Team Carries On, Reaches Milestones Following Death of Founding CEO

LEWES, DE, USA, December 29, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ -- This time last year, a startup team of doctors, engineers and patient advocates were experiencing grief and uncertainty in the weeks following their founding CEO’s sudden death. Today, as they celebrate 2022 with a profound sense of accomplishment focused on the progress they have made, they make a toast to him.

The visionary, husband and father of three young children died unexpectedly at the age of 42 in late 2021. “A year ago, we were reeling from the sudden death of our founding CEO and our friend, Chris Jung. Today, we look back knowing he would be proud of the significant progress we’ve made,” said Matt Vogelhuber, R.Ph., CEO of fluidIQ.

Vogelhuber, who was Chairman of the Board when Jung passed away, stepped into the chief executive role and has led the team with a strong sense of purpose and a North Star that drives the mission forward. “I am so proud of this team and the momentum that we continue to build,” he said.

Among notable accomplishments for the year included the company’s 3D printed resuscitator/ventilator, being featured by the National Institutes of Health’s Director’s Blog that called it a “game changer”. The blog said: “The doctors believe that the 3D-printed miniature ventilator is a potential ‘game changer’ from start to finish since it is lifesaving, small, simple to use, can be easily and inexpensively printed and stored, and does not require additional maintenance.”

https://directorsblog.nih.gov/2022/11/29/clinical-center-doctors-testing-3d-printed-miniature-ventilator/.

“Being featured in the NIH Director’s Blog was a real honor and a significant high point in our year,” said Vogelhuber.

The blog discussed the research that had been carried out by world-class researchers at the NIH Clinical Center and was published in the prestigious medical journal, Science Translational Medicine, in November https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/scitranslmed.abm8351.

NIH researchers William Pritchard, MD, Andrew Mannes, MD, ME, MBA, Brad Wood, MD, John Karanian, PhD, Ivane Bakhutashvili, MD, PhD, Matthew Starost, MD, David Eckstein, PhD and medical student Sheridan Reed studied and tested the tiny fluidIQ ventilators in swine with acute lung injury, a common severe outcome in a number of respiratory threats including COVID-19. NIH is planning to use the technology in an upcoming veterinary study and in a first-in-humans study in 2023.

A Brazilian research team completed a large animal model study using the device, as well, that is expected to be published in the new year. In addition, fluidIQ completed two human factors studies with their technology, one of them via a collaboration with a major university medical center. A resulting scientific paper is expected to be submitted for publication in 2023, as well.

A significant business milestone that came as the company was invited to present at 2022 Life Science Intelligence (LSI) and SoCalBio investor conferences, was a licensing and joint development agreement with Pulmodyne, an Intersurgical company and a global manufacturer and distributor of airway and respiratory products.

fluidIQ is already working with Pulmodyne on additional fluidics-based respiratory solutions that are part of the fluidIQ platform. The tiny ventilator, called the HOPE inVent, is slated to be submitted to the FDA early in 2023.

As the startup looks back over 2022, one of the proudest moments for the fluidIQ team, according to Vogelhuber, was seeing Jung’s name published as an author on the Science Translational Medicine research paper. “It was a nice tribute to Chris that all of his hard work and collaboration with the NIH team had been memorialized in the published study,” said Vogelhuber.

About fluidIQ™
fluidIQ, a public benefit and Delaware corporation, provides simple yet elegant solutions based on proprietary fluidics technology. The company was founded by a group of doctors, engineers and patient advocates who joined together to find solutions for gaps in medical needs, including ventilators, in the midst of the coronavirus-caused world crisis. fluidIQ aims to deliver hope to a world in need with simple, easy-to-deploy technology solutions that solve the most pressing medical challenges of our time. fluidIQ’s roadmap for an entire family of products is based on fluidics-operated devices dedicated to filling gaps in emergency and preparedness protocols that are user-friendly, scalable and cost-effective. The science of fluidics uses air or fluids to operate things automatically without the need for electricity or batteries. Visit www.fluidIQ.org to learn more.

The content of this press announcement does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the National Institutes of Health or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The mention of commercial products, their source, or their use in connection with material reported herein is not to be construed as an actual or implied endorsement of such products by the United States government.

Teresa Barnes
fluidIQ
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fluidIQ founding purpose featured in Beautiful News video