November 2009

If any new company is poised to create a positive impact on a global scale, that company is Ann Arbor-based Hygieia.  This start-up company has developed a revolutionary concept in blood glucose management for diabetes.  Simply put, the device will help the user to achieve the physician-recommended A1C – the way healthcare professionals monitor blood glucose control.  By providing real-time insulin dosage feedback based on finger stick glucose levels, this new system multiplies the physician’s ability to improve patient care without increasing cost or complexity and greatly reduces complications from the disease. 

Dr. Eran Bashan, Hygieia’s CEO, explains, “Diabetes is the epidemic of the 21^st Century.  While 80% of diabetics live in third world countries, the United States has seen an explosion in this disease.  Incidences of diabetes in the U.S. have increased from 10 million in 1997 to almost 24 million today.”  According to Dr. Bashan, poor eating habits are contributing to the increase but the disease can be controlled by improving dietary habits and through insulin therapy for managing blood sugar levels.

Bashan, the company’s founder, came to Ann Arbor from Israel to pursue a PhD in electrical engineering at the University of Michigan.  Coincidentally, he met a fellow Israeli, Dr. Israel Hodish, an Endocrinologist and faculty member in the division of Metabolism, Endocrinology and Diabetes for the University of Michigan Health system.  Bashan relates, “Dr. Hodish explained that to treat diabetes optimally, insulin therapy needed to be adjusted weekly by a physician but that doctor visits of that frequency were just not realistic.  He asked me why this couldn’t be done automatically and after some pretty intense trials and research, we developed the software to assess the efficacy of the individual’s insulin dosage.”

Hygieia, the outgrowth of the Bashan-Hodish collaboration, was created in 2008 with the goal of allowing people with insulin-treated diabetes to live confidently.   Bashan states, “Hygieia’s first product, the *Private-Doc System,  is essentially an endocrinologist-to-go, an instrument capable of interpreting a patient’s blood glucose data, thus adjusting the patient’s insulin dosage when needed rather than continuing with a suboptimal fixed dosage.”  By managing their own dosage requirements with information embedded in the Private-Doc System, people with insulin-treated diabetes will achieve and then consistently maintain blood glucose control, a key to optimal diabetic care.

Dr. Bashan relates, “Over the last 20 to 25 years, there have been a number of clinical studies that have demonstrated improved insulin therapy effectiveness when patients see their doctor every week for insulin dosage adjustment.  However, this intensive approach to insulin therapy is not supportable in the long term due to the cost and time it requires.  Private-Doc will optimize a patient’s therapy without intensified human intervention.”  Private-Doc is expected to launch in 2010 and has the potential to dramatically change medical practice protocols for those with insulin-treated diabetes.

According to Bashan, “The difference between our glucose meter and the current standard is that the Private-Doc System interprets stored information on previous glucose levels and makes insulin adjustments based on the patient’s prior readings.  While we made a decision at Hygieia to use existing FDA cleared glucose meters, we put in a ‘brain’ that was never there before and this sets Private-Doc apart from all others.  Using existing platforms for blood glucose monitoring will allow us faster and deeper market penetration.”

Bashan credits the Michigan Small Business and Technology Development Center (SBTDC) with helping him focus his efforts and develop his business plan.  He acknowledges, “The SBTDC tech counselors provided tremendous help and energy in shaping Hygieia’s business model and helping us gain exposure to the Venture Capital and Angel Investor communities.  They were key to our winning first place in the Great Lakes Entrepreneurship Quest’s Business Plan Writing contest.  In addition, they connected us with other service providers such as Biotechnology Business Consultants (BBC) who have been of invaluable assistance in helping craft an application for a federal National Institutes of Health grant which was in the top five within the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK).”

Bashan has also assembled a team of national leaders in the treatment of diabetes as Hygieia stakeholders.  “This team will be instrumental when we take the Private-Doc System to market later next year.  Our intent is to launch in three major medical centers; Boston, Minnesota and Henry Ford Health System in Michigan.  These leading centers in diabetes treatment will help ensure industry endorsement.  Additionally, I just don’t believe we’d be this far along without the assistance from the talented people in the SBTDC organization.  Their support of entrepreneurs is unwavering.” Relates Bashan.

*Private-Doc is a trademark of Hygieia, Inc.

Contact the SBTDC.