Device Companies


3 | A | B | C | D | E | F | I | M | N | R |S | T | V | Z


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3Ti (Transfusion & Transplantation Technologies, Inc.)

Former President and CEO: Terence A. Watts

Current Status: 3Ti no longer has a license to the Emory technology.

Company Profile: Transfusion & Transplantation Technologies (3Ti) is a pre-revenue stage in-vitro diagnostics company, developing novel automated blood testing instrumentation and associated consumables and services for the pre-transfusion (immunohematology) market worldwide. The initial product, the Aegis Blood Analyzer and System, is being designed to perform highly accurate, rapid and cost-effective blood grouping (ABO and Rh), red cell antibody screening/identification and certain donor/recipient cross-matching tests, all with walk-away automation. The company believes the Aegis System will prove to be attractive to blood collection centers, hospital labs and certain clinical laboratories contemplating automation for the first time (a majority of blood bank testing sites today). We also believe the Aegis System will prove particularly attractive to currently automated blood bank sites demanding both next generation performance and features in their automated analyzer. the Aegis System has the potential to perform 1) a full menu of routine blood bank tests; 2) certain tests that have still remained "un-automatable" on today's automated platforms (e.g., rWBC); and 3) potentially new and emerging tests and/or testing platforms going forward. 3Ti aims to become the standard of care in automated blood bank testing worldwide. The Aegis System was presented to the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER) division of the FDA in 2007 for early directional evaluation of protocols, as well as plans for clinical evaluations. The Company is in the process of securing outside financing and exploring strategic partnerships to complete the Aegis System's development and commercialization.

Affiliation to Emory: Christopher D. Hillyer, MD, the co-Founder, Chairman and Chief Medical Officer of 3Ti (Emory School of Medicine, Department of Pathology and Laboratory). He currently serves as director of the Emory Center for Transfusion and Cellular Therapies. He is board certified in internal medicine, hematology and blood banking and transfusion medicine.

John D. Roback, MD, PhD is also a co-Founder of 3Ti, as well as the Chief Scientific Officer (Emory School of Medicine, Department of Pathology) Co-Director of the Emory Center for Transfusion and Cellular Therapies. He serves as Co-Director of the Emory University Hospital Blood Bank.

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A


APICA Cardiovascular Technologies

Former CEO: James L. Grenene

Current Status: Apica Cardiovascular was acquired by Thoratec Corp. in July 2014 In January 2017 they were acquired by Abbott Laboratories.

Company Profile: Apica Cardiovascular simplifies cardiovascular surgery with its innovative closure port technology. Typically when a patient undergoes heart surgery, they must undergo cardiopulmonary bypass and have an invasive procedure performed for a lengthy period of time. With Apica Cardiovascular's technology, an easy access port is incorporated into the procedure and with it, a surgeon can deliver a cardio medical device straight to the beating heart without the loss of blood. After surgery, this port can still be accessed for future operations. This device technology not only improves the ease of surgery but greatly increases the safety of heart surgery for a patient.

Affiliation with Emory: Emory cardio-thoracic surgeons Vinod Thourani, MD and Thomas Vassiliades, MD helped develop the many technologies used in this "access and closure" port technology, along with Georgia Tech scientists Ajit Yoganathan, PhD and Jorge Jimenez, PhD.


Atrionix, Inc.

Former Chief Scientific Officer: Mike Ross

Current Status: Atrionix was acquired by Johnson & Johnson in December 2000.

Company Profile: Atrionix developed and manufactured products for the diagnosis and treatment of atrial fibrillation, the most prevalent cardiac arrhythmia. It affects more than 5 million people worldwide, including 2.2 million Americans. During atrial fibrillation, the heart's two small upper chambers quiver instead of beating effectively. As a result, blood is not pumped completely out of the atria, so it may pool and clot, which could result in a stroke.

The company developed several patented cardiac ablation medical devices that will eliminate the need for surgical intervention during the treatment of atrial fibrillation. These minimally invasive devices reduce patient morbidity and recovery time compared to surgical techniques. Atrionix was the first company to offer a complete product line for this branch of cardiology. Its devices are designed to reduce treatment times, trauma to the patient and cost to the healthcare system.

