What You Should Know:
– Nokia and Celesta Capital announced the official launch of Astranu, a new company spun out from Nokia Bell Labs. Astranu aims to transform the field of hearing care by commercializing a groundbreaking, next-generation 3D imaging technology for middle-ear conditions.
– The venture is the first initiative under a new collaboration between Nokia and Celesta Capital designed to accelerate the market introduction of innovative technologies developed by the renowned research arm of Nokia.
Transforming Ear Diagnostics with iOCT Technology
Astranu will leverage proprietary integrated Optical Coherence Tomography (iOCT) technology, an innovation conceived and developed at Nokia Bell Labs. This advanced technology is poised to dramatically shift ear diagnostic care by providing non-invasive, high-resolution 3D imaging of the middle ear and hearing response with unprecedented accuracy and speed.
The core of Astranu’s offering is a highly performant yet cost-effective iOCT system. This system has the potential to address significant gaps in current healthcare practices by reducing incidences of misdiagnosis and unnecessary patient referrals. Furthermore, it aims to significantly lessen the reliance on more expensive and invasive diagnostic methods such as CT and MRI scans, or even exploratory surgery.
Experienced Leadership to Helm Astranu
To lead the new venture, experienced healthcare technology executive Trevor Hawkins, PhD, has been appointed as CEO of Astranu. Dr. Hawkins brings decades of leadership experience in successfully scaling healthcare and diagnostic startups.
The co-inventors of the iOCT technology, Michael Eggleston, PhD, and Bibek Samanta, PhD, who incubated and developed the technology to a state of commercial readiness at Nokia Bell Labs, will continue to support Astranu in its next phase of growth. Nokia Bell Labs will also maintain its support for Astranu by providing vital laboratory resources and ongoing R&D expertise.
Industry Endorsement and Future Outlook
Adding further expertise to the new company, Achin Bhowmik, PhD, Chief Technology Officer and Executive Vice President of Engineering for the prominent hearing technology company Starkey, will join Astranu’s Board of Directors.
