Fayetteville-based company Lapovations has received a $225,000 grant from the National Science Foundation’s Small Business Innovation Research program to validate optimal materials for producing AbGrab®, a class 1 medical device used to non-invasively lift the abdominal wall at the start of laparoscopic surgery.
The Surgical Challenge
“Injuries are rare in laparoscopic surgery but can be serious when they occur. Most often, injuries occur when instruments are first inserted into the abdominal cavity, prior to the insertion of the camera that provides visibility into the cavity,” said Jared Greer, CEO and principal investigator.
To minimize this risk, many surgeons lift the abdominal wall away from vital organs that could be inadvertently punctured. Two lifting techniques are commonly used, but one can be unreliable and the other invasive. “Our co-founder, Dr. Chris Taylor, a gynecologist who has completed over 4,000 laparoscopies, was frustrated with these lifting techniques so we decided to develop a solution that was more reliable and less invasive,” said Greer.
Why AbGrab?
AbGrab utilizes suction instead of mechanical force to grasp the abdominal wall and is more reliable and less invasive than current techniques. “Its projected benefits include better surgical outcomes, increased surgeon and patient satisfaction, and the potential for decreased patient post-op pain and bruising,” said Nhiem Cao, Lapovations director of operations.
“Any surgeon who performs laparoscopy is a potential AbGrab user. However, in the customer validation interviews we completed during the Delta I-Fund and Health InnovatAR, we found that gynecologists are the specialty most likely to be the early adopters of the product,” said Cao.
ASBTDC Assistance
“ASBTDC has been tremendously helpful throughout the entire proposal process. Having access to individuals such as Rebecca Todd and Martial Trigeaud was crucial to our success. They provided constructive feedback on many aspects of our proposal, answered a significant number of questions we had regarding the various steps necessary to complete the proposal, and provided us with market research we would not have had the resources to access otherwise,” said Greer.
The Team
The Lapovations team is led by Greer, a serial entrepreneur with 15 years of medical sales experience and AbGrab’s co-inventor. Taylor is chief medical officer and co-inventor. Cao is an engineer with extensive experience in thermoplastics, manufacturing, operations, and startups.
“Additionally, we have secured critical advisors for every function that plays an important role in our business,” said Cao.
Preparing the NSF SBIR Application
“Start early! The application process is time-consuming and can be daunting. And make sure you are fully utilizing all the no-cost resources that are available to entrepreneurs and researchers in Arkansas such as ASBTDC, Innovate Arkansas, and Startup Junkie,” said Greer.
What’s Next?
“At the conclusion of this nine-month Phase I grant, Lapovations plans to launch AbGrab commercially in the United States,” said Cao.