Affiliation with Emory: Jonathan Langberg, MD a Cardiologist and professor of internal medicine at The Emory Clinic, is an inventor of the cardiac ablation medical devices and is one of the founders of Atrionix.

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BioSequent, LLC

Current Status: This company is no longer in business.

Company Profile: BioSequent is an Atlanta based company developing biomaterials, devices, and pharmaceuticals for cardiovascular applications. The company's core technology is designed for the surgical treatment of both peripheral and coronary vascular diseases. It consists of elastin-mimetic protein triblock copolymers that can be formulated into synthetic bypass grafts.

Currently no synthetic products on the market are suitable for use as bypass grafts for blood vessels six millimeters or less in diameter. Initial studies show that BioSequent's synthetic bypass grafts can overcome the size limitation and other technical issues of products currently available.

GRA VentrueLab grants and private capital currently finance BioSequent. The company launched in 2007 after receiving a $15,000 VentureLab grant from the Georgia Research Alliance.

Affiliation with Emory: Former Emory vascular surgeon Elliot Chaikof, MD, PhD and Emory chemist Vincent Conticello, PhD are the scientific founders of BioSequent. Chaikof was the Chief of the Division of Vascular Surgery from 2001-2010, the primary field in which BioSequent operated.

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Camerad Technologies, LLC

Address: 2098 Sylvania Drive, Decatur, GA 30033
Camerad Website

CEO: Srini Tridandapani (CMO)

Current Status: Clinical validation

Company Profile: Camerad Technologies is developing the PatCam™ system which automatically adds point-of-care patient photos, reconnects the radiologist and patient, and reduces misidentification errors. According the Institute of Medicine's 1999 report "To Err is Human," it is estimated that nearly 100,000 people die every year in the United States due to medical errors. It is estimated that nationally the number of serious adverse events due to wrong-patient errors in Radiology, where one patient's medical imaging study is placed in another patient's folder, is about 10,000 per year. Such errors can result in serious harm to both involved patients. The PatCam™ system incorporates digital cameras within medical imaging equipment and allows simultaneously acquisition, transmission, storage and retrieval of patient facial photographs along with medical imaging studies. The facial photograph acts as a unique, intrinsic, but externally visible patient identifier and can thus lead to detection of wrong-patient errors. Furthermore, radiologists may become more efficient and more accurate since such photographs may provide additional clinical information, which would otherwise not be available to radiologists. Camerad™ Technologies' product development has been funded by the Georgia Research Alliance, the Coulter Translational Partnership, and federal government's Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grants.

Affiliation with Emory: Emory inventors include Srini Tridandapani, MD, PhD (scientific co-founder of Camerad™ Technologies), James Provenzale, MD, Mo Salama, MS, and Senthil Ramamurthy, MSEE (School of Medicine/Department of Radiology & Imaging Sciences).


Cyberkinetics Neurotechnology Systems, Inc.

Former President and CEO: Timothy R. Surgenor

Current Status: Cyberkinetics ceased operations in 2009. The company ran out of funding while awaiting FDA approval, and was forced to sell its assets to pay creditors. BrainGate, LLC subsequently acquired the rights to the Emory technology that was previously licensed to Cyberkinetics.

Company Profile: Cyberkinetics Neurotechnology Systems is a medical device company that was developing products to treat neurological diseases and injuries involving the spinal cord and peripheral nerves. The company utilized electrical stimulation technologies for nerve growth and neural implants combined a with signal processing apparatus that accessed and interacted with the cerebral cortex and motor cortex at the individual cell level.

One product in its pipeline was the Andara Oscillating Field Stimulator (OFS) therapy for acute spinal cord injury, which partially restores sensation and motor function in acute spinal cord injuries. Another is the BrainGate Neural Interface System, which allows a disabled person to control a computer using thought. The BrainGate System is still in clinical evaluation at an academic medical center. Cyberkinetics previously traded under the symbol CYKN.

In February 14, 2006, the Company acquired Andara Life Science, Inc., which had developed products related to the repair and regeneration of neural tissues. The Andara system improved tactile sensation and restored some movement in those with quadriplegia and tetraplegia due to recent spinal cord injuries by promoting nerve fiber repair.

