This is the cushion being developed to aid patients with bedsores by local company Wave Therapeutics. Jessica Bussert founded the company as a division of Bussert Medical, Inc. in 2020. Their main product is this cushion.
Submitted photo
A local startup is moving forward and making waves in medical communities with the invention of a new product to help patients with bedsores.
Wave Therapeutics was founded by Jessica Bussert as a division of Bussert Medical, Inc. in 2020, their main product is a cushion to aid patients with bedsores.
The latest development for their company is a virtual pitch of their product in a Demo Day, an event hosted by Techstars to introduce their new portfolio companies to the world.
Wave Therapeutics is completing the Techstars Future of Longevity program, in which 10 companies were selected from hundreds of applicants all over the world to participate. The product pitch from Wave Therapeutics will be released worldwide on Feb. 17 during the Demo Day event.
The Techstar program aims to address the unmet needs of older adults and their caregivers. It is done in partnership with Pivotal Ventures, an investment and incubation company created by Melinda French Gates.
Filming of the pitch took place on Feb. 6, followed by a question and answer session at Country Heritage Winery.
After months of intensive work and a world-class accelerator program, Demo Day is a “bit of celebration,” Wave Therapeutics business manager Sharon Bussert said.
Looking to the future, they are assembling their first manufactured products and expect to have those in the market within the next couple weeks, Sharon said.
The first products off the line will be used in testing and pilot programs, they have a few early adopters who will test the product and give feedback. They will also be raising money from accredited investors to allow the business to grow and develop a second product.
They have received validation for their work from the medical community with support from numerous “best-in-class” organizations, Sharon said.
They have also signed a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement with the Veterans Health Administration.
“Under that agreement the VHA will be conducting safety testing and our first clinical study,” Sharon said.
Testing will be done at the Human Engineering Research Lab at the University of Pittsburgh. There is also a commitment from BRIA Health Systems in Illinois and Ohio’s Hospice in Dayton, Ohio to conduct pilot studies of the cushion at their facilities.
Large organizations are not the only ones interested in the work that Wave Therapeutics has done.
“Individual wheelchair users are also giving us strong indication that they want and need our product,” Sharon said. “We added over 500 names to our pre-sales list in just six weeks.”
Wave Therapeutics appreciates the support of local and state government. The Town of Nashville gave them a small interest loan when their product was a hand-built prototype, allowing them to move forward.
They also received valuable help from the Indiana Economic Development Corporation, Indiana Small Business Development Center, SCORE and other business leaders who served as mentors, Sharon said.
“We’re currently working with contract manufacturers in various cities in Indiana and we hope to be able to continue manufacturing in this state. Bringing valuable federal contracts to Indiana and creating jobs to strengthen our home state is important to us,” she said.
“Medical devices are generally developed by large corporations with huge teams, not a couple of people working in their living room. We’ve accomplished a lot through hard work and with the support of our first investor, a doctor from Bloomington. We’re celebrating the progress we’ve made, but we still have a long journey ahead of us. “
According to a press release from Wave Therapeutics in 2020, bedsores cost the national economy nearly $11 billion annually and cause more deaths than automobile accidents.
Jessica Bussert founded the company while working as a registered nurse. She said that as a nurse she witnessed firsthand the pain and suffering of her patients due to bedsores.
She then developed the patent-pending technology that she believes will change the way medical professionals approach the problem of bedsores, according to a press release.
Wave Therapeutics is an “economically disadvantaged, woman-owned small business, headquartered in Nashville,” the press release states.
The company’s products use “advanced analytics and a unique combination therapy to address the problem of bedsores,” according to the release.
Visit www.wavetherapeuticsinc.com for more information.
