Non-Invasive Brain Temperature Monitoring

There is currently no practical way to directly measure the temperature of the brain.  Subsequently, clinicians are left with imperfect options that differ from or lag behind the brain temperature. This can lead to over or undercooling of patients and increases in procedure times.

LumenAstra is developing a device that can non-invasively measure internal temperature several cm below the surface in real-time through a patented method of radiometry. The LumenAstra monitor has the potential to provide information that can improve care and decision making across a range of applications.

*Product is still under development and has not been cleared for use by the FDA.

Future Applications

Medical

Aortic arch surgery requires the brain to be rapidly cooled to provide neuroprotection, but extended time at cold can lead to dangerous complications, making it critical to know the brain temperature in real-time.

There are many other medical applications that rely on cooling or heating the patient including: coronary artery bypass surgery, post-sudden cardiac arrest care, post-TBI care, and cancer treatment.

Military

For the military, heat stress and hypothermia are a concern, particularly for new recruits during basic training.

Consumer

Consumer applications include health and performance monitoring to optimize athletic performance.

Management Team

  • Jim Pollock

    CO-FOUNDER & CEO

    MIT BSEE. Leader of 8 early stage or startup technology companies with 5 exits. CU entrepreneur-in-residence with extensive experience in engineering and product management. Established key strategic partnerships in prior companies that directly led to exits.

    LinkedIn

  • Zoya Popovic

    CO-FOUNDER & CHIEF SCIENCE OFFICER

    Caltech PhD.  Distinguished Professor and Lockheed Martin Endowed Chair in RF Engineering at the University of Colorado. IEEE Fellow, Fellow of National Academy of Inventors, Member of the National Academy of Engineering, and inventor of LumenAstra’s novel technology.

    LINKEDIN

  • Shane Verploegh

    CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER

    CU Boulder PhD in microwave integrated circuitry and antenna design. 6 years in interdisciplinary sensor development for atomic RF sensing. Extensive experience in radiometer design, algorithm development, and miniaturized electronics design.

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  • Walter Wong

    CO-FOUNDER, VP OF INVESTOR RELATIONS

    University of British Columbia BS. Director of Engineering for Seagate for 20 years. Named on 35 patents and member of Seagate Patent Hall of Fame. 10 years consulting in advanced medical devices for companies such as Medtronic, Philips, and Abbott Labs.

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  • Arturs Bergs

    DIR MANUFACTURING & REGULATORY

    Drexel University BSME. 15 years of industry R&D. Led aerospace projects from R&D to OEM adoption and productized quantum systems. Extensive experience implementing and documenting procedures for development, manufacturing, and operational scaling.

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  • Tom Meese

    DIRECTOR STRATEGY & BUS DEV

    MIT Sloan MBA and Duke University BME. 15 years of medical device marketing experience at Medtronic and BD. Led multiple products from concept to launch in Targeted Temperature Management and managed products with over $500M of annual revenue.

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Advisors

  • Lou Faust

    Board Member

  • Dr John Mehall

    Medical Advisor

  • Dr Meghana Helder

    Medical Advisor

  • Dr Joel Buchanan

    Medical Advisor

  • Dr Michael Hurowitz

    Technical Advisor

  • Dr Jeff Piepmeier

    Technical Advisor

  • Julie Krommenhoek

    Operating Advisor

  • Andrew Goldstein

    Operating Advisor

Our Partners and Funders

  • CU Anschutz

    Clinical Studies Partner

  • USARIEM

    Military Physiology Support

  • NSF

    Scientific Grant Support

  • Defense Health Agency

    Warfighter Funding Support

  • University of Colorado

    Radio Frequency Lab

  • Colorado OEDIT

    Grant Funding

  • Bullpen

    Life Science Investment Advisor

  • MTEC

    Military Medical Innovation Advisor

  • National Security Initiatives

    Warfighter Applications Advisor

  • Product Realization Group

    Product Development Consulting

  • Rook Quality Systems

    Regulatory and Compliance Consulting

Investor FAQs

  • Our sensor works using a patented method of passive blackbody radiation detection combined with an algorithm that can focus measurements at the desired tissue depth.

  • The first application we are pursuing is aortic arch surgery. This procedure requires the brain to be rapidly cooled to provide neuroprotection, but extended time at cold can lead to dangerous complications, making it critical to know the brain temperature in real-time.

  • To directly measure brain temperature today, clinicians would need to use either invasive probes (which require drilling through the skull) or an MRI machine (which is not practical for surgical settings). Therefore, clinicians often need to rely on surrogate measurements from the bladder or nasopharynx that can vary significantly or lag the temperature of the brain.

  • There are many other medical applications that rely on cooling or heating the patient including: coronary artery bypass surgery, post-sudden cardiac arrest care, post-TBI care, and cancer treatment.

    For the military, heat stress and hypothermia are a concern, particularly for new recruits during basic training.

    Consumer applications include health and performance monitoring to optimize athletic performance.

  • Our team has a unique combination of patented technology, advanced algorithm development, manufacturing expertise, and medical device commercialization, all of which are required to successfully develop and launch this novel device.

    We maintain close relationships with academia to ensure a strong pipeline of ideas and talent.

  • We are currently pursuing 510(k) clearance for our device.

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Interested in pursuing a career at LumenAstra? Contact us to let us know about your experience and if you could be a fit.

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