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The University of Colorado Connection

was founded on the core body thermometer technology from the lab of , distinguished professor of electrical, computer and energy engineering at CU °Ç¸ç³Ô¹Ï. The founders met in 2019 through a mentor-inventor matching program at Venture Partners at CU °Ç¸ç³Ô¹Ï, the precursor to the Embark Deep Tech Startup Creator.Ìý

LumenAstra's beachhead application is non-invasive monitoring of brain temperature during highly dangerous aortic arch surgery, where the LumenAstra sensor may lower mortality by ~20% and dramatically reduce neural damage and cognitive loss from induced hypothermia. LumenAstra is initially targeting the 2.1 million annual surgical and ICU-trauma procedures that require brain temperature management, where invasive bladder temperature is used as a surrogate today.

LumenAstra has performed the first animal pilot study in March and is building a pre-production prototype based on learnings. They anticipate first human pilots at strategic cardiac surgery clinics later in 2026 and have had initial pre-submission conversations with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding the choice of predicate for a 510(k) submission in 2027.

Funding Status and Investment Opportunities

• Industry Applications: Health and Wellness, Biotech, Diagnostics, Medical Devices
• Funding Round: SeedÌý
• Contact for Investment Inquiries: , Co-Founder and CEO, jim@lumenastra.io

Technology Development Funding

U.S. National Science Foundation, U.S. Army, Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT)

ÌýÌý ÌýThis page was last updated on July 31, 2026. Please email vpnews@colorado.edu for corrections or updates