Pneumeric

Pneumeric is a medical-device company focused on trauma care.

It’s developed the Capnospot, a device designed to treat victims of a pneumothorax, also known as a collapsed lung.

Pneumeric has a licensing agreement with renowned medical center Mayo Clinic to use its patented technology in the Capnospot. And earlier this year, the device was classified "Class I" by the FDA, a designation for medical devices considered low-risk to patients. Pneumeric is preparing to file a 510(k) with the FDA to receive clearance — the final step before marketing its device throughout the U.S.

In the medical space, one-third of preventable trauma deaths result from collapsed lungs. The lung typically collapses as a result of a traumatic injury — for example, gunshot wounds, broken ribs, even damage from underlying heart disease. When the lung collapses, air becomes trapped outside the lung. And if not treated immediately, it becomes fatal.

The current standard of care involves using a needle to therapeutically decompress the excess air and listen for an audible “gush.” But this manual process can be prone to human error.

That’s why Pneumeric created the Capnospot. This device assures that therapeutic decompression has been successful, removing the concern of human misjudgment. Instead of listening for a gush of air, the device presents a visual color change. Here’s how it works:

Pneumothorax air contains CO2, which alters the PH on colorimetric paper, changing the color. A piece of this paper is contained in the Capnospot device and changes from blue to yellow when the procedure is successful.

The Capnospot is designed to be intuitive to the user, and inexpensive to manufacture. As mentioned, the technology is also protected through a licensed patent with the Mayo Clinic.

In September 2021, Pneumeric partnered with Naglreiter, a medical device development organization, to manufacture its Capnospot. The manufacturing process has two main phases: design and verification/validation.

The design phase has been completed and the device has since been used in preclinical animal and human studies at Mayo Clinic.

Once the company receives FDA clearance, the Capnospot will be sold directly to individuals through retail, as well as to hospital and emergency medical services customers. Additionally, it will be made available wholesale to both military and civilian customers.

Team Background

Jonathan Sackner-Bernstein - Chief Regulatory Officer

Jonathan is a physician who has published more than eighty scientific articles ranging from topics including cardiac care and drug efficacy.

Early in his career, he joined the faculty at Columbia University, where he established a clinical research program. Later, he joined the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as Associate Center Director, leading a team that created the agency’s Breakthrough Therapy Designation Program.

Additionally, Jonathan helped the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) launch its Biological Technologies Office, a research program focused on medicine and biology.

He earned a degree from the University of Pennsylvania and completed his MD from Jefferson Medical College.

John Aho - CEO and Chief Medical Officer

Prior to starting Pneumeric, John spent twelve years at Mayo Clinic, working in various roles including general surgery resident, Chief Resident General Surgery, and assistant professor of biomedical engineering.

Before his time at Mayo, he spent two years as a researcher at the University of Minnesota, focusing on cardiovascular and thoracic surgery.

He holds Bachelor’s degrees in Mathematics and Biology from Michigan Technological University, a Ph.D. from the Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, and an MD from Chicago Medical School.

Sasha Gentling - EVP, Business Development

Before joining Pneumeric, Sasha was Director of Investor Relations at a public medical device company. Before that, she was an investment officer at Mayo Clinic, where she conducted due diligence on new investments in public and private markets.

She holds a Bachelor’s degree from Middlebury College and an MBA from Columbia.

Todd Wiltshire - Chief Financial Officer

Todd has more than thirty years of financial experience, specializing in product development, public policy, and trading functions.

Early in his career, he was an associate with investment bank Morgan Stanley, before joining UBS as a project planning director.

More recently, he spent seven years as Director of Product Development with Credit Agricole, a banking company, before spending thirteen years with Fidelity, an investment service, as Vice President of Capital Markets.

Before joining Pneumeric, Todd was Senior Vice President of Corporate Development for BioSig Technologies, a medical technology company creating solutions to chronic diseases.

He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Government from Lafayette College and an MBA from Fordham.

Co-Investors