Affiliation to Emory: Cyberkinetics' intellectual property for the BrainGate system featured technologies licensed from Emory University. The key person who made an early discovery at Emory that led to the development of BrainGate was Donald Humphrey, PhD professor in physiology. In the late 1990s, Humphrey invented a method for brain-computer interfaces, which became the basis for a patent.


Cylerus Corp.

Former Founder: Stephen Hanson

Current Status: This company is no longer in business.

Company Profile: Cylerus is start-up company that develops technological improvements in order to enable uniform, localized drug delivery. This allows for the preservation of the functions of artificial blood vessels (vascular grafts). These advances will address the unmet medical need to prevent vascular graft failure that currently results from localized blood clotting and abnormal tissue in-growth within such grafts. Cylerus' technology will potentially allow physicians to infuse therapeutic agents through the wall of a porous vascular graft.

The company is perfecting a unique method of local drug delivery at the blood-graft interface. This minimizes the side effects associated with other drug delivery systems used for these applications. Cylerus' start-up activities are funded by the founder's private capital.

Affiliation to Emory: Cylerus' products are based on technology developed by scientific founder and former Emory faculty member Stephen Hanson, PhD. Hanson has expertise in the fields of hematology and oncology. He served as a tenured professor at Emory for 14 years.


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D

Dr. Noze Best

Address: 209 Oak Ln, Decatur, GA 30030

President & CEO: Steven Goudy

Current Status: Conducting initial market testing.

Company Profile: Dr. Noze Best (formerly known as BeeClear) is a company focused on providing the best nasal suction device for children that is ergonomic, efficient, and hygienic. Current commercially available devices use basic bulb suction power, human-derived suction power, or rudimentary suction pumps. However, each of these has significant shortcomings and an ideal solution is not readily available. The Dr. Noze Best device provides significant advantages not found in commercially available devices. It includes a novel ergonomic design that offers more control for the parents, and inherently more safety for the child. Unlike other devices, the BeeClear device allows parents to stabilize the child with both hands.

Affiliation with Emory: Steven Goudy, MD (Emory School of Medicine/Pediatrics) is the scientific founder and CEO of BeeClear.

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EMRGE, LLC

Address: 3044 Nancy Creek Road NW, Atlanta, GA, 30327

President & CEO: Felmont F. Eaves III

Current Status: EMRGE is engaged in late stage design optimization and small scale manufacturing of adhesive backed devices for wound healing and wound closure.

Company Profile: EMRGE, LLC was founded in Georgia to commercialize intellectual property in the areas of wound closure, scar reduction, and enhanced application of adhesive backed devices. To date, EMRGE's efforts have focused on development and commercialization of force modulating tissue bridges. EMRGE's product development has been funded by the Georgia Research Alliance and the Coulter Translation Partnership.

Affiliation to Emory: Felmont Eaves III, MD (Surgery) is the scientific founder of the company.

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F


Focused Cryo

Address: 2025 Barrett Lake Blvd #2307, Kennesaw, GA 30144

President: Yogi Patel

Current Status: Focused Cryo is currently engaged in prototype development and pre-clinical studies.

Company Profile: The opioid epidemic has revealed the need for an opioid free approach to treating chronic pain. Clinical studies have demonstrated that chronic pain can be treated by interrupting specific nerve pathways at specific locations. Furthermore, Focused Cryo's work has demonstrated that cryoablation is a superior tool for ablating peripheral nerves. Unlike other modalities of modulating or ablating nerves, cryoablation does not burn away tissue but rather induces a controlled biological response that leads to a breakdown and subsequent resetting of the diseased pathway. What is desired is a system that enables targeted, spatially-controllable, and precise nerve cryoablation. Focused Cryo is developing an easy to use, customizable, and smart cryoablation system that provides precise guidance, targeting, and controlled cryoablation of nerves.

Affiliation with Emory: David Prologo MD (Emory School of Medicine/Radiology & Imaging Sciences) is the scientific founder and CMO of Focused Cryo.

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I


Innovative Cardiac Technologies, LLC (ICT)

Address: 5231 Powers Ferry Road, Atlanta, GA 30327

CEO: James G. Tausche

Current Status: ICT is commercializing medical devices for cardiac and other surgeries.

