Mission
Aqueduct Neurosciences, Inc. was founded with the mission to
improve the treatment of neurological disorders related to the production and
regulation of cerebral spinal fluid (CSF).
By utilizing our proprietary technology, we will improve the implantable shunts that are used to treat patients with hydrocephalus. We aim to reduce the failure rate of the implantable shunts reducing the number of surgeries a patient will have to undergo during his or her lifetime, improving the quality of life, and reducing the healthcare costs associated with additional surgeries.
We can also use our technology to improve the regulation of short-term, external catheters such as external CSF drains. Temporary CSF drains are used to 1) relieve pressure prior to brain surgery, 2) treat patients with elevated intracranial pressures (ICP), and 3) diagnose patients who need implanted shunts including the evolving need for diagnosing Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus (NPH). Existing devices used to regulate CSF flow are passive drip chambers that have no safety controls and require constant staff management. Aqueduct is developing a smart external CSF drain to automate drainage for improved safety and reduced staff burden.
By utilizing our proprietary technology, we will improve the implantable shunts that are used to treat patients with hydrocephalus. We aim to reduce the failure rate of the implantable shunts reducing the number of surgeries a patient will have to undergo during his or her lifetime, improving the quality of life, and reducing the healthcare costs associated with additional surgeries.
We can also use our technology to improve the regulation of short-term, external catheters such as external CSF drains. Temporary CSF drains are used to 1) relieve pressure prior to brain surgery, 2) treat patients with elevated intracranial pressures (ICP), and 3) diagnose patients who need implanted shunts including the evolving need for diagnosing Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus (NPH). Existing devices used to regulate CSF flow are passive drip chambers that have no safety controls and require constant staff management. Aqueduct is developing a smart external CSF drain to automate drainage for improved safety and reduced staff burden.
The Aqueduct Story
The original concept for Aqueduct Neurosciences’ technology was generated when Dr. Sam Browd, a pediatric neurosurgeon at Seattle Children’s Hospital, approached Dr. Barry Lutz, an assistant research professor at the University of Washington’s Bioengineering Department with a simple objective: to improve the implantable shunts he used to treat his patients. A short video produced by the University of Washington’s Center for Commercialization chronicles the story of how their research project became a company.
