Columbia, SC — SC Launch Inc., the investment affiliate of the South Carolina Research Authority, has invested $200,000 in VayuClear, Inc. The Charleston-based company, a spin out of Medical Access Partners LLC, is commercializing the Medical University of South Carolina technology with the support of the Zucker Institute for Innovation Commercialization. The inventor, Dr. Stephen Kalhorn, of the MUSC Department of Neurosurgery and Medical Access Partners, co-developed the VORTEX® Surgical Suction Clearing system. It clears surgical suction tips and lines in seconds, a critical technique during surgery.
VayuClear, Inc. became a SCRA Member Company in November 2024 and an SC Launch Inc. Portfolio Company upon receiving this investment.
When suction tips and lines clog during surgery, the OR staff has no time to waste. The current de-clogging solutions include reverse flushing the tip, increasing suction power, and constantly swabbing the tips and tubing, which are not efficient and can be dangerous. The VORTEX® Surgical Suction Clearing System is poised to significantly enhance surgical procedures, reducing risks and improving patient outcomes nationwide.
SCRA Program Manager Kella Hanna said, “The team has developed a powerful and efficient tool that saves time and frustration while improving patient and staff safety. It also easily clears clogs from suction tips and tubing in seconds, allowing surgeons and staff to continue working without interruption and reducing exposure to harmful bodily fluids.“
“The team at SCRA supported our mission to assist patients and enhance healthcare safety. SCRA has played a crucial role in our recent development, and we appreciate our collaboration,” stated Dave Maness, CEO of VayuClear Inc. and Co-founder and Principal at Medical Access Partners LLC, an organization dedicated to innovating medical devices. “We have consistently concentrated our efforts on medical devices that enhance patient safety. Seeing significant interest and clinical success with this new technology within the southeastern United States, we are now positioned to introduce the VORTEX® Surgical Suction Clearing device to healthcare systems nationwide.”
“Advances in patient safety and surgery efficiencies are something anyone can be excited about, and we’re honored to partner with VayuClear as they continue growing,” said SC Launch Inc. Executive Director Matt Bell. “Surgical suction is too critical to be unreliable, and the VayuClear team has created a very reliable solution.”
VayuClear recently introduced Vortex® at the Association of Perioperative Registered Nurses Global Surgical Conference & Expo in Boston. They provided live demos of the product and networked with surgical teams from across the country.
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Established in 2006, SC Launch Inc. is the investment affiliate of the South Carolina Research Authority. The independent, nonprofit corporation provides convertible loans and investment funding to qualifying SCRA Member Companies. The returns on this funding provide the resources for additional investments to next-generation technology startups.
Chartered in 1983 by the State of South Carolina as a public, nonprofit corporation, South Carolina Research Authority fuels the state’s innovation economy through the impact of its comprehensive services to technology-based startups, academia, and industry. SCRA provides funding and support to accelerate the growth of academic startups; high-quality lab and administrative workspaces; facilitation and funding for partnerships between and among industry, startups, and academic institutions; assistance and funding for the relocation of technology-based companies to South Carolina; and coaching and funding for startups that may also receive investments from its affiliate, SC Launch Inc.
Media Contact
Adrianne Grimes
Director of Marketing and Communications, SCRA
adrianne.grimes@scra.org
