IR Diagnostyx Chief Prefers Life at a Startup

Commercialization professional Gary Smith has plenty of experience leading startups in the medical device sector. Until earlier this year he served as president of CleveX, helping this developer of a new skin biopsy device acquire initial rounds of funding and traverse the earliest phases of commercialization. And that’s where he says he feels most comfortable – at the helm of an early stage company. So, in January Smith left CleveX to join IR Diagnostyx, a startup based on technology coming out of Ohio State University.

IR Diagnostyx is a blood diagnostic system thought to be effective in diagnosing what are known as “difficult-to-diagnose” conditions such as fibromyalgia and interstitial cystitis. IR Diagnostyx’s technology for detecting the disease involves a blood sample, infrared microspectroscopy and a proprietary algorithm. It leads to a cheaper and faster diagnosis, according to Smith. “With this test, you get to an answer more quickly and reduce the patient’s stress,” he said.

Among the company’s next key steps is a dialogue with Food and Drug Administration officials to determine what sort of data and how large of a patient sample the agency would require to decide whether the test is ready for commercial sales. Smith and his team are still researching how much cash it might take to fully roll out the company and its diagnostic toolset. But his experience building CleveX — and helping it raise $6 million in capital — will undoubtedly increase investors’ confidence that he can take another company from startup to the market. And a few years after that, it may be on to the next challenge for Smith.

For more, see the story in MedCity News.