Nurturing your Clinical Innovation with AUSCEP

In a special series dedicated to the Australian Clinical Entrepreneur Program (AUSCEP) we introduce you to some of the passionate health professionals taking part in this 12-month program to develop their innovative ideas into products and enterprises. 

Elleesha King is a registered nurse and ambulance paramedic, and founder of Pulsatile Innovations, a start-up developing a medical device called Pulse Tile™ to reduce delays to CPR and defibrillation. She takes us on the journey of turning her idea into reality and explains how taking part in AUSCEP and meeting like-minded entrepreneurs has paid off in spades.  www.thepulsetile.com

The program’s third cohort has been delivered in NSW and Victoria, in partnership with MTPConnect and Australian Society for Medical Entrepreneurship and Innovation (ASME), and supported by LaunchVic and NSW Agency for Clinical Innovation (ACI). The next 2025/26 cohort is open for Victorian applications until 20 June 2025 – apply at auscep.au 

This episode is hosted by MTPConnect’s Caroline Duell and Elizabeth Stares.

Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction to Australian Clinical Entrepreneur Program
• 1:16 Introducing Pulsatile Innovations
• 2:36 How the device works
• 4:52 Journey from idea to prototype
• 8:15 Benefits of the AUSCEP program
• 11:24 Highlights of AUSCEP
• 12:39 Message to those considering apply to AUSCEP
• 13:34 Future plans and connecting with Alicia

Transcript

Natalie Vella: 0:01

This is the MTP Connect podcast, connecting you with the people behind the life-saving innovations driving Australia's growing life sciences sector from bench to bedside for better health and well-being. Mtp Connect acknowledges the traditional owners of country that this podcast is recorded on and recognises that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are Australia's first storytellers and the holders of first science knowledge.

Caroline Duell: 0:33

Hello and welcome to the MTP Connect podcast. I'm Caroline Jewell. Do you have a dream to translate your healthcare ideas into real world solutions? Join us as we meet some of the passionate health professionals doing just that and taking part in the Australian Clinical healthcare ideas into real-world solutions. Join us as we meet some of the passionate health professionals doing just that and taking part in the Australian Clinical Entrepreneur Program. This 12-month innovation program is led by MTP Connect and the Australian Society for Medical Entrepreneurship and Innovation, with support from Launchvic and New South Wales Health, and it's making a difference from bench to bedside. My co-host is MTP Connect's Elizabeth Stairs, who is the Innovation and Translation Lead for the OZSEP program.

Elleesha King: 1:16

My name is Alicia King. I'm currently working on my startup, pulsatile Innovations, where we're developing a medical device to reduce delays to CPR and defibrillation. But outside of that and in my paid work, I'm working as an ambulance paramedic and a registered nurse. I currently have a team of 42 staff, so I keep myself very busy in both the startup world and in my career as well.

Caroline Duell: 1:40

That's a day job, and a night job is that's what we're here for, so it's all good. So tell us about pulsatile what are you developing?

Elleesha King: 1:50

yeah, sure. So pulsatile innovations is a startup, and the flagship product that we're working on currently is called pulsatile. That's a single use device. It's designed to be applied to the neck of people who are suspected of having cardiac arrest, and the idea is that it provides fast and accurate feedback to rescuers, whether they're medically trained or not, that CPR is required or if other life-saving intervention is required, and so we're really trying to speed up the process and reduce the delays to CPR that contribute to really low survival outcomes for cardiac arrest victims.

Caroline Duell: 2:28

What happens at the moment. In that situation, what information aren't people getting?

Elleesha King: 2:34

When they respond to a cardiac arrest. So what? We know? That even though trained healthcare professionals have 10 seconds to look for a pulse, it often takes them longer. There are studies that show that even in controlled situations, highly trained medical professionals take 24 seconds to find a pulse longer where there's no pulse. And so even the trained person in a controlled environment is subject to risking delay to CPR. In the like in the laypersons. When the out of hospital cardiac arrest setting where a layperson might respond to a cardiac arrest their fate, they face barriers such as fear of getting it wrong. They'd rather do nothing than do something wrong. Um, there's still a real fear around, even though it's unfounded, around getting that litigation and being sued for doing the wrong thing, even though there is no, um, there's no evidence to suggest that's ever actually happened. So it's about reducing that indecision to provide a yes or no answer and people can be confident in the intervention that they deliver.

