europe, evaluating Apreo’s approach in patients with severe emphysema and lung hyperinflation. The upcoming presentation will mark the first public disclosure of clinical data from the program and highlight the company’s progress toward a broadly applicable treatment option for patients previously underserved by pharmacological and interventional therapies.

“Severe emphysema has remained one of the most vast unmet needs in respiratory care. Existing interventions are limited to a narrow subset of patients and carry meaningful risks,” said Karun Naga, CEO of Apreo Health. “Apreo’s goal from the start was to break through with a solution that offers physicians a non-destructive therapy designed for broad adoption across the majority of emphysema patients with hyperinflation. We’re thrilled to emerge from stealth and share these early data with the clinical community.”

Apreo is preparing for its next phase of clinical development.

Full ATS 2025 presentation details:

Title: First in Human, Multicenter Experience with Airway Scaffolds for Emphysema-related Hyperinflation

Session: B14 From Inflammation to Infection: Exploring Breakthroughs in Airway Disease

Location: Room 24, Hall E (North Building, Exhibition Level), Moscone Center

Date: Monday, May 19, 2025

Time: 9:51-10:03 AM PT

About Apreo Health

Apreo Health is a clinical-stage medical device company redefining the role of intervention in severe emphysema. Built at The Foundry, an acclaimed medtech venture incubator, funded by a prestigious syndicate of venture capital investors and led by a team with deep medtech and pulmonary expertise, Apreo is developing the BREATHE Airway Scaffold — a tissue-sparing therapy designed to expand access to meaningful treatment.

About Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease & Emphysema

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the fourth leading cause of death and the eighth leading cause of poor health worldwide, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that nearly 16 million Americans have been diagnosed with COPD, with millions more undiagnosed. Emphysema, a severe form of COPD characterized by the destruction of lung air sacs, affects approximately 3 million people in the U.S. and is a leading contributor to COPD-related disability and mortality.

About BREATHE 1&2 Trials

The BREATHE (Bronchoscopic RElease of Air Trapped in Hyperinflated Emphysematous Lung) studies were commenced in 2023 in Australia (BREATHE-1) and Europe (BREATHE-2). Apreo partnered with world-renowned COPD research institutions to evaluate safety and feasibility of the BREATHE Airway Scaffold. Efficacy across pulmonary function, quality of life, and exercise capacity outcomes was also evaluated.

About BREATHE Airway Scaffold

The BREATHE (Bronchoscopic RElease of Air THErapy) Airway Scaffold is a lung implant designed to release air from a hyperinflated lung associated with severe emphysema. The proprietary scaffold is uniquely designed to resist foreign body reaction and promote durability of effect. The device was granted U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Breakthrough Device Designation in May 2024.

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