Company Profile: Innovative Cardiac Technologies, LLC (ICT) is a Georgia limited liability company formed to commercialize inventions to improve the quality and economics of cardiac and other surgical procedures. The company's founding concepts are three patent pending inventions discovered by ICT Chief Technical Officer and co-founder, John D. Puskas, MD.

Affiliation with Emory: John D. Puskas, MD is an inventor of the technologies licensed to ICT. The technologies have been licensed by ICT from Emory University (Emory) for the purpose of exploring their patentability, commercial value, and to bring them to market through further product development.


Interventional Innovations Corp. (IIC)

Current Status: This company is no longer in business.

Company Profile: Interventional Innovations is targeting restenosis with a minimally invasive catheter-based x-ray therapy which uses soft, or less energized x-rays. Interventional's system consists of an x-ray catheter, a delivery sheath and a control unit that allows the physician to increase the depth of penetration, making it possible to tailor the radiation to treat a variety of disease states.

Affiliation with Emory: Emory licensed catheter device technology developed by Emory inventors Stephen Hanson, PhD, Laurence Harker, MD, Spencer King III, MD, and Neal Scott, MD to Inteventional Innovations.


iMacular Regeneration, LLC

Address: 211 First Avenue SW, Suite 202, Rochester, MN 55902

CEO: Timothy Olsen (Manager)

Current Status: Preclinical development

Company Profile: iMacular Regeneration (iMac Regen) is developing a novel tissue support structure (macular O-rings or MORs), made from a biocompatible, implantable material (nitinol or nickel-titanium alloy) to address a critical unmet need in the treatment of advanced age-related macular degeneration, a leading worldwide cause of irreversible blindness. The device supports and protects donor tissue, reconstruct the degenerating tissue in the submacular space, enables translocation of autographs, and/or potentially other transplants or three-dimensional tissue organoids into the submacular space. Currently, many researchers are attempting to replace a portion of the damaged supporting tissues by injecting dissociated retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) or sheets of RPE monolayers alone or grown on synthetic substrates, some from embryonic or adult progenitor stem cells. But the record shows these attempts have limited success. The iMac Regen approach is unique and serves as a platform technology for many forms of tissue or cellular transplantation into the submacular space. MORs provide a biocompatible perimeter scaffold, much like a frame to support a painting. Thus, the MORs facilitate surgical manipulation and minimize tissue injury for the delicate, three-dimensional, choroid-Bruch's-RPE (CBR) tissue transplants used in translocation surgery. The company's technology development has been funded by the Coulter Translational Partnership, the Emtech Seed Fund and federal government's Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grants.

Affiliation with Emory: Emory School of Medicine Ophthalmology chair Timothy Olsen, MD is the scientific founder of iMacular Regeneration.

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Medluminal Systems, Inc.

Address: 2454 Embarcadero Way, Palo Alto, CA 94303

Director: Michael B. Sweeney

Current Status: Medluminal Systems, Inc.'s products are currently in the developmental phase.

Company Profile: Medluminal Systems, Inc. manufactures catheters for angioplasty which help improve the success rate of these surgeries. The company is an emerging player in the field of vascular brachytherapy, which is the use of intravascular radiation in order to reduce the incidence of re-stenosis. Medluminal has developed a unique catheter that could significantly improve the success rate of angioplasty procedures in coronary and peripheral arteries.

The company, formerly known as Radiovascular Systems, Inc., was incorporated in 2000 and is based in Palo Alto, Calif.

Affiliation with Emory: Neal Scott, MD, a cardiologist at Emory, is one of the founders of the company and its vice president and medical director. He believes that Medluminal's device is easier to use, will deliver radiation more accurately, is more economical and requires less time and ancillary equipment. Scott is on leave to help the company's expansion.

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Neotonus, Inc.

Former president and CEO: Tony J. Morris

Current Status: This company is no longer in business.

Company Profile: Neotonus, Inc. provided non-invasive healthcare solutions for the treatment of neuromuscular disorders. Its products included the NeoControl pelvic floor therapy system, which was used in urology, obstetrics/gynecology and physical therapy practices.

Another product was NeoTone, a physical therapy system for use in the treatment of muscle spasms, decreased blood flow and a range of motion issues. The company was founded in 1997 and was based in Marietta, Ga.

