Shaping the Future of Human Health

Diabetic retinopathy is among the leading causes of vision loss in the world, affecting more than 230 million people, especially medically underserved populations. While there is no cure, there are a variety of treatments that must be applied as early as possible to prevent further damage. Bioxytech Retina is developing the first device that can detect DR using functional imaging, before a patient suffers vision loss.

Autoimmune diseases are the third most common category of disease in the United States, affecting up to 27 million people. Boomerang Medical is a bioelectronic medicine company developing technology to advance the treatment of autoimmune diseases by harnessing the body’s own “peripheral wiring” in order to manage inflammation and immune response.  Boomerang Medical is backed by Arboretum Ventures, a venture capital firm specializing in companies that improve patient outcomes and reduce healthcare system costs.

While many of our vital signs are easily obtained, the one test that doctors rely on to make the majority of their diagnoses—the blood test—can take hours, if not days, for results. Chronus Health has developed a portable device that provides lab results in minutes, allowing for real-time diagnosis and promising to dramatically improve time-to-care and patient outcomes. The startup has focused its initial efforts on complete blood count (CBC) and comprehensive metabolic panel (CMP), which account for 50 percent of all blood tests performed in the United States.

Otitis Media with Effusion (OME) is one of the most frequent infectious diseases in children and is the most common cause of acquired hearing loss in childhood. The disease commonly affects children between the ages of 1 and 6. EarFlo is a precision, non-invasive medical device disguised as a sippy cup that treats OME during natural drinking, allowing caregivers to treat the condition at home and avoid surgery.

Current chronic therapies for short bowel syndrome (SBS), a malabsorption disorder caused by the lack of a functional small intestine, include expensive medication and intestinal surgery. These approaches have low success rates and a staggering average 5-year cost of care of $1.6 million per patient. Eclipse Regenesis is developing the first restorative therapy for pediatric and adult SBS patients with the Eclipse XL1 Distraction Enterogenesis System, which harnesses the body’s own tissue regenerative capabilities to produce new, fully functional intestine. 

Skin cancer is the most common form of malignancy, with more individuals diagnosed each year than for all other cancers combined. For the last 150 years, these malignancies have required an invasive biopsy for diagnosis, but Enspectra is leading a digital transformation in pathology by imaging real-time cellular anatomy in living tissue, without cuts or stains.

Up to 60 million individuals in the U.S. suffer from debilitating gastrointestinal disorders. G-Tech Medical is developing a wearable technology aimed at improving outcomes and reducing costs by non-invasively monitoring gastrointestinal tract activity.

More than 110 million people worldwide suffer from non-healing, open wounds. High costs and overly complex technology severely limit, or even preclude, access to advanced wound care technology. Healyx Labs is developing the lowest-cost and easiest-to-use wound vacuum technology for price-sensitive and underserved markets.

One hundred seventy-eight million adults in the United States are missing at least one tooth, and a surprising 40 million are missing all their teeth. Dental implants are the top treatment choice of treatment, but this solution is utilized by less than  2 percent of those impacted by tooth loss because of limited accessibility, high cost, high risk and long treatment time. iDentical is leveraging the latest 3D technology to offer a safer, faster and more affordable solution through its drill-free, non-invasive dental implants.

Immergo Labs is a virtual reality telehealth platform that connects therapists and patients for physical rehabilitation services. Immergo uses artificial intelligence and virtual reality (VR) to incorporate telehealth capabilities and enhance the accessibility, experience, and accuracy of remote physical therapy care. With just a VR headset, the platform connects patients and therapists as if they were interacting live.

Approximately 50 percent of all women in the U.S. will suffer symptoms of a pelvic floor disorder resulting from childbirth by the time they turn 55, and over 20 million suffer from pelvic pain. Materna has developed an obstetrics and gynecology platform of medical devices: the first, Prep, is aimed at preventing maternal pelvic injuries during childbirth and shortening delivery time; the second, Milli, is helping treat pelvic pain and dyspareunia.

As the third-leading cause of death worldwide, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a group of diseases that causes airway blockage and breathing problems. Ryme is focused on alleviating the suffering of patients who struggle to breathe by targeting the autonomous nervous system.  The condition impacts more than 375 million people worldwide at an annual cost of approximately $50 billion and is a huge burden to healthcare systems around the world.