{"553541":{"#nid":"553541","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Micro C announces successful early-seed round capital raise","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EMicro C, a Savannah-based medical device startup founded by a Georgia Tech graduate, said it successfully raised $260,000 in its early-seed funding round.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMicro C, one of the Advanced Technology Development Center\u2019s ATDC Accelerate startup portfolio companies, developed an all-in-one, hand-held X-ray and digital camera for surgeons and physicians treating disorders of the extremities.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EATDC, an initiative of Georgia Tech that operates programs in Savannah, Augusta, and Athens, is the state\u2019s technology incubator. It is one of the longest-running and largest university-affiliated business incubators in the country.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe funds will be put toward prototyping expenses and early marketing initiatives of the wireless device, said Dr. Greg Kolovich, an orthopedic hand and micro-surgeon and company founder.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThis is a novel approach as we currently do not have a hand-held fluoroscopy device in orthopedic surgery or any kind of surgery outside of dental,\u201d said Kolovich, who earned his electrical engineering degree from Georgia Tech, medical degree from Ohio State, and surgical training at Harvard. \u201cThis is a bridge between the large C-arms we use in the operating room and smaller ones used by dentists to take X-rays of teeth.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe standard C-arm, first launched in 1955, is a medical imaging device. While the technology has advanced and improved since then, Kolovich said there is a great need for a light hand-held device, particularly when dealing with surgeries of the hand and foot.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EUnder standard practice with existing C-arms, when the surgeon needs to take an X-ray, they and their medical teams have to stop what they\u2019re doing to take the images.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe innovation is the application of it for intra-operative imaging without having to go ahead and stop what you\u2019re doing,\u201d said Evan Ruff, CEO of Micro C and a graduate of Tech with a degree in computer engineering. \u201cSo this can be used while you\u2019re performing the surgery.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn addition to Ruff and Kolovich, Kirby Sisk, who serves as chief operating officer, also earned a degree in mechanical engineering from Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe reason I came up with the idea, I was reattaching a severed hand with the help of an intern. It was cumbersome and time-consuming to manipulate the C-arm, while you\u2019re trying to position a plate on an unstable wrist and confirm that with an X-ray,\u201d Kolovich said. \u201cSo I thought it be awesome if I could freely move the X-ray to the hand by separating the X-ray emitter from the sensor, to give me and other surgeons that extra degree of freedom.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhat\u2019s more, he sought to create a device that would reduce the amount of unnecessary radiation exposure to both the patient and medical professionals. Because of prolonged exposure to radiation, some doctors are prone to developing cataracts or are at risk for certain kinds of cancers. The company\u2019s device emits 100 times less radiation than current C-arms.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt also takes video and high-resolution, digital images in both natural and infrared wavelengths.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe created a really cool way of making X-rays in the operating room safer,\u201d Kolovich said, explaining the device is expected to cost between $30,000 and $50,000, as compared with standard C-arms, which can cost three times that amount.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThat cost difference could help not only rural doctors in the United States who can\u2019t afford traditional C-arms, but also medical professionals in developing countries, the executives said. Additionally, specialists in other fields, including athletic trainers, the military, and veterinarians, could use the technology, Kolovich said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2014 P\u00e9ralte C. Paul\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Savannah-based medical device startup has a developed an all-in-one, hand-held X-ray and digital camera for surgeons."}],"uid":"28137","created_gmt":"2016-07-18 09:28:25","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:22:08","author":"P\u00e9ralte Paul","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2016-07-18T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2016-07-18T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"553561":{"id":"553561","type":"image","title":"Micro C Startup 1","body":null,"created":"1468849547","gmt_created":"2016-07-18 13:45:47","changed":"1475895350","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:55:50","alt":"Micro C Startup 1","file":{"fid":"206531","name":"screen_shot_2016-07-18_at_09.20.19.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/screen_shot_2016-07-18_at_09.20.19.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/screen_shot_2016-07-18_at_09.20.19.png","mime":"image\/png","size":1786465,"path_740":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/screen_shot_2016-07-18_at_09.20.19.png?itok=HvFyBzOI"}},"553571":{"id":"553571","type":"image","title":"Micro C Startup 2","body":null,"created":"1468849867","gmt_created":"2016-07-18 13:51:07","changed":"1475895350","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:55:50","alt":"Micro C Startup 2","file":{"fid":"206532","name":"2016-07-08_16.28.53.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/2016-07-08_16.28.53.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/2016-07-08_16.28.53.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1346089,"path_740":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/2016-07-08_16.28.53.jpg?itok=w8pQOsSe"}}},"media_ids":["553561","553571"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.microcimaging.com\/","title":"Micro C"}],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[{"id":"139","name":"Business"}],"keywords":[{"id":"4238","name":"atdc"},{"id":"170475","name":"Micro C"},{"id":"167277","name":"Savannah"},{"id":"166994","name":"startups"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"106361","name":"Business and Economic Development"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp class=\u0022s7\u0022\u003ELaura Diamond\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022s7\u0022\u003E404.660.2927\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:laura.diamond@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Elaura.diamond@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["peralte.paul@comm.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}