A medical device startup co-founded by five University of Utah graduates and students has taken on the challenge of combating the 100,000 deaths from hospital-acquired infections transmitted from catheters each year. They developed a bacteria-killing catheter that uses light to cleanse the catheter. Veritas Medical’s winnings from the International Business Model competition will help lay the groundwork for clinical trials early next year.
Medical device companies have developed different strategies for combating bacteria transmitted by catheters. Some use chemicals and drugs while others use UV light. In an interview with MedCity News, Veritas Medical co-founder and acting CEO Nate Rhodes said the company wanted to use light but also wanted to reduce the risk of melanoma.
Its Light Line Catheter uses high-intensity narrow spectrum light to kill bacteria without any harmful effects to human cells. So far Veritas Medical has filed a utility patent on the technology and will complete laboratory testing later this year before seeking 510(k) clearance for the Class 2 medical device.
Rhodes said he co-founded the company after winning a medical device competition at the University of Utah two years ago. The Bench to Bedside challenge involved pairing medical students with other students at the college to try to solve some of the challenges facing healthcare. The faculty adviser and chief medical officer for Veritas is Dr. John Langell, who mentored the team in that challenge. He is the director of the university’s Center for Medical Innovation. He also serves as chief of surgery for the local VA hospital.
Langell said the company is a reflection of the kind of graduates it hopes to see more of. “We started focusing on training future health care innovators through our interdisciplinary innovation programs only a few years ago, and we are already seeing many successful technologies like this ready to transform the market,” according to a statement.
Alongside Rhodes, who received a masters in bioengineering this spring, other co-founders include James Allen, a bioengineering graduate; Mitch Barneck, a bioengineering graduate currently in medical school at Oregon Health and Science University; Martin de La Presa, a University of Utah medical school student; and Ahrash Poursaid, who received a bachelor’s degree in bioengineering from the university this spring.
The catheter uses a visible 405 nanometer light. It is still debating whether to go with an LED light or a laser light. Either way, it can be turned on and off.
A Deep-dive Into Specialty Pharma
A specialty drug is a class of prescription medications used to treat complex, chronic or rare medical conditions. Although this classification was originally intended to define the treatment of rare, also termed “orphan” diseases, affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the US, more recently, specialty drugs have emerged as the cornerstone of treatment for chronic and complex diseases such as cancer, autoimmune conditions, diabetes, hepatitis C, and HIV/AIDS.
With an eye to clinical trials, University of Utah would probably host them. The state’s health system has a big push to reduce hospital-acquired infections. The cost of the device is aligned with industry costs.
Rhodes said it has had some encouraging conversations with C.R. Bard but “nothing in print yet.”
