Insight Neurologics

Each year, six million patients visit emergency departments in the United States with a headache as their primary complaint. The majority of these headaches are low-risk and easily treated, yet up to 15% of patients actually suffer from serious neurological conditions. While these high risk conditions are often fatal, they are not easily discernable from benign headaches, since current examination techniques are both time-intensive and subjective. Our solution takes the skill of the ophthalmologist and places it in the hands of the emergency care provider. The inSpect digital ophthalmoscope uses video processing software to automatically measure key ophthalmic parameters on the anterior and posterior segments of the eye, providing real-time assessment of intracranial hypertension, and thus neurological crises.

Aaron Enten, Whiting School of Engineering, Graduate
Julie Michalow, Whiting School of Engineering, Graduate
Ashley Polhemus, Whiting School of Engineering, Graduate
Brock Webberman, Whiting School of Engineering, Graduate

 

InVision Biomedical LLC

InVision Biomedical aims to take existing innovative procedures and implement novel medical devices, expanding patient safety and hospital cost efficiency. Every year 500,000 ICU patients receive a tracheostomy in the United States to prevent respiratory failure. 1 in 5 of these patients will experience a complication that can result in loss of life or an increased hospital bill putting economic hardships on hospitals, and therefore families. Over $600 million dollars is spent annually on these preventable complications on some of America’s sickest patients. This is primarily due to the current tools and procedural steps involved in the surgery. Our flag ship product, the EZ-View, is designed to provide critical care physicians with a safe, inexpensive method for performing surgical procedures such as the tracheostomy while eliminating those inherent complications. The EZ-View, gives physicians the advantage of continuous visualization of the larynx, trachea or lungs without obstructing or removing the patients airway. It is also intended for scenarios of difficult intubation, giving physicians hands free fiber-optic guidance. Nationally there is a current deficit of adequately trained critical care physicians. With the EZ-View, InVision Biomedical will target hospitals and doctors to provide them with the necessary tools to safely perform an already established procedure.

Christopher Cover, Tulane University, Graduate
Nicholas Chedid
Scott Kleinpeter
Gabriela Nunez

 

nTEC - Necrotic Tissue Ex. Concepts

nTEC, or Necrotic Tissue Excisional Concepts, is a team of four engineers from the Johns Hopkins Center for Bioengineering Innovation and Design (CBID) and the Chief Resident in General Surgery at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. The team’s diverse background has allowed us to take a multidisciplinary approach to identifying solutions for chronic wounds. The treatment of these conditions currently costs the U.S. healthcare system approximately $30 billion per year.

The team has identified a need within this sector to reduce the number of patient visits to wound clinics, the number of home nurse visits to patients’ homes, and the overall time it takes for chronic wounds to heal. It is these three aspects of chronic wound care that make it so expensive. And it is these three aspects in which the value proposition of the product suite truly lies.

In order to accomplish this goal, the team has developed the WoundMEND system, which is comprised of three patent pending devices: the WoundCAP bristles, the WoundSTIM needles, and the WoundTRACK app. The team estimates that working in tandem, these three devices will result in a 25% reduction in total wound healing time and save payers approximately 50% over the total current cost of chronic wound care. Animal studies have already shown a nearly 20% increase in blood flow to wounds using our system, an important surrogate marker for wound healing. Lastly, the WoundMEND system’s elegance and ease of use will allow it to revolutionize chronic wound care.

Joshua Budman, Whiting School of Engineering, Graduate
Melissa Diskin, Whiting School of Engineering, Graduate
Kevin Keenahan, Whiting School of Engineering, Graduate
Anant Subramaniam, Whiting School of Engineering, Graduate

 

Radial Genomics

Radial Genomics Ltd. is a U.K.-based cancer diagnostics company using proprietary technology to improve diagnosis and guide treatment in breast cancer patients.

An estimated 1 in 8 women is diagnosed with invasive breast cancer in her lifetime. The current diagnostics market is fragmented and does not yet include an integrated, quantitative tool that provides diagnostic, prognostic, and predictive information, especially at the pivotal biopsy stage. Visual pathology differentiation between invasive cancer subtypes and ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), a less life-threatening form of cancer, is ambiguous, leading to potentially-unnecessary surgery and/or chemotherapy. Moreover, current genetic prognostic and predictive tests, including Oncotype DX, are limited in the scope of cancer subtypes addressed and are only administered after surgical intervention, making them less useful in treatment planning.

