January 17, 2012 –
Praxis’ chief technology officer demonstrates how a digital camera captures near-infrared light from the company’s sinus-screening tool.
TechPortal has a new tenant – early this month, biomedical device startup Praxis Biosciences LLC became the fifth company to move into the CALIT2 technology/business incubator.
The new firm, founded in August 2010, is based on research conducted by several UC Irvine inventors, including otolaryngologists Dr. Brian Wong and Dr. Hamid Djalilian. It is developing low-cost technologies aimed at the medical industry, including:
• A sinus-screening tool, which uses near-infrared light to illuminate patients’ sinus cavities, thus indicating signs of blockage. The tool is intended for use in primary-care settings and will be tested for efficacy alongside CT scans, the current (and more expensive) tool of choice for sinus scans.
• A cartilage-reshaping instrument, also for use in a medical office setting, which molds cartilage in the ears using electrical stimulation; and
• EarTrumpet, an application for iPhone and other mobile devices, which tests users’ hearing levels and serves as an assistive listening device. The app is already available but Praxis seeks to refine it to the level of a medical device.
The company’s sinus-screening tool utilizes a light-wand-type device placed inside the patient’s mouth that emits near-infrared light, which is not absorbed by tissue. Instead, it scatters, lighting up the whole face. “But if you have blocked sinus cavities, the shape of the light pattern differs,” says Chief Technology Officer Joon You.
A digital camera outfitted with special filters captures the images, which can’t be seen with the naked eye, and automatically uploads them wirelessly. “Anyone who can take pictures with a digital camera could do this,” You says. “It’s an easy way to monitor for treatment in a primary-care setting.”
Praxis is collaborating on the tool with researchers Bruce Tromberg and Albert Cerussi at UCI’s Beckman Laser Institute.
Along with developing the light-wand device, Praxis plans to work on organizing and managing the data for seamless integration into patient-care databases.
The cartilage-shaping instrument is in the early stages of development. Currently focused on ear reshaping to correct trauma or genetic defects, the technology can be adapted for other procedures – rhinoplasty for example.
Using electric current to reshape the tissue allows doctors to perform the work incrementally, while eliminating the need for costly surgical procedures. The process is relatively painless – You compares it to acupuncture – and topical anesthetics can eliminate discomfort entirely.
EarTrumpet could be the answer for some of the approximately 36 million people in the U.S. who need hearing assistance but can’t afford expensive hearing aids. The iPhone, iPad and iPod app features a self-administered hearing test that identifies user-specific frequencies that require amplification, and then delivers a personalized hearing-aid program.
The current iteration is being upgraded to include more testing options and better amplification capabilities. “We plan to improve it to medical-device quality,” says You, who earned his doctorate in biomedical engineering at UCI.
In addition to its collaborations with researchers at the Beckman Laser Institute, Praxis Biosciences seeks additional partnerships with CALIT2-affiliated faculty in the areas of telemedicine, medical informatics and micro-devices, says You, who also serves as the company’s business-affairs officer.
Now that it has moved into its new home, Praxis Biosciences will continue hiring, while developing, refining and testing its product lines. TechPortal will play a key role in the company’s future, says You. “TechPortal offers us access to important resources,” he states, including prototyping facilities and faculty expertise.
“We’re in the right place at the right time.”
— Anna Lynn Spitzer
