BURL Concepts Closes $3 Million B Round to Bring Innovative SONAS™ Portable Stroke Detection Device to the Global Market
San Diego, CA (PRWEB) October 05, 2016 -- BURL Concepts, Inc., the innovative medical device start-up that created the SONAS™ portable ultrasound device for pre-hospital stroke detection, today announced a $3 Million Series B funding round led by Acquipharma with participation from multiple high net-worth individuals. The latest round brings the company’s total money raised to $7.5 million and will be used to support product development and sales efforts as the SONAS™ device leaves the testing phase and prepares to enter an initial set of clinical trials.
Dr. Thilo Hoelscher, MD and Dr. Jim Brailean, PhD founded BURL Concepts, Inc. in order to bring a portable and affordable pre-hospital stroke detection solution to millions of at-risk people worldwide. The SONAS™ device was invented by Dr. Hoelscher, a board-certified neurologist who previously served as a professor at the University of California, San Diego where he founded the UCSD Brain Ultrasound Research Laboratory. The addition of Dr. Brailean, a successful entrepreneur and investor who founded the pioneering digital video technology company PacketVideo, Inc. and has a PhD in Electrical Engineering, specializing in signal processing, offered exactly the expertise needed to develop, market and distribute this life-saving device.
“We are very excited to have the support of a savvy and dedicated group of investors who share our passion for improving access to pre-hospital stroke-detection technology that has the potential to help save lives all over the world,” commented Dr. Hoelscher. “Our team has worked tirelessly through the product development and testing phases, and we look forward to entering trials and bringing our solution to the market where it can make a real difference.”
SONAS™ is a portable, battery-powered ultrasound device designed for the non-invasive, transcranial diagnosis of major strokes. The device works in combination with ultrasound microbubbles, utilizing advanced signal detection and processing algorithms to assess brain perfusion semi-quantitatively in a comparable fashion (right vs. left hemisphere). These patent pending algorithms allow SONAS™ to detect major ischemic and hemorrhagic events through low power ultrasound at a cost effective price point, using ubiquitous Bluetooth and wireless technology.
Acquipharma, the lead investor in the Series B Round, is headed by Oppel Greeff, MD, former CEO of Pre-Clinical Development and President of Global CRO at Quintiles Transnational Corporation (NYSE: Q) and a renowned expert in the field of medical technology. “Jim and Thilo have a real passion for improving stroke detection combined with an ingenious and highly practical technology solution that meets a widespread, global need, and we’re excited to come aboard to help them achieve their vision,” said Prof. Greeff, MD, managing director Acquipharma, Inc.
Dr. William Brody, MD, PhD, president emeritus of Johns Hopkins University, Salk Institute of Biological Studies and an acclaimed physician-scientist who has made significant contributions to medical acoustics is a member of the BURL Concepts Board of Advisors. “The team at BURL has used a creative concept for using ultrasound to detect ischemic stroke, a leading cause of death and disability across the world,” commented Dr. Brody. “I believe the company is well-positioned to bring their SONAS™ device to market for application to patients suspected of having an acute stroke.”
For more information on BURL Concepts and the SONAS™ device, visit the company website at http://www.burlconcepts.com.
About BURL Concepts
BURL Concepts, Inc. is a start-up dedicated to developing innovative, affordable medical solutions that serve the present and future needs of global patients. Fueled by an interdisciplinary exchange of ideas between the natural sciences and engineering disciplines, the company seeks to bring academic institutions and industrial partners together to meet today’s challenges in global medical care. The first product from BURL Concepts is the SONAS™ portable, battery-powered ultrasound device designed for the non-invasive, transcranial diagnosis of major strokes. The company is headquartered in San Diego, California.
Tom Huntington, Burl Concepts, Inc., +1 6197439057, [email protected]
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