Vibronix, a medical devices spin-out of Purdue University, is seeking investors and is looking for a chief executive to help the new company commercialise its technology, which can monitor plaque building up in a patient’s heart.
Based on research by Ji-Xin Cheng, Vibronix commercialises an intravascular sensor that is about one millimetre in size. It emits light onto the heart’s arterial wall, which is only reflected by the lipid components that are the result of cholesterol. High cholesterol causes these lipids to build up, eventually blocking blood flow and causing a heart attack.
The sensor solves a significant problem for cardiologists, as it is not currently possible to accurately track the severity or precise location of lipids. Current technology is thus unable to efficiently prevent heart disease.
While seeking investors and looking for a chief executive to lead the company, Vibronix is validating its technology with a prototype supported by unnamed industrial partners.
Pu Wang, chief technology officer at Vibronix, described the technology: “The sensor, which is around one millimetre in size, emits light onto the arterial wall. Only the lipid component inside the arterial wall responds to the light. It emits acoustic signals that are detected by the sensor and sent to another system. We rotate and pull back the sensor in the artery, which creates a three-dimensional view that shows where high-density lipid sections have developed on the arterial wall.”
