VISE Spring Seminar – Joshua Gafford, PhD – 2.2.23
VISE Spring Seminar to be led by
Joshua Gafford, Ph.D.
Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer
EndoTheia
Date: Thursday, February 2, 2023
Time: 11:45 a.m. Lunch, 12:00 p.m. start
Location: Stevenson 5326
Title: EndoTheia: Augmenting the Capabilities of Flexible Endoscopes
Abstract: Historically, clinical applications of flexible endoscopes have been primarily diagnostic in nature due to fundamental limitations in their therapeutic efficacy. These limitations stem from the lack of distal dexterity of trans-endoscopic tools which can only extend straight out from the endoscope’s tip, thereby requiring the entire endoscope to be maneuvered to steer and re-direct them. EndoTheia is developing a novel technology with the goal of increasing therapeutic yields in flexible endoscopic procedures by enhancing the distal dexterity of tools passed through them. This disruptive technology, based on extremely thin-walled, laser-machined metallic tubes, enables the creation of highly flexible, steerable devices that can pass through standard endoscopes, while also carrying trans-endoscopic tools within themselves. The steerability that these devices provide to endoscope-delivered tools opens the door for new diagnostic and therapeutic applications of flexible endoscopy. In this talk, I will give an overview of EndoTheia’s current commercialization thrusts in urology, gastroenterology, and otology. I will also discuss some of the methodologies we use as a company to determine which applications to pursue based on clinical and economic considerations.
Bio: Joshua Gafford, Ph.D., is the co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of EndoTheia, where manages day-to-day engineering activities, participates in business and regulatory strategy development, and leads capital fundraising efforts through federal and state grant programs which have resulted in $4.8m in non-dilutive startup capital for the company to date. Prior to founding EndoTheia, he was a postdoctoral scholar in the MEDLab at Vanderbilt äçÐÄvlogÃâ·ÑBÕ¾, where he worked on the steerable sheath technology that underpins EndoTheia’s current commercialization efforts. Dr. Gafford received his Ph.D from Harvard äçÐÄvlogÃâ·ÑBÕ¾, where his research focused on the development of modular robotic systems for therapeutic endoscopy. He is also a graduate of Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford äçÐÄvlogÃâ·ÑBÕ¾.