This founder is using sound waves to fight lung diseases

Maria Artunduaga arrived in the United States from Colombia at age 26 with a clear ambition: to become a pediatric plastic surgeon. Driven by her sister’s struggles to access adequate care for cerebral palsy in their home country, Artunduaga sought to gain the skills to help her.

A Shift in Focus

Artunduaga initially pursued postdoctoral training in human genomics at Harvard, followed by plastic and reconstructive surgery at the University of Chicago. However, experiences with discrimination and what she described as hazing during her time in the Midwest prompted her to re-evaluate her career path.

Did You Know? Globally, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) accounted for 3.5 million deaths in 2021, with almost 90% of those deaths occurring in low- and middle-income countries.

A personal loss further influenced her decision. The death of her grandmother from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) led Artunduaga to shift her focus to respiratory health. She then studied public health at the University of Washington in Seattle and the University of California, Berkeley, ultimately founding Samay in 2018.

Introducing Sylvee

With the assistance of her husband, a digital audio signal processing expert, Artunduaga developed Sylvee—a device named in honour of her grandmother—designed to detect lung conditions in real time. “Some things happen for a reason,” she stated.

Currently, patients often seek medical attention only when experiencing noticeable symptoms like shortness of breath or during illnesses such as the flu. By that point, diagnostic tools like CT scans may be required to identify issues like air trapping in the lungs.

Expert Insight: The development of Sylvee represents a potential shift towards proactive respiratory health management. By offering a less expensive and more accessible method for detecting early indicators of lung issues, the device could facilitate earlier intervention and potentially improve patient outcomes.

Artunduaga drew upon her high school physics knowledge of acoustic resonance—the principle behind how musical instruments produce different pitches—to conceive of Sylvee. The device works by stimulating the lungs with sound and then detecting changes in resonance that may indicate the presence of air trapping or other abnormalities.

Business and Future Plans

Samay is currently valued at $15 million and is generating revenue through “strategic partnerships” with pharmaceutical companies, medical device companies, and research labs, including Chiesi. These partners utilize Sylvee to assess the effectiveness of their medications and products in a more efficient and cost-effective manner than traditional hospital-based CT scans.

Artunduaga intends to price Sylvee around $40, a significant reduction compared to the $90,000+ cost of a CT machine, and initially target primary care providers and pulmonologists. She aims for Sylvee to become the standard for pulmonary function testing.

Looking ahead, Artunduaga plans to deploy Sylvee across Latin America in 2028, aiming to address health disparities and honour her heritage. She acknowledged the underrepresentation of founders of color in the startup world, noting that in 2020, startups with Black and Latino founders received only 2.6% of total funding.

Frequently Asked Questions

What prompted Maria Artunduaga to change her career path?

Experiences with discrimination and hazing during her plastic surgery residency, coupled with the death of her grandmother from COPD, led her to reconsider her initial goal.

How does the Sylvee device work?

Sylvee uses audio to stimulate the lungs and then detects changes in resonance that may indicate the presence of lung conditions, such as air trapping.

What is Samay’s current valuation?

Samay is currently valued at $15 million.

What role could accessible and affordable respiratory diagnostic tools play in improving global health outcomes?