Vecna Charts Its Course
May 16, 2005

By Ketaki Sood

Ketaki Sood, Larta NIH-CAP Project Manager, talks with Carrie Stein, Director of Clinical Solutions at Vecna, a participant in the NIH-CAP, a program by the NIH to assist SBIR Phase II awardees commercialize their technologies. Vecna is one of 75 NIH SBIR Phase II awardees presenting on Day 1 at Larta's Venture Forum conference May 25-26.

NIH-CAP is designed to help some of the county's most promising life science startup companies commercialize their technologies. Companies have been selected from hundreds of NIH SBIR Phase II awardees nationwide. Larta Institute has been engaged by the NIH to manage the program and is working with these NIH SBIR Phase II awardees to help translate research results into successful business ventures.

KS: Can you provide me a brief overview of Vecna?

CS: Vecna is a woman-owned healthcare technology and engineering small business started in 1998 by a talented group of engineers from MIT. Founded on the principles of excellence, integrity, and service, Vecna has two divisions: IT Consulting and Research and Development. Our flagship products include our Quality Care solutions: Patient safety event tracking and management (QC SafePath™); Automated infection control surveillance (QC PathFinder™); web-based survey creation and management (vSurvey™); and HIPAA-compliant Kiosks for automated patient services. Vecna's corporate headquarters are in College Park, Maryland with additional offices in Virginia and Cambridge (our robotics lab).

KS: Tell me about the technology you are trying to commercialize via the NIH-CAP?

CS: QC PathFinder, automated infection control surveillance software, was developed during our NIH/NIAID SBIR Phase I and II awards. QC PathFinder integrates with any hospital information system to pull live data, and uses statistical process control and algorithms developed from our research to monitor this data; the application can then detect potential infectious disease outbreaks and emerging patterns of antimicrobial resistance.

KS: Can you tell me about the application of your technology and the patient group you plan to address? In other words, what is the medical benefit of your technology and what is the need for it in the market?

CS: The CDC estimates that 2 million people in the US will have a healthcare associated infection (HAI) this year, and that 90,000 will die from HAIs. QC PathFinder users, including Infection Control Professionals (ICP) in healthcare settings and microbiologists, are those on the front lines trying to combat healthcare associated infections as well as those in charge of emergency preparedness and monitoring for possible bioterrorism events. They use this technology to cast a wider surveillance net in their setting or to focus more closely on a particular organism strain or problem location. Infection Control surveillance over the past 20 years has traditionally focused on high-risk units within a particular setting. Given that most hospitals have 1 ICP per 250 beds, their ability to look facility-wide at trends is limited. This technology allows ICPs to look for trends in entire facilities, report and trend on groups of locations, or drill down to more specific areas, depending upon the need. Automated monitors and alerts provide added efficiency as QC PathFinder monitors live incoming data while ICPs are performing other tasks, and will alert them when the application detects significant new information.

KS: How does your product compare to existing competition?

Companies that provide automated infection control surveillance are either a product or service. QC PathFinder, a product, puts advanced power to detect outbreaks and track antibiotic resistance into the hands of infection control professionals, rather than providing them with reports created by a third party. QC PathFinder uses statistical process control and patent pending algorithms to allow users to create line listings, antibiograms, and control charts so that infection control teams can better analyze their data based on facility-specific data. QC PathFinder has an easy-to-use interface that guides users through report creation and trend analysis. Because of our focus on research and development, Vecna has an outstanding team of engineers that are involved in continuous development of innovative technologies. From RFID to artificial intelligence, QC PathFinder will continue to benefit from the creative features developed at Vecna.

KS: Why did you choose to participate in the NIH-CAP?

CS: Through our involvement in NIH, and the SBIR grants we have been awarded, we were offered the opportunity to participate in the NIH-CAP. When we read the introductory materials about the CAP, including the one-on-one advisor aspect, the workshops, and the guided program with the choice of a Strategic Alliance track, we decided as a company that the CAP would be a worthwhile investment of our time.

KS: How has the CAP been helpful with your commercialization goals?

CS: The CAP has provided me with written tools as well as an experienced entrepreneur-advisor to guide planning and implementation of the commercialization process. Since Vecna has chosen to pursue the Strategic Alliance track for QC PathFinder, my CAP advisor coached me through the research and selection process with regard to potential strategic partners, provided me with insights as we compared candidates, and encouraged me to think about creative opportunities to boost our marketing and distribution efforts. The CAP materials, presentations, and exercises provide an excellent framework that can be used again and again.

KS: What challenges remain with commercializing your technology and how do you plan to address them?

CS: The biggest challenge in commercializing QC PathFinder is convincing healthcare facility CFO's and CEO's of the financial benefits of automated infection control surveillance, the difference it can make in early detection and early intervention, and the benefits to providing Infection Control teams with tools that improve their efficiency and effectiveness.

Carrie I. Stein, RN, MSN, is Director of Clinical Solutions, Vecna Technologies, Inc., 5004 Lehigh Road, College Park, MD 20740-3821, http://www.vecna.com. She can be reached at 240.737.1644 phone, 301.699.3180 fax, or qcpathfinder@vecna.com email.

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