Noninvasix Secures Finalist Slot in Healthcare Innovation Challenges

Galveston, TX, February 03, 2016 --(PR.com)-- Noninvasix, developers of an optoacoustic patient monitor that accurately determines the amount of oxygen reaching the brain of babies during late-stage labor and pre-term infants in the NICU, will compete for top prize at the SPIE Startup Challenge 2016 and at the third annual National Capital Consortium for Pediatric Device Innovation competition.

“There has been a lot of interest in our technology, especially as it relates to monitoring the welfare of babies during labor. I’m approached regularly with c-section stories,” said Graham Randall, Ph.D., CEO of Noninvasix. “There’s a clinical need for accurate data during labor and delivery, and it is now within reach.”

Earning top scores from application judges for its fetal oxygenation monitor, Noninvasix was named one of 25 semi-finalists in the SPIE Startup Challenge to be held February 15-17 in San Francisco at Photonics West, a leading laser, photonics and biomedical optics conference. In the final round on February 17, judges will name the top three winners who will earn $10,000 first prize, $5,000 second prize and $2,500 third prize. To view all 25 semi-finalists competing in the 2016 SPIE Startup Challenge, visit http://spie.org.

Following SPIE, and competing against the likes of Baylor College of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University and Children’s National Medical Center, Noninvasix is one of 12 innovating organizations vying for grant funding at the third annual National Capital Consortium for Pediatric Device Innovation competition. The FDA funded consortium, led by the Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation at Children's National Health System and the A. James Clark School of Engineering at the University of Maryland, will award $50,000 in grant money to the top five companies with promising pediatric medical devices that address a significant unmet pediatric need. Finalist presentations will take place February 29 at the Children’s National Health System. For more information about the consortium, visit www.innovate4kids.org.

Noninvasix’s optoacoustic sensor uses direct, real-time monitoring of cerebral venous oxygenation in the human superior sagittal sinus to determine welfare. By rapidly and accurately detecting the amount of oxygen a fetus is receiving during active labor, the company aims to reduce the incidents of unnecessary cesarean sections and the risk of severe neonatal morbidity including cerebral palsy and malpractice lawsuits. In low-birth-weight infants, the company’s light and sound technology is expected to reduce hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy, a condition responsible for 23 percent of all neonatal deaths.

The Texas-based startup recently claimed the $3,000 third place prize at the HITLAB World Cup international healthcare competition in New York City.