Sonavex

Sonavex's EchoMark & EchoSure solution reduces time to maturation and deadly and costly catheter contact time for dialysis patients that receive an AV fistula.

  • Stage Full Product Ready
  • Industry Medical Devices and Equipment
  • Location Baltimore, MD, US
  • Currency USD
  • Founded March 2015
  • Employees 14
  • Incorporation Type C-corp
  • Website sonavex.com

Company Summary

Sonavex's solution uses deep learning to improve AV fistula (AVF) maturation for dialysis patients, which fail to mature in 30-50% of cases and take 6-9 months to mature, resulting in significant catheter-based dialysis and associated mortality, morbidity and cost ($160/day to CMS).
Sonavex enables dialysis clinic staff to determine fistula health via a bioresorbable implant (EchoMark) with >90% margins and an automated 3D ultrasound (EchoSure).

Team

  • Mr. Narrow graduated from the University of Rochester with a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering awarded with Highest Distinction before receiving his Masters from Johns Hopkins University. He previously worked with multinational medical device companies to commercialize their technologies and provide long-term business strategy as a healthcare consultant at Health Advances LLC. Narrow was named 30 Under 30 in Healthcare by Forbes in 2016.

  • Co-founder

    Dr. O’Brien Coon is a surgeon at Johns Hopkins who also holds a MS in engineering. He has published >30 peer reviewed publications and is a reviewer for the journal of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery. He has received numerous awards, including the Ross H. Musgrave Award for Excellence in Plastic Surgery, the Bert O'Malley Award for Best Scholarly Endeavor and is the only 2-time winner of the Plastic Surgery Foundation’s D. Ralph Millard award.

  • Director of R&D

    Dr. Kang oversees research and product development. He has >14 years of experience researching and innovating in the field of image-guided medical procedures and image analysis. He has published over 40 peer reviewed publications. He also serves as a reviewer of several prestigious journals and committee member of international conferences. He has received many awards, including the Best Paper Award at MICCAI.

  • Board Director and Scientific Advisor

    Dr. Prince is the William B. Kouwenhoven Professor of Computer Engineering, Radiology and Biomedical Engineering at Hopkins. He co-founded Diagnosoft and led the company to regulatory approval of their first product. Dr. Prince has over 25 years of experience in medical image analysis, more than 75 peer-reviewed publications and is regarded as a leader in the field. His awards include the Presidential Faculty Fellow Award from the NSF.

  • Research Scientist

    Andrew received his PhD from Johns Hopkins University, where he also served for his post-doc. His expertise is in medical image processing across both ultrasound and OCT. He trained under Jerry Prince and Russel Taylor.

  • Product Manager

    Mr. Del Negro is Product Manager. Prior to joining Sonavex, Ralph held a similar position at MicroAire Surgical Instruments, where he supported surgeon training labs and improved internal processes for new product development. Ralph attended the University of Virginia, where he earned a degree in biomedical engineering, with minors in computer science and engineering business.

  • Software Architect

    Drew Ogle is a Software Architect, providing design and implementation of the product line. He has over 20 years of experience designing and developing software with extensive experience in multi-platform and distributed systems. He has over 10 years experience with computer and network security including medical devices. He has given talks, classes and participated in panel discussions on security implementation and guidance.

  • Chief Business Officer

    Mr. Rappe most recently held the role of CBO for AV Medical Technologies, Ltd where he led all US operations from pre-commercialization to a successful exit to Medtronic. With >30 years of experience in the med-tech industry, Mr. Rappe has held leadership positions with both private and publicly held companies including Boston Scientific, Young Innovations and Dentsply International. He has successfully launched several innovative technologies.

  • Vice President of Operations, Quality & Strategy

    Ms. Zwernemann is a biomedical engineer with >10 years of experience in medical device development and commercialization. She contributed to the design, testing, and launch of several orthopedic implants at Synthes. While leading product development at a prosthetics company, she was responsible for project management, regulatory strategy, and design transfer while also implementing a full QMS and launching multiple products.

  • Dr. Alex Yevzlin
    Chief Medical Officer

    Dr. Yevzlin is Professor and Director of Interventional Nephrology at the University of Michigan. He is an internationally recognized leader in the field of Interventional Nephrology, and past President of ASDIN. Dr. Yevzlin also served as Vice Chair of the National Kidney Foundation’s KDOQI committee, responsible for Guidelines for Vascular Access. He has been involved in the invention, design, and commercialization of multiple medical devices.

  • Director of Clinical Affairs

    Katy Feeny brings >10 years of experience executing clinical research strategies, specializing in development and oversight of clinical trials. Katy has prior experience providing leadership in fast-paced multifaceted clinical division. She efficiently managed multiple timelines and budgets from initiation to close-out, both in the US and overseas with pilot, post-market, and IDE studies.

Advisors

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