If you've got a suspicious bump, you'll want a doctor to look at it. The question is, if it comes time for a biopsy, would you rather make two stops -- first, to your family doc, then to the dermatologist -- or one? And would you rather go home with stitches or a quick closure that creates less blood?
The folks at CleveX believe that patients will prefer the latter. And doctors seem to agree.
The Columbus-based company recently signed an exclusive national distribution agreement and its first stocking order for $180,000 worth of its ExiClip, making it one of a small, but growing, group of Ohio biomedical startups that are off the drawing board and into the marketplace.
Sam Finkelstein, CleveX's chief executive officer, says the device reduces the time a physician needs to do a biopsy from the traditional 20 to 30 minutes to less than five. It does so with a small, hand-held tool that removes the skin and closes it up in one single motion.
"You can clip, cut and close in ten seconds," Finkelstein says, adding that docs still must take time to anesthetize the area.
According to Finkelstein, the company first tested ExiClip with dermatologists, who said they would prefer to do fewer biopsies so they could concentrate on other parts of their practice. They steered CleveX toward primary care docs and OBGYNs, who often send patients to specialists because of the time it traditionally takes to remove a skin lesion and stitch it up.
Last year, CleveX raised more than $1.9 million from angel and venture investors. The company employees 10, but Finkelstein says "we expect to increase personnel, and, depending on sales, it would not be unrealistic to expect us to double."
Source: Sam Finkelstein, CleveX
Writer: Gene Monteith