Affiliation with Emory: Neocontrol was developed in collaboration with scientists at Emory University's School of Medicine. Neocontrol used Extracorporeal Magnetic Innervation (ExMI) therapy. ExMI therapy was the world's first non-invasive technology focused on the treatment of urinary incontinence in women.

"This is the first medical device to use ExMI for the treatment of stress, urge and mixed urinary incontinence in women," reported Dr. Niall Galloway, Neocontrol medical director and head of the Emory Continence Center at Emory.

A patent for a magnetic nerve stimulator for exciting peripheral nerves was developed by Dr. Charles Epstein of Emory's School of Medicine in July 2000. Neotonus and Emory have rights to this patent that is used in incontinence therapy, a technology used in one of Neotonus' products.


Neuronetics, Inc.

Address: 31 General Warren Blvd., Malvern, PA 19355-1245
Neuronetics Website

President and CEO: Michael D. Dale

Current Status: Neuronetics' NeuroStar® system for the treatment of depression is currently on the market.

Company Profile: Neuronetics, Inc. is a privately held medical device company that develops non-invasive therapies for psychiatric and neurological disorders. It is the only company to have an FDA-approved, non-invasive treatment for depression for patients who have not benefited from prior antidepressant treatment. Neuronetics developed the NeuroStar® system, which uses transcranial magnetic stimulation TMS therapy, a non-invasive form of neuro-modulation. The NeuroStar® TMS system received FDA approval in October 2008. Therapy is delivered under the supervision of a psychiatrist during a 37-minute out-patient procedure.

Affiliation with Emory: The company was founded in 2003 by licensing from Emory the rights to a revolutionary patented magnetic coil design. Using this new, more efficient coil, the company was able to develop its TMS therapy device and successfully demonstrate efficacy in clinical studies.

Charles Epstein, MD, a professor of neurology in Emory's School of Medicine, developed the high-field pulsed magnetic technology used by Neuronetics to treat depression.


Neuropace, Inc.

Neuropace Website

President and CEO: Frank M. Fischer

Current Status: Neuropace no longer has a license to Emory technology.

Company Profile: NeuroPace designs, develops, manufactures and markets implantable devices for the treatment of neurological disorders by responsive brain stimulation. The company's initial focus is the treatment of epilepsy, a debilitating neurological disorder affecting approximately 1 percent of the world's population. A clinical trial of the company's RNS System for treating medically refractory epilepsy is ongoing.

The system contains a battery pack, a microprocessor and a series of electrodes implanted near the focus of the epileptic seizures. When the microprocessor senses the onset of a seizure, it quickly delivers a small series of pulses to stop the seizure. The electrical impulses act to desynchronize a group of neurons that are beginning to show synchronized activity, which, if ignored, will spread to other brain regions and eventually cause a seizure. If the device works, subjects will experience fewer seizures and seizures with smaller magnitudes.

In addition to treating epilepsy, responsive neurostimulation has the potential to treat several other disabling medical disorders that affect the quality of life for millions of patients around the world. NeuroPace is a privately-held company with approximately 90 employees.

Affiliation to Emory: Brian Litt, MD, who was formerly with Emory, added technology to NeuroPace in 2001 that could possibly predict the onset of epileptic seizure.


NiPro, LLC

Address: 111 N Main St, Hecker, IL 62248

CEO: Matt Heck (Cofounder)

Current Status: Prototype development and validation

Company Profile: NiPro, LLC is developing nipple implant systems to address a significant unmet need of breast cancer survivors, which is using prostheses rather than undergoing an additional operation. Breast cancer has a lifetime incidence of one in eight women. Every year about 100,000 patients undergo breast reconstruction following mastectomy. Most survivors of breast cancer want to look more normal and turn to adding some sort of permanent or semi-permanent nipple appearance either through 3D tattoos or reconstructed nipples. Tattooing can be a painful process and finding a professional who will do a job worth the permanent tattoo can be difficult and the color of the tattoo may fade over time. Reconstructed nipples have a risk of collapsing or not turning out well after the procedure. Emory neurosurgeon Nicholas Boulis, in collaboration with other scientists, artists and students, developed a novel prosthetic nipple anchoring device system as a potential solution to the physical and emotional void associated with the effects of mastectomies. The device is an anchor that interfaces with patented exterior prosthetic nipples and cosmetics which provides a simple long-term, cosmetically appealing solution. The development of the underlying technology optioned to the company has been funded by Biolocity, a translational funding mechanism jointly owned by Georgia Tech and Emory.

