Illumasonix: Bloodflow and Blockages

Illumasonix (Boulder) is developing a new non-invasive vascular disease detection procedure. This process will easily and non-invasively provide real-time assessment of detailed blood flow patterns within the cardiovascular system.

Current blood-flow diagnostics for cardiovascular and neurovascular diseases utilize ultrasound and MRI technology, which are limited in their capacity to localize areas of disease progression. Ultrasound Doppler provides good temporal resolution but only provides one dimensional velocity measurement and angular error. MRI phase velocity mapping offers multi-component velocity data and high spatial resolution but poor temporal resolution and is both cumbersome and expensive.

Illumasonix combines the advantages of MRI velocimetry with the temporal resolution and ease-of-use of ultrasound. The system uses ultrasound and FDA approved microbubbles to obtain highly detailed maps of blood flow. The technology provides quantitative information on complex blood flow patterns, and thereby offers a non-invasive, real-time assessment of localized hemodynamics for evaluating disease progression within the cardiovascular system.

The company, founded by serial-entrepreneur Robin Shandas, Ph.D. (who holds dual appointments in the department of pediatrics, cardiology section at Children’s Hospital and the University Colorado department of mechanical engineering), closed a round of gap capital financing led by Quincy, Mass-based Allied Minds.



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