Driving Progress through Prevention

At Prevada Medical, we take the term “preventable” seriously. We are developing effective, workable solutions to address some of the most common medical errors occurring in our hospitals today.

Healthcare-Associated Respiratory Infections

Broadly acknowledged as one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in the ICU environment, respiratory infections are a type of healthcare-associated infection (HAI) that often lead to severe consequences. The diagnosis and treatment of these infections cost the US healthcare system approximately $12B each year and costs many lives as well, accounting for 60% of all HAI-related deaths. They are directly responsible for increased antibiotic use, extended hospitalizations, and an overall (non-reimbursed) cost to the hospital of $40K+ per incident.

Mechanical ventilation is a top risk factor for these infections, affecting 10% of those who are so weak from illness or trauma that they require mechanical help to breathe. When the life supporting tube of a mechanical ventilator becomes contaminated, it can act as a pathway for bacteria-laden secretions to enter the lower respiratory tract and cause the life threatening infection to develop. There are currently many guidelines to prevent these infections, however these solutions aren’t practical in real-world clinical settings… resulting in non-compliance rates as high as 30%. In addition, some recommended interventions have been shown to be cost/resource inefficient when evaluated via formal cost-effectiveness analysis.

Days Length of Stay Increase

% of HAI Deaths

$ Cost of VAP per Year

The Prevada Solution

At Prevada, we are developing a novel, innovative medical device solution to reduce the inexcusably high rates of lung infections in the ICU. Our cost-effective, easy-to-implement solution provides better protection against respiratory pathogens while also reducing the workload burden on our front-line staff.

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Effective Protection

Broad-spectrum lethality against all common pneumonia-related pathogens including both gram positive and negative bacteria.

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Cost-Effective Solution

A $40 solution to a $40,000 problem. A small, disposable device with a large impact.

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Fits Seamlessly Into ICU Workflows

The device is easily replaced and disposed of every 12-24 hours, requiring minimal intervention from hospital staff and providing continuous protection.

The Team

Dylan Bourelle

Co-founder & Chief Executive Officer

Dylan Bourelle has 8+ years of experience as a serial medical technology innovator, engineer, and entrepreneur. He has a passion for identifying unmet clinical needs and developing/commercializing innovative technologies to address those needs. Dylan has held leadership positions on 5+ medical device development programs and is an assignee on 10+ granted/pending US patent applications for novel medical device innovations. In addition to earning his Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Cincinnati, Dylan studied Biomedical Engineering with a specific focus in Medical Device Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

Kevin Ward, MD

Co-founder & Chief Medical Officer

Dr. Ward is a Professor of Emergency Medicine and Biomedical Engineering at the University of Michigan with a passion for creating programs which encourage true integration across the disciplines of medicine, engineering, data sciences, and entrepreneurship. He serves as the Executive Director of the University’s Weil Institute for Critical Care Research and Innovation which is transforming critical care through innovation, integration, and entrepreneurship. He is a serial innovator and entrepreneur and the recipient of Innovation and Commercialization awards from Virginia Commonwealth University, the University of Michigan Medical School, and the Department of Defense. Dr. Ward is also a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves Medical Corps.

J. Scott VanEpps, MD, PhD

Co-founder & Lead Scientist

Dr. Van Epps has broad multidisciplinary background in the fields of bio/chemical engineering, molecular biology, and medicine. He is a board-certified Emergency Physician. Since coming to the University of Michigan, his research interests have focused on life-threatening infections with particular emphasis on infections of implanted medical devices and novel technologies to prevent bacterial adhesion, colonization, and infection of these devices. He has developed and optimized several tools to evaluate bacterial adhesion, characterize new materials, evaluate bacteria response to nanomaterial suspensions and substrates. Using these tools, he has developed and determined the mechanism of action of several novel antimicrobial nanomaterials. Dr. VanEpps has been a primary author of over 20 academic publications.

Advisors

Bob Dickson, MD

Scientific Advisor, Critical Care & Microbiology

Allison Komiyama, PhD, RAC

Regulatory

David Gregorka, MS, MBA

MIR, U-M Innovation Partnerships

Ron Martin

Quality & Product Development

The Team