LeakGuard™
- Patented use of FDA-approved biodegradable material
- Eliminates the need for a second surgery
- Reduces operation-related complications
- Potential to save millions of lives and billions of dollars
- $4.5 Billion Total Addressable Market
- CAGR 13%
Needed: A Better Solution For Colorectal Cancer
Worldwide, there are 1.9 million new colorectal cancer diagnoses each year with new diagnoses facing an alarming rise in earlier age groups.
Anastomotic Leaks
- Colorectal leaks occur in countless rectal cancer operations with a mortality rate of 10- 50%
- Anastomotic leaks increase the costs by $50,000 per patient
- 20-60% of patients unfortunately have to undergo an irreversible colostomy
Temporary ostomies are the current standard of care:
- 50% Complication Rate
- $20,00++ Cost Per Patient
- Require a costly and risky second operation to reverse it
LeakGuard Solution
- Patented biodegradable stent
- Protects anastomosis during critical healing period
- Slowly degrades and passes without need for removal
- Obviates the need for a colostomy bag or any reversal surgeries
Endoscopic view of freshly-placed LeakGuard stent
Anastomosis purposely left open to create a leak
Day 7: Stent in good position, protecting site
Day 14: Fully healed colon (with stent completely dissolved)
Competitor Analysis
MedTech Innovator 2023 cohort winner!!!
SAVE LIVES & THE PLANET
founder introduction
Founder- Dr. Scott Kelley
Dr. Kelley is a surgical oncologist trained in the surgical treatment of gastrointestinal malignancies of esophagus, pancreatic, stomach, colon and rectal, and hepatobiliary malignancies. He attended Dartmouth College and Columbia Medical School, and then completed General Surgery residency at the University of Pennsylvania and Surgical Oncology Fellowship at the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center. Dr Kelley has developed several patents across a wide range of domains.
Co-Founder- Jill Kelley
Jill Kelley is the first Arab American female founder of a medical biotech company, SafeGuard Surgical. She is an advocate of purpose-driven technology that addresses healthcare inequities/inequalities across the globe. As a proud Lebanese immigrant, she is a zealous advocate for women and minorities in STEM and is a proud inventor and developer of multiple patents that deliver innovative solutions to unmet clinical needs. In her formative years she was studying to be a doctor. She published medical research papers at the University of Pennsylvania where she met her husband (and cofounder) Dr. Scott Kelley. Jill is an advisor to many countries as well as multinational companies (from startup to publicly traded) and brings her vast experience and expertise to strategically and successfully launch SafeGuard Surgical.
Advisory Board
Richard Toren
Peter Zaffaroni
Richard Toren
Entrepeneur-in-residence at the University of Miami. co-inventor of the EpiPen and Holter Monitor.
Eamon Hobbs
Peter Zaffaroni
Richard Toren
President & Chief Executive Officer at Synchromune. Previously he was a Visiting Scholar and Entrepreneur in Residence for the Translational Accelerator at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School.
Peter Zaffaroni
Peter Zaffaroni
Peter Zaffaroni
Peter Zaffaroni is an associate in the Palo Alto office of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, where he practices corporate and securities law.
Kevin Skinner
Peter Zaffaroni
Peter Zaffaroni
Accomplished preclinical and clinical director with over 20 years of experience in medical device development.
Justin Chickles
Shripal Meghani, MTI Mentor
Justin Chickles
Co-founder of Glycyx, previous CEO and co-founder of Mobile Sense where he led the development and design, clinical trial, and partnerships. He was also a commercial leader at Johnson & Johnson and a business development executive at Purdue Pharma.
Vishal Verma
Shripal Meghani, MTI Mentor
Justin Chickles
Partner at the Edgewood Group., a family office based in Silicon Valley. He is a senior advisor to the Honorable Dick Gephardt and Honorable Secretary Michael Chertoff.
Deb Ramsdell
Shripal Meghani, MTI Mentor
Shripal Meghani, MTI Mentor
CEO and COO of Phoenicis. Deborah has previously held positions at Lotus Tissue Repair, Inc., CMS International, Inc., Phoenicis Therapeutics, Orphan Technologies, Valerion Therapeutics, and Alopexx Enterprises. Ramsdell has over 28 years of experience in the regulatory affairs and clinical operations field.
Shripal Meghani, MTI Mentor
Shripal Meghani, MTI Mentor
Shripal Meghani, MTI Mentor
Seasoned Sr. Director of Business Development for Johnson & Johnson, bringing extensive experience from roles including board member at Cleveland Clinic Ventures, Director of Business Development at Phillips Healthcare.
Richard Moscicki, MD
Richard Moscicki, MD
Richard Moscicki, MD
Dr. Moscicki held key roles in the pharmaceutical industry and regulatory agencies, including serving as chief medical officer at PhRMA from 2017 to mid-2022 and overseeing regulatory matters at Genzyme Corporation. He also contributed to FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, holding the position of Deputy Center Director for Science Operations.