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Several new startups are developing technologies that could drastically change the medical world.
Soon you'll be able to soothe chronic back pain with the injection of a microchip, lower your blood pressure with radio-frequency energy, and get dental implants that reduce swelling in your gums. There will also be a gel-based device that helps remove tumors, customized contact lenses for vision disorders, a diagnostic for neurological diseases, and clothing that helps people recover after hip- and knee-replacement surgery.
All of these groundbreaking technologies are making medical procedures more accessible and less invasive. And some of the startups behind them - Nasseo, Stimwave, Yolia Health, Kulira Technologies, Verve Medical, Saccadous, and Hildeez - have another surprising thing in common: They share the same working space in Peoria, Arizona.
That's because they're members of BioInspire, Arizona's first biomedical incubator and accelerator program. BioInspire provides a rent-free facility, seed funding, mentorship, and other resources to select medical device companies that commit to staying in Peoria for at least five years.
BioAccel, a nonprofit for early-stage life-science technologies, teamed up with the city of Peoria to bring the incubator to life. The hope is that BioInspire will stimulate the biomedical industry within Peoria and create more high-wage jobs.
Here are more details on what the companies are developing:
Nasseo is creating cost-effective, better-performing dental and orthopedic implants using proprietary surface-modification technology. The company's first product, the Nasseo TiArray™ Dental Implant System, was cleared by the FDA in August 2013.
Stimwave has invented the Freedom-4 Spinal Corld Stimulator System, the world's first wireless device for chronic back and leg pain relief. It's a tiny, injectable microchip that sends pulses of energy to electrodes near surrounding nerves and is 95% smaller than the smallest implantable battery. As of January 2015, it's available for purchase in the US.
Yolia Health's True Vision Treatment® targets presbyopia (farsightedness), a common age-related vision disorder that causes blurring, with customized contact lenses and formulated eye drops that can be administered at home. It alters the cornea's topography to improve vision.
Kulira Technologies aims to improve the lives of patients who undergo surgical treatments for cancer. They develop tools to help oncology specialists, such as SolidX™, a gel-based medical device that improves tumor preparation for faster surgical cancer removal.
Verve Medical is creating a medical device that uses radio-frequency energy to prevent overactive nerves from causing high-blood pressure. A transurethral catheter is guided to the kidney to deactivate nerves in the areas.
Saccadous uses high-speed cameras to track involuntary eye movements, which can help diagnose neurological diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Its technology is cloud-based, compatible with mobile, and noninvasive.
Hildeez makes hip- and knee-recovery garments that allow patients to recover on the go, with built-in stabilizing ice pockets, stabilizing pockets, Velcro openings, and elastic waistbands.
Armed with resources and funding from BioInspire, these ambitious startups are making significant progress in the realm of medical technology. They're redefining what it means to "take your health into your own hands" - one device at a time.
This post is sponsored by Arizona Commerce Authority.
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