Stromatec Inc.
Location: Burlington, Vt.
Web: www.stromatec.com
Phone: 802-865-8311
founded: 2003
Top executive: Robert Davis, CEO
Industry: Medical devices
Stromatec specializes in medical devices aimed at providing clinicians with tools to diagnose and treat problems in the connective tissue that provides support and structure throughout the body. The StromaTorque, now in early human trials, will be used to assess the architecture of connective tissue, to determine where pain is coming from. The diagnostic could help reduce health care costs by preventing unnecessary MRIs and even unnecessary surgery, by pinpointing pain and helping doctors more efficiently decide on a course of treatment.
The technology was inspired by the ancient practice of acupuncture, and can also be used to put some scientific muscle behind complementary pain treatments like physical therapy, massage, chiropracty and acupuncture. It determines if those treatments are working by mapping changes in the connective tissue over time. The company is also working on a product called the HIFU Eraser, with the goal of developing a non-surgical, low-risk treatment for breaking up scars and adhesions that often cause pain and restrict mobility. The company has raised a little less than $2 million in grants. Stromatec will be seeking angel money this fall.
From the top, CEO Robert Davis: “Once it gets measured, it gets paid attention to,” Davis said of the potential to drive better treatment outcomes and reduce costs. “Doctors are good at diagnosing the really scary stuff. But for the 95 percent of patients who don’t have a tumor, a fracture, or something else that shows up on an MRI, it can be so frustrating.”
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