Our product [Oncodyne] is a first-line diagnostic, prognostic, and predictive tool for breast cancer that uses a licensed local image collection software and cloud-based, pay-per-use analysis software and related consumable reagent kit for preparing biopsy samples. The test is based on a revolutionary method developed by National Cancer Institute (NCI) inventors to distinguish between normal and cancer cells in a human sample by assessing spatial repositioning of genes within the nucleus of cells in cancerous tissue using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH).

Oncodyne will initially seek to aid in diagnosis of DCIS and eventually integrate prognostic and predictive capabilities at both the biopsy and post-surgical pathology screening stages. R&D findings, such as new prognostic and predictive associations and new gene markers pertinent to other diseases, provide Radial Genomics with an additional asset that could be leveraged in the future. There is also potential for indication expansion that could offer the same benefits and savings for other types of cancers and genetic diseases.

Tim Xu, University of Cambridge, Graduate and School of Medicine, M.D. Candidate
Grecia Gonzalez, University of Cambridge, Ph.D. Candidate
Hind Kraytem, University of Cambridge, Graduate
Alasdair Thong, Unviersity of Cambridge, Graduate
Nikolaus Wenzl, University of Cambridge, Graduate

Respira Innovations

There are 800,000 mechanically ventilated patients in the US that rely on mechanical ventilation (MV) delivered through a breathing tube to survive. Over time, the presence of a breathing tube prevents the elimination of mucus and bacteria that build up in the lungs. Within a matter of days, patients on ventilation often develop secondary infections that worsen their condition. Coughing is the body’s main way of managing excess secretions and preventing respiratory infection. The breathing tube prevents patients from coughing effectively because it does not allow sufficient pressure to build up in the lungs. Our device, the PreVent, is a ventilator attachment that restores a patient’s ability to effectively cough and integrates seamlessly into the intensive care unit (ICU). By allowing patients to safely eliminate mucus from their lungs, the PreVent will improve respiratory function and prevent secondary infections.

Eric Ashuckian, Whiting School of Engineering, Graduate
Jan Lee, Whiting School of Engineering, Graduate
Matthew Petney, Whiting School of Engineering, Graduate
Pankti Shah, Whiting School of Engineering, Graduate
Tiffany Tseng, Whiting School of Engineering, Graduate

 

SemanticMD

SemanticMD is developing health analytics solutions for the radiology workflow. We have developed a new way to accelerate and provide precision around radiological image interpretation using computer vision and machine learning technology. Our initial product is a content-based patient search engine which aids radiologists in identifying patients with similar conditions and automatically generates quality of care reports for the hospital. Our mission is to provide systems that refine radiological support, reduce overall medical costs and improve quality of care for patients.

Santosh Bhavani, Carnegie Mellon University, Graduate
Satish Ramakrishnan

Smartphone Physical

Smartphone Physical is helping clinicians adopt and use the growing number of smartphone-based medical devices that have the potential to replace existing medical devices found in every clinic. To encourage adoption, Smartphone Physical sells medical-grade smartphone devices B2B and B2C via its e-commerce store. Through our continued role as a thought leader in mobile health, Smartphone Physical has begun to achieve a brand recognition that inspires confidence and ascribes a level of validation in the quality of technologies we distribute. Through continued efforts to improve our brand, we have begun to engender loyalty and trust in our ability to partner with only the highest quality device companies. To support adopters, Smartphone Physical is also developing front and back-end software to streamline the use of these new medical technologies into existing clinician workflows. Device sales ultimately generate users and a demand for software support while the software solutions lower the barrier to adoption for new users.

Tom Anthony, Carey Business School, Graduate
Michael Batista, Whiting School of Engineering, Graduate
Shiv Gaglani, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, M.D. Candidate
Michael Hoaglin
Jonathan Lounsbury

 

ZYMtronix Catalytic Systems, Inc.

ZYMtronix eliminates the harmful bacteria that affect livestock operations. We help farmers fight against the superbugs that cause Mastitis and Johne’s disease, among others, to help protect and improve the health, quality, and marketability of our nation's animals. We help farmers meet their production targets by delivering green, enzyme-based, cost-effective solutions to meet quality, safety and environmental standards.

To do this we have beta customers, a technology protected by 3 Cornell University IPs, a $150,000 NSF award, and international talent, sharing among us over 15 years of research, consulting, and litigation experience, specifically in life sciences and high technology.

WE DECREASE COSTS AND INCREASE SAFETY

Juan Diego Alonso, Cornell University, Graduate
Stephane Corgie