Affiliation with Emory: Emory inventors include Nicholas Boulis, MD, Saumya Gurbani (School of Medicine/Neurosurgery), Sanika Subhash, Allison Brandvold, Justin Steiner, Nadia Zaragoza, Grace Mulcahy, Elizabeth Sinner, Nicole Arroyo, Marie Desrochers, Morgan McLeroy, Morgan Keller, and Erica Briggs (students in the Department of Biomedical Engineering jointly owned by Georgia Tech and Emory).


Novoste Corp.

President and CEO: Alfred Novak

Current Status: Novoste no longer has a license to the Emory technology.

Company Profile: Novoste Corporation develops advanced medical treatments for coronary and vascular diseases. It is also the world's leader in vascular brachytherapy radiation therapy delivered inside a blood vessel to prevent its reclosure (restenosis) following balloon angioplasty and other catheter-based interventional procedures.

One of Novoste's main products in the Beta-Cath System, which is primarily used to treat patients suffering from "in-stent" restenosis, a condition where coronary stents become blocked with new tissue growth. The Beta-Cath system uses vascular brachytherapy to prevent the artery from reclosing during a procedure. It is estimated that approximately 150,000 patients in the US need treatment for this condition annually. The system is commercially available in the United States, the European Union, Canada and several other countries. Novoste has also begun clinical trials to investigate the role of vascular brachytherapy to treat peripheral arterial disease and arterial-venous dialysis graft stenosis.

Affiliation to Emory: Novoste developed its patent and proprietary rights relating to the Beta-Cath in conjunction with the Emory University Hospital and entered into a license agreement with Emory. Emory University physician/scientists Ian Crocker, MD, Spencer King, MD, Keith Robinson, PhD, and Ron Waksman, MD, along with engineers from Novoste Corporation, developed the Beta-Cath System.


Nyra Medical, Inc.

Address: 2459 Oak Grove Heights, Decatur, GA 30033

CEO: Muralidhar Padala

Current Status: Preclinical testing in advance of regulatory filings

Company Profile: Nyra Medical is developing a transcatheter cardiac valve leaflet enhancer (CARLEN) technology to repair leaky heart valves using image-guided catheters in place of traditional open-heart surgery. Leaky or regurgitant heart valves are very common, especially of the mitral and tricuspid valves, and can cause heart failure and death. Traditionally, either the valve leak is managed with medications by altering the hemodynamics, or in some patients with risky, open-heart surgery. The CARLEN technology is designed to repair leaky valves by deploying a miniature implant onto the valve that extends its dimensions, at the end of a thin, image-guided, catheter. Nyra Medical's technology development has been funded by the Georgia Research Alliance, the Coulter Translational Research Partnership, the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute and the company's seed round of financing. The technology is currently in an advanced preclinical stage towards a first-in-human study.

Affiliation with Emory: Muralidhar Padala, PhD (Emory School of Medicine/Surgery) is a co-founder of Nyra Medical.

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Revitus, Inc.

Former President and CEO: Stephen Hanson

Current Status: Revitus has merged with BioVascular, Inc.

Company Profile: Revitus, Inc. produces products that are designed to produce pharmacological treatment for prevention of thrombotic vascular disorders. It offers a drug to prevent heart attack and stroke. The company was founded in 2004 and is based in Beaverton, Oregon. In 2006, BioVascular, Inc merged with Revitus and acquired first-in-class platelet reducer BVI-007, a thrombopoietin antagonist that reduces platelet production without impacting platelet function. BVI-007 is being developed for the prevention of myocardial infarction, thrombotic stroke and death in patients who have had a previous cardiovascular event.

Affiliation to Emory: Revitus' products are based on technology developed by scientific founder and former Emory faculty member Stephen Hanson, PhD. Hanson has expertise in the fields of hematology and oncology. He served as a tenured professor at Emory for 14 years.

