CoolSpine

Localized Hypothermia to Provide Neuroprotection from Spinal Cord and Cerebral Injuries

About Us

CoolSpine LLC is an early stage medical device company spun out of Yale University and is developing neuroprotective medical devices that induce localized hypothermia to prevent spinal cord and brain injuries by reducing the consequences of spinal and cerebral ischemia.

With the support of three NSF grants we have developed two products: an intrathecal cooling catheter for spinal cord protection and an intraventricular cooling catheter for brain protection. These products have been tested in animals and the results published in peer-reviewed journals. See Research.

CoolSpine

Our patented technology induces localized hypothermia of the spinal cord or brain in a new and unique fashion by cooling the cerebral spinal fluid with a multi-lumen catheter through which cold saline is circulated in a closed loop. The clinically significant feature of our system is its ability to lower the temperature of the spinal cord or brain to levels known to be neuroprotective while the core body remains normothermic. This unique aspect of our innovation could protect against ischemic injury and avoid the significant complications associated with systemic hypothermia. This could represent a breakthrough method to achieve hypothermia’s promise of neuroprotection against ischemic injury.

Recently, CoolSpine has recently entered into a long term agreement with an established medical device company to develop the spinal cooling technology to address paraplegia resulting from thoracic aneurysm repair. Our company continues to focus on the development of our brain cooling application to provide neuroprotection from ischemic injury resulting from TBI and stroke.

Management Team

John W Simmons

CEO and Co-Founder of CoolSpine

Mr. Simmons has been in the medical device industry for over 30 years in both large, publically-traded companies and venture-backed medical device start-ups. He has worked both in the US and Europe. Prior to CoolSpine he was President of Medical Instill Technologies where he where he was responsible for the development and validation of their InTact Filling System, an innovative drug container system for vaccines and parenteral drugs that was sold to GlaxoSmithKline in 2004. At DexCom, a start-up venture developing an implantable glucose sensor, Mr. Simmons was VP of Business Development and Marketing. He managed the development, clinical, and planning activities that led to a successful Series C financing. Prior to DexCom, John worked for 5 years at Johnson & Johnson’s Advanced Sterilization Products and 13 years at BD in multiple business areas. John graduated from Williams College in 1978 with a double major in Political Economy and History and received an MBA from Columbia University in Marketing and Finance in 1983.

John W Simmons

CEO and Co-Founder of CoolSpine

Dr. John A Elefteriades, M.D.

MD Co-Founder of CoolSpine

Dr. John Elefteriades is the William W.L. Glenn Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery and Director of the Aortic Institute at Yale University and Yale New-Haven Hospital. He served as Chief of Cardiac Surgery from 1995 to 2011, when he became Founding Director of the Aortic Institute at Yale-New Haven. He is among the most clinically active academic surgeons in the country. Dr. Elefteriades graduated magna cum laude with a triple major in Physics, French and Psychology from Yale University. He received his MD degree from the Yale University School of Medicine. He trained at Yale in both general surgery and cardiothoracic surgery. After completing his training, he joined the faculty at the Yale University School of Medicine. He is the author of over 300 scientific publications on a wide range of cardiac and thoracic topics.

Dr. John A Elefteriades, M.D.

MD Co-Founder of CoolSpine

Dr. Rohit K Khanna, M.D.

MD Co-Founder of CoolSpine

Dr Khanna is co-founder of CoolSpine and inventor of our technology. He is Chief of Neurosurgery with at Halifax Medical Center and an Associate Clinical Professor at Florida State University. He specializes in minimally invasive neurosurgery, complex spine surgery and stereotactic radiosurgery. His is board certified and is on the National Board of Examiners. Dr Khanna graduated cum laude from Kent State University with a Bachelor of Science and received his MD degree from Ohio State University College of Medicine. He completed postgraduate work in neurosurgery at UCLA and was Chief Resident at Henry Ford Health Sciences Center in Detroit. He is a member of the Landacre Honor Society.

Dr Khanna is a member of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons and the Congress of Neurological Surgeons. He has authored over 20 articles and chapters in peer-reviewed publications. He is also a prolific inventor with over 6 patents and applications.

Dr. Rohit K Khanna, M.D.

MD Co-Founder of CoolSpine