Biodesign is a hothouse for medical devices. Since the methodology was founded at Stanford University back in 2001, several companies that bear the fingerprints of Biodesign fellows have entered healthcare market.
One of the latest is San Francisco-based iRhythm Technologies. It traces its founding to the Biodesign class of 2006. This company, cerated by fellow Uday Kumar, has developed the ZIO patch, a wireless adhesive heart monitor patch to help diagnose irregular heartbeats, known as arrhythmias. It has already treated over 10000 patients.
Recently, a study from the Scripps Translational Science Institute, published in the American Journal of Medicine, has shown that iRhythm’s ZIO patch detects more arrhythmia events than a traditional Holter monitor and provides a better experience for patients.
Biodesign students, like our fellows, don´t accomplish success after listening to a bunch of lectures from talkers. The secret sauce of the program is the community: the venture capitalists, the clinicians, the entrepreneurs… who come in to offer their specific expertise to help the fellows navigate the risky path of commercialization of new medical devices.
Source: iRythm Technologies