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Spectropath, Inc.

CEO: Ralph E. Gaskins

Current Status: This company no longer has a license to Emory technology.

Company Profile: Spectropath provides an optical and electronic interface for oncological surgeons to see cancer malignancies. The first line of defense against cancer is excising the cancerous tumor, however, currently a surgeon must rely solely on their ability to see masses within the patient. If a piece of malignancy remains, further surgery or chemotherapy may be needed to eradicate the cancer in the patient.

With Spectropath, however, quantum dot technology developed by Emory's Shuming Nie, PhD, can visualize tissue that is malignant for the surgeon to see in real-time. This not only improves the cost of care but helps save lives.

Affiliation with Emory: Researchers from Emory University, led by Shuming Nie, PhD, produced the optical, chemical, and software technology that Spectropath uses.

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TendoNova Corporation

Address: 1161 The By Way NE, Atlanta, GA 30306
TendoNova Website

CEO: Mark Samuels

Current Status: TendoNova has developed a prototype of their Ocelot™ system for percutaneous needle tenotomy.

Company Profile: Tendinopathy is a chronic disease state that is a result of repetitive trauma leading to a static cellular state. This leaves the tendon containing disorganized collagen fibers, capillaries, and nerves leading to pain and disability. This is typically treated through physical therapy, platelet rich plasma injections, percutaneous needle tenotomy, and other various methods. Percutaneous needle tenotomy (PNT) is a procedure where the tendon is repeatedly punctured with a needle, resulting in fenestration of unhealthy tissue. This microtrauma helps restarts the healing cycle promoting new, healthy tissue to form. Currently physicians have limited tools available to them with which to perform these debridement procedures in office and outpatient ambulatory surgical suites (ASC). Tendonova is developing a novel technology, the Ocelot™ system, to allow for more effective and efficient percutaneous needle tenotomies in the office and lower cost percutaneous needle tenotomies in the OR and ASC. Tendonova's product development has been funded by the Georgia Research Alliance.

Affiliation with Emory: TendoNova was founded to license intellectual property developed by Emory faculty Kenneth Mautner, MD (Orthopaedics).


TransCardiac Therapeutics, LLC (TCT)

Current Status: TransCardiac Therapeutics is no longer in business.

Company Profile: Founded in 2003, TransCardiac Therapeutics (TCT) currently develops devices that allow easy access and allow safe delivery of therapeutics to the inside or outside of a heart, while it is still beating. In addition, TCT has patented technology in repairing heart valves and is looking into creating minimally invasive valve replacement systems.

Affiliation with Emory: TransCardiac Therapeutics was founded by Emory's Professor of Surgery, Omar Lattouf, MD, PhD.

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Visufy, Inc.

Address: 3951 White Horse Lane SE, Smyrna, GA 30080

CEO: Yousuf Khalifa

Current Status: Product Development

Company Profile: The company is developing a multi-purpose ocular monitoring headset.

Affiliation with Emory: The underlying technology was developed at Emory by Yousuf Khalifa, MD (Emory SOM: Ophthalmology) and collaborators at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

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Zenda Technologies

President and CEO: Lawrence Catchpole

Current Status: Zenda no longer has a license to the Emory technology.

Company Profile: Zenda Technologies was developing products for fast, accurate neuropsychological assessments. Neuropsychological assessment is an important component for the detection and proper treatment of brain related disorders, including traumatic injury, concussion, dementia, neurological conditions and psychiatric illnesses.

The company's first tests on the licensed platform (DETECT) was to assess cognitive function for mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) associated with concussion and for mild cognitive impairment, (MCI) which is a symptom of early Alzheimer's disease. Another product is ImTECH, an immersive platform for rapid neuropsychological assessment. Zenda Technologies is a privately-held research and product development company based in Atlanta.

Affiliation with Emory: Michelle LaPlaca, PhD and David Wright, MD, two members of Zenda's Scientific Advisory Board, are both professors at Emory University. Wright is an Assistant Professor and Director of Research in the Department of Emergency Medicine. He is a board certified Emergency Medicine Physician, practicing at both Emory University Hospital and Grady Memorial Hospital. LaPlaca is an associate professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering. Both had played a significant role in the scientific development of Zenda's products.

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