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Developing the next generation tools in therapeutic endoscopy 

The revolution in soft tissue plication for the upper and lower GI tract is here!

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Numerous tissue plication procedures have been performed endoscopically, including:

Endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty

Transoral Outlet Reduction (TORe)

Fistula repair & closure

Perforation / Leak repair

Resection (polypectomy) site closure

Refractory ulcers & bleeding

LES augmentation for GERD

FTR (full-thickness resection)

Endoscopic myotomy and associated closures

About us

A commitment to
get more people back to living life fully!

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We are developing a novel therapeutic endoscope designed for procedures that depend on apposition or closure of tissue of the GI tract, allowing for procedures to be performed in a minimally invasive manner without the need for any incisions.

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Contact us

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Mouen Khashab, MD

Founder, Inventor, President

Dr. Mouen Khashab is a Professor of Medicine and the Director of Therapeutic Endoscopy at Johns Hopkins. As a leading researcher in therapeutic endoscopic innovation, he has authored over 575 publications and been instrumental in the invention and development of several endoscopic instruments, holding more than ten issued patents.

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Venkata Akshintala

Founder, Inventor

Dr. Venkata Akshintala is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Johns Hopkins, where he specializes in pancreas disorders. He leads innovative endoscopic initiatives and holds adjunct positions internationally.

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Mohamad Khachab

Chairman of the Board

Mohamad Khachab was the Co-CEO and Partner of the BMB Group, which was acquired by Agthia in 2021 for over $200 million. His background includes significant achievements in business management, investment, and philanthropy, complemented by an MBA and a BS in Electrical Engineering.

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John Schellhorn

CEO

John is an experienced medical device CEO, who has led five prior medical device companies ranging from early to growth stages. He was on the leadership team of BARRX Medical, a GI medical device company, through their acquisition by Covidien for $325 million.

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Jason Troutner

Fractional COO

Jason is a medical device inventor and entrepreneur who has previously founded and launched medical devices at Cast21 and Teal Bio. Jason holds an MS in mechanical engineering and MBA from MIT, and a BS in mechanical engineering from the University of Illinois.

OUR  TEAM

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Ed Ampuero

Project Manager

Ed is an experienced program manager and product development engineer who has been developing medical devices for more than 20 years. He has developed FDA-cleared medical devices in endoscopy, robotic surgery, orthopedics and more.

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Peter Kratsch

Engineer

Peter is a seasoned engineer with over 40 years of design experience in the medical device industry. He holds more than 40 patents from work he completed with leading medical device companies including Boston Scientific, Apollo Endosurgery, and TAG3.

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David Castano Galindo, P.E.

Engineer

David is a licensed professional engineer with extensive background in medical device design and development. He holds a BS in mechanical engineering from the University of New Haven and an MBA from Southern CT State University.

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Bill Sowers

Regulatory Affairs

Bill is an expert regulatory consultant who has been responsible for product development and regulatory affairs for several FDA-cleared medical devices, including at Apollo Endosurgery and Genesys Spine.

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