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BME Seminar: A BME's Entrepreneurial Journey Launches at the University of Rochester

David Narrow, CEO, Sonavex, Inc., Baltimore, MD

River Campus | Robert B. Goergen Hall | Sloan Auditorium (Room 101)

David first got a taste for entrepreneurship during his senior design project. With the stroke population in mind, Narrow and his group developed an adaptive cycling handlebar to enable hemiplegic individuals to return to the sport of cycling for rehabilitative, health, and personal benefits. His team went on to raise a small bit of friends and family money to produce the first batch of handlebars and begin selling the product alongside recumbent trikes and adaptive pedals as MonoMano, Inc. Narrow still sells adaptive products via MonoMano’s website. Meanwhile, he continued to satisfy his entrepreneurial itch while obtaining his Masters by collaborating with a Hopkins surgeon and professor to develop technology to detect post-operative blood clots. The EchoSure system involves a bioabsorbable polymeric implant (EchoMark) placed underneath at-risk blood vessels at the time of surgery and ultrasound software (EchoFind) to quantify relevant flow parameters that can be temporally tracked. This flow information supports early clot detection, enabling surgeons to intervene and remove the potentially catastrophic clots prior to an adverse event. The EchoFind software first uses image processing algorithms to detect the EchoMark and uses its geometric signature to estimate the ultrasound probe’s position and orientation (pose) relative to the marker, which is used to guide nurses to the surgical site during routine exams. The software then processes Doppler data and utilizes the orientation information to compare readings to previous exams. Once Narrow raised sufficient funds, he co-founded Sonavex, Inc. to commercialize the technology. The company has raised a total of $1M, has 3 full-time employees, and has begun development of additional ultrasound products for perioperative applications.