Early Assurance for Early Arrivals
NeoCare Innovations Technology Offers a Safer Start for Vulnerable Newborns
By Jill Kato, November 13, 2024
When Dr. Caryn Bradley, a UC Irvine Health Sciences Associate Clinical Professor and CEO, NeoCare Innovations, first set foot in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), it wasn’t just the fragility of the preemies that struck her. It was their resilience. Breathing and feeding, which are automatic for full-term infants, can be a daily struggle for those born prematurely.
It was the desire to improve the care these preterm infants received that drove Bradley to found NeoCare Innovations, a startup focused on improving neonatal healthcare through the development of advanced medical technologies. Its flagship product, Pedi-Sync, currently in the development stage, is a clinical decision support tool designed to help clinicians assess the readiness of preterm infants for safe oral feeding. The technology uses sensors to monitor an infant’s breathing in real time. This objective data is critical for assessing whether the baby can feed safely without the risk of choking or aspiration.
“It’s incredibly scary for parents when their baby is in the NICU,” says Bradley. “Feeding their child is something they’ve been waiting for, but it’s also challenging. By giving parents objective data that confirms their baby is feeding safely, Pedi-Sync reassures them at a time when they need it most.”
….
In 2018, Bradley met William Tang, UC Irvine professor emeritus of biomedical engineering at a Capstone Senior Design class, an event at UC Irvine Beall Applied Innovation where engineers could connect with faculty who could provide opportunities with their research projects. Tang’s extensive experience in engineering, particularly in medical technology development, is helping to transform Bradley’s vision into a future market-ready product. Tang is now the Chief Technology Officer at NeoCare Innovations.
….

Tang and Bradley’s work attracted the attention of other UC Irvine faculty consultants, including informatics professor Kai Zheng, who brought critical data science expertise to the table. The trio, along with lead neonatologist Muhammad Aslam, created a strong interdisciplinary team spanning UC Irvine’s medical, computer science, and engineering schools, demonstrating that complex problems are best solved through collaboration.
Read the full article in UCI Beall Applied Innovation.