ABOUT
Inherent Targeting is focused on improving surgical guidance and treatment outcomes using nerve targeted imaging agents. Nerve injury is a feared surgical complication affecting 25 million patients annually and incurring undue pain, loss of function, and high cost for follow on treatment and pain management. Currently, surgeons are entirely unassisted in nerve identification and preservation, relying solely on naked eye visualization or anatomical knowledge. Our technology provides direct highlighting of nerves during surgery in real time and is currently under clinical translation. Since our recent spinout we have completed lead optimization and identified bright, water-soluble, and safe compounds compatible with clinical imaging systems for planned first in human clinical trials in 2022.
OUR TEAM
CONNOR BARTH, PH.D.
Co-founder
Connor received his Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering at Oregon Health & Science University in 2018, where he worked on the development of novel targeted fluorescent contrast agents for tumor margin detection and nerve detection during fluorescence guided surgery. During his graduate work, he received the Charles Patrick Memorial Fellowship and authored five first-author publications. Since graduating, he has devoted himself to the commercialization and clinical translation of the promising structure-inherent targeting nerve-specific fluorophores. With over 5 years of experience developing FGS technologies, Connor is budding entrepreneur who is highly coachable and quickly becoming an effective leader of Inherent Targeting.
SUMMER GIBBS, PH.D.
Co-founder
Summer received her Ph.D. in biomedical engineering at the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College in 2008 and completed her post-doctoral training in the Center for Molecular Imaging at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and the Harvard Medical School. Dr. Gibbs joined the faculty in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the Oregon Health & Science University as Assistant Professor in June 2012. She also has cross appointments in the Knight Cancer Institute and was promoted to Associate Professor in July 2017. Her laboratory focuses on novel fluorescent probe development for improved macroscopic and microscopic imaging applications with special focus on tissue- and disease-specific fluorophores for image-guided surgery, methods for multicolor microscopy and fluorescent technologies to predict therapeutic efficacy for personalized medicine. Summer has over a decade of experience developing FGS technologies both preclinically and in clinical use and is a leader in the field of nerve imaging.
LEI WANG, PH.D.
Co-founder
Lei is an expert chemist with a catalog of over 350 novel fluorophores and over 5 years of experience exploring new chemical space
