Posted on 4/4/2013. Interview by Howie Rhee Tell us about yourselves 
Tell us about your time at Duke, what were you involved in? Collectively we have been involved in a variety of organizations on Duke's campus and in the Durham area including, Engineering World Heath, Fraternity & Sorority Life, Duke Physics Outreach, Girls on the Run, and Duke International Relations Association.
What's your major/program and when will you be graduating? Tell us something about your educational experience at Duke. Multiple of our teammates have studied abroad to countries including Russia, England, and France. Also, we have participated in research labs in cell migration on chemokine gradients and microfluidic blood vessels.
Tell us about your idea. Pulsatile lavage is the current standard of care for cleansing large wounds (for example, during hip or knee replacement surgery) and involves the irrigation of the wound site with a powerful spray of anti-microbial fluid to rinse out dirt and contaminants. Our product involves the combination of Ultraviolet C radiation with this pulsatile lavage technology into a single portable device. The innovative use of these two technologies in tandem during surgery is expected to have a 99% efficiency in decreasing bacterial counts at the wound site (as opposed to 89% effectiveness with pulsatile lavage-only treatment). With hospitals facing increasing pressure from insurance companies to eliminate surgical-site infections and subsequent hospital care, this inexpensive and disposable device has the potential to save hospitals millions yearly. Since the current pulsatile lavage market is highly commoditized, LuxSano's simple UVC attachment piece has the potential to quickly earn a large market share. LuxSano has created strategies for regulatory approval as well as an outsourced device manufacturing and distribution plan for the US. The markets for this UVC Pulsatile Lavage will initially consist primarily of orthopaedic and trauma surgeries (over 1,000,000 of these are performed yearly in the US alone). Following later adjustments to make the device more applicable to sensitive tissue treatment, the colorectal and pediatric markets will also be an option for LuxSano's sales.
How did you come up with your idea? When did you come up with it? This idea was developed as a part of Dr. Boyd’s BME 385 class last semester.
How did you meet your team members? BME 385
How has the Duke Start-Up Challenge been helpful to you? The Duke Start-Up Challenge has provided us with advice from distinguished professionals in the medical industry, methods to better advance the commercialization of our product, and asks questions that led to additional research and a more thorough understanding of our product.
The Duke Start-Up Challenge provides a lot of feedback from over 100 judges. Can you talk about that experience of reviewing the feedback? It has been extremely helpful. We have learned more than expected.
Did you connect with any judges for advice, and if so, who were they and was it helpful? Yes, several and it was helpful.
What advice do you have for Duke students that are thinking of starting a company? Pick a good team that works well with one another and has a diverse set of skills.
-- Want more? Watch the videos and read the other interviews for all of the Round 3 teams in the Duke Start-Up Challenge And join us for the Grand Finale with David Cummings ’02 for the 14th Annual Duke Start-Up Challenge on Thursday, April 11th, 2013 at 7:30pm ET at Fuqua’s Geneen Auditorium. RSVP on Facebook Not able to attend in person? Watch the livestream on Duke’s YouTube channel.
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