Sonavex Inc.

Sonavex Inc. is a for-profit corporation registered to receive federal contract and grant awards. The company specializes in developing ultrasound-based medical imaging technologies, particularly for monitoring and guiding interventions related to arteriovenous fistulas used in hemodialysis for kidney disease patients.

Through several multi-million dollar project grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), primarily the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), Sonavex has received funding to develop and validate automated 3D ultrasound navigation solutions to improve arteriovenous fistula cannulation and surveillance. One major project involves creating an integrated "EchoGuide" device with a custom probe, display hardware, lumen detection algorithms, and real-time interactive navigation capabilities to guide fistula cannulation and reduce complications like infiltrations during hemodialysis. Another funded effort aims to commercialize a low-cost, portable 3D ultrasound system called "EchoSure" that can be used by dialysis clinicians to frequently monitor fistula maturation and detect issues early, preventing fistula failures. The grants support iterating user interfaces through human factors testing, upgrading hardware for lower costs and portability, validating the solutions through simulations, and enabling integration with electronic medical record systems for documentation and billing.