Our Mission

PneumoNIX Medical, Inc. (PMI) is a pre-clinical stage company developing hydrogel-based technologies focused on Interventional Radiology applications.

Pipeline:

1. PreVENT™ [PTx] – Seals a lung biopsy tract and prevents air leakage (pneumothorax, PTx)

2. PreVENT™ [RBB] – Seals a kidney biopsy tract and prevents renal biopsy bleeding (RBB)

3. LumaGel™ – Seals a blood vessel adjacent to vessels feeding tumors or fibroids that are undergoing embolization

Our Team.

We are a dynamic group of engineers, biomaterial experts, and physicians. Emerging from Johns Hopkins, our founders identified a critical need for preventing complications during lung biopsy procedures. With the support of expert biomaterial scientists, we have developed groundbreaking technology with multiple clinical applications. Leading our commercialization efforts is Jim Wilkie, a seasoned medical device entrepreneur, along with an expert medical advisory board from leading academic institutions. Together, we aim to improve cancer care.

James Wilkie

Chief Executive Officer

James has 35 years of experience in the life sciences industry developing both drugs and devices. Previously he was the co-founder and CEO of Lowell Therapeutics, which was acquired by AcelRx Pharmaceuticals in 2022. Jim joined La Jolla Pharmaceutical Co. in 2014 as the VP of New Enterprise Development responsible for identifying New Drug Candidates where he spun out Lowell Therapeutics. Prior to joining La Jolla, he served as COO of Pluromed, Inc., until the sale of the company in 2012 to Sanofi. Jim joined Pluromed in 2005 as the first employee and led the development team to commercialize two successful products in the U.S. and Europe, where he was responsible for the overall operation. Prior to his experience at Pluromed, he held various positions of increasing responsibility at MedChem Products, Inc., including Director of Engineering for 3 sites. Upon the sale of MedChem to C. R. Bard, he spun-off certain technology and co-founded Surgical Sealants, Inc. Jim holds 4 issued patents and several pending applications. He received his B.S. in Engineering from the University of Massachusetts in 1985.

Wade Schutte

Cofounder

Wade has 10 years of experience in the medical device industry from start-ups to large strategics. Currently, he is a senior associate on the deal team in Medtronic’s cardiovascular unit focused M&A. He attended Johns Hopkins University (JHU) where he majored in Bioengineering and co-founded PneumoNIX Medical. Wade was instrumental in the early-stage pre-clinical, R&D, and IP strategy for PneumoNIX and helped secure significant non-dilutive financing for the company. Wade started his career at the USPTO as a patent examiner. He received his B.S in Mechanical Engineering from Colorado State University and holds a MSE in Bioengineering, Innovation and Design from The Johns Hopkins University.

Andrew Eisenthal, M.D.

Cofounder

Andrew is currently in residency for Interventional Radiology at Columbia University Medical Center and completed a surgical internship at Cedars Sinai Medical Center. He received his M.D. from Columbia University Vagellos College of Physicians and Surgeons, and holds a MSE in Bioengineering, Innovation and Design from The Johns Hopkins University.

Shashwat Gupta

Cofounder

Shash is an accomplished professional in the life science industry with experience in scientific leadership, clinical strategy, and commercialization. As a Principal Scientist at Boston Scientific's Interventional Oncology New Therapy Accelerator, Shashwat led the development of innovative new therapies in interventional oncology, including radioembolization and ablation. Previously, he served as a Global Product Manager at IZI Medical, where he led the commercialization and growth of the $50 million+ interventional radiology franchise focusing on sales, KOL engagement and expansion in key markets around the world. Additionally, Shashwat serves as reviewer for NIH/NSF SBIR Phase I and II grants ($250k-$1M per grant). He received his B.S. in Mechnical Engineering from University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and holds a MSE in Bioengineering, Innovation and Design from The Johns Hopkins University.