The University of Colorado (CU) has executed an exclusive license with privately held Illumasonix, LLC, an early-stage medical device company based in Boulder, for a non-invasive method to provide quantitative information on complex blood flow in the treatment of vascular disease. The technology uses ultrasound and FDA-approved microbubbles to track blood flow, providing real-time assessment while also detecting blockages. Invented by Robin Shandas, professor of mechanical engineering at CU-Boulder and professor of pediatrics and cardiology at CU-Denver, the technology combines the high spatial resolution of MRI technology with the temporal resolution and ease-of-use of ultrasound for cardiovascular and neurovascular diseases, which affect millions of people annually. Illumasonix was formed in 2007 in a partnership between CU and Quincy, MA-based Allied Minds, an investment corporation specializing in early-stage university business ventures. The company received undisclosed initial capitalization and research funding from Allied Minds and approximately $250,000 in matching funds from the State of Colorado. Earlier this year, Illumasonix reported positive initial results from its human feasibility study of the technology, and the company expects a commercial product could reach the market as early as 2011. “The Illumasonix technology will provide a substantially more accurate and predictive way to assess cardiovascular health,” says Erick Rabins, vice president of Allied Minds and manager of Illumasonix. “We believe it will become the primary tool used to determine when and if surgical intervention is required.”

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Posted July 1st, 2009 under Tech Transfer

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