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Nasal and sinus problems can be tricky and costly to diagnose.
Based on a hardware prototype developed at Stanford
University, Scopi
Medical aims to solve both problems with the first
AI-enabled portable nasal endoscope for diagnosis at the point of
care.
“It’s a really exciting space,” says Anna von Wendorff, CEO and
founder of Scopi. “Particularly with our software algorithms,
we’ve identified a whole suite of opportunities to improve
outcomes and enable clinicians to diagnose this at a low-cost
setting and earlier.”
Ear, nose and throat conditions come from various causes with a
range of symptoms, including breathing and sleep issues. Many
people suffer from these problems, but may not know why. For
example, about 37
million people in the U.S. are affected by chronic
recurrent sinusitis, an inflammatory disease of the sinuses and
nasal passages. Currently, the device used for diagnoses — a
multi-use surgical equipment cart — includes features to pass
instruments, conduct biopsies, tools for suction and irrigation,
and other functions. But these features (and the hefty $100,000
price tag) are unnecessary for the initial diagnosis of ear, nose
and throat conditions, von Wendorff says.
In 2018, as a mechanical engineering graduate student at
Stanford, von Wendorff was working with Smile Train, an
international charity that supports cleft surgeries. Through
interviews with various clinics, she learned how important it was
to view inside the nose in a simple, affordable way. All
physicians and patients need is a simple camera and software to
analyze the visuals. That’s exactly what Scopi is in the process
of bringing to market.
The handle of its endoscope can be reused for years, but
physicians would attach a sterile, single-use component to the
handle to prevent cross-contamination. The endoscope, which is 3
millimeters in diameter, would be placed into the nose to capture
data, and Scopi’s software would analyze the findings.
Dr. Scott McCusker, an otolaryngologist with the Mercy Medical
Group, has expensive “special toys” in his office for deep nasal
exams. But most doctors don’t have these instruments and/or don’t
have the training to use them.
“Those two barriers of cost and training are now in the process
of being broken,” he says.
McCusker decided to serve on Scopi’s clinical advisory board
after responding to a request for experts in endoscopy on
LinkedIn. From there, he connected with von Wendorff and saw
value in Scopi’s mission to make critical tools more accessible.
“Everyone’s had a cold, allergies, sinus infection, and so giving
more doctors the access to the tools to really look at that,
that’s pretty awesome,” McCusker says. “It is really exciting to
be part of a project like this. It’s something I think can help a
lot of people and lead to a positive change for the field of
medicine.”
The startup, which has raised about $1 million to date was part
of the 2022 FourthWave cohort — an accelerator von Wendorff says
was pivotal in helping her shift her mindset from manager to more
of a leader.
“The ability to see other founders and startups doing something
similar has been really powerful for me,” she says.
Right now, Scopi’s products are in design and development. The
startup is testing how comfortable and user-friendly they are and
preparing to submit for FDA approval. Rather than launching a
host of products at once, Scopi is keenly focused on bringing the
endoscope and software to the market.
“As I’ve learned in the industry, there’s a tremendous amount of
medical device companies that receive FDA clearance, then
struggle to commercialize,” she says, “so we’re focused on
commercialization early and working with clinicians to ensure it
really does work with our users and in a variety of settings.”
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