Caroline Duell: 3:40

So describe this device to us. How does it work? Yeah, sure.

Elleesha King: 3:44

This is just a 3D, very early version of the prototype and this is a reusable example of it, and so this will come on an adhesive patch, much like if you're familiar at all with a defibrillation pad. So you peel off the patch, apply it straight to the neck and it will provide, as I said, quick and accurate feedback in a visual form as to whether or not CPR is required.

Caroline Duell: 4:09

This is obviously been the brainchild of your own experience working as a nurse and as a paramedic. When did this sort of dawn on you that this was something that we needed?

Elleesha King: 4:22

Yeah, super early on, probably even in uni, something that we needed. Yeah, super early on, probably even in uni. We, you know, we do placements. I was very young, as a graduate nurse paramedic and you know, having had already attended multiple cardiac arrests and like looking for a pulse in a chaotic scene where there are, you know, external factors distracting you. The patient might have, you know, might have been a difficult position, have difficult body habitus, and so, for all of the equipment and technology and devices we have, I couldn't believe that we're still using fingers to try and establish a pulse, make super important, life-changing decisions for our patients, based maybe and, um, yeah, so like that was.

Elleesha King: 5:08

That was super early on for me. I think I was like 22 when I first approached an IP lawyer and the IP lawyer said great idea, come back with a prototype. And I was a brand new nurse paramedic going how do I make you a prototype? Um, so I basically I did a lot of overtime for 10 years and saved up a pot of money hoping that someone else would invent this and I could just go on a holiday. But they didn't. And, yeah, at the very end of 2023 started 2024, I pulled the trigger and said I need to approach someone and develop this device and give it a crack. So that's the journey. It's like the ideation was a long time ago, but establishing those sort of resources and still seeing the need 10 years later. I thought about it every day for 10 years. I'm obsessed.

Caroline Duell: 5:53

Amazing, and obviously the people that you work with your own network, people in the healthcare setting. They validated this idea with you along the way.

Elleesha King: 6:03

Have you always had support for it or have you had to convince the doubters, that's interesting, like I'd actually based on early even the advice from that IP lawyer when I was 22,. He was like don't breathe a word to anyone, right, because of IP protection, and so actually I did keep it to myself for a very long time for that reason. But as soon as we had some IP protection the patent, the provisional patent application had been filed and I started talking about it, I had colleagues say, oh, I thought I was the only one that was bad at checking for a pulse, or oh, how come that doesn't exist yet, and so that was super validating. And yeah, there's going to be doubters all along the way, but I think like the overall feedback has been super supportive and reinforcing of the problem and need for a solution.

Caroline Duell: 6:51

Would your dream be to see this? You know, in every ambulance this sort of medical support yeah, absolutely, and in every ambulance.

Elleesha King: 6:59

ambulance yes, because the idea for the paramedics is also to reduce some cognitive load, free up a set of hands, ease decision-making support. But then for it also to be available in publicly accessible AEDs, where a lay person can grab it together with a defibrillator, make good decisions regarding their CPR. It provides feedback regarding rate and depth of compressions. So even untrained like people who have not been trained in CPR will have feedback then and there regarding the effectiveness of their compression. So they'll have confidence that they're giving the best chance of survival possible. But also that it can be available for an astute first aider to purchase and keep in their own first aid kit in the home where most cardiac arrests occur. You know, there are those first aiders who have got high quality first aid kits who are ready to purchase a pulse tile to supplement that. And there's people who have defibrillators personally owned defibrillators, and so, yeah, the opportunity certainly lies in that space.

Caroline Duell: 8:02

How do you get the feedback from the pulse tile in terms of whether there's a heart rate or heartbeat, and then, as you mentioned, it's giving you feedback on your compressions? How is that built into your device?

Elleesha King: 8:15

So it's right in the centre of the device and we want to keep it like wireless, not attached to phones. A future iteration could include some software and we've protected that in our IP strategy, but for now it's the single use, wire free, as simple as possible device with that visual display right at the front of the neck.

Caroline Duell: 8:34

So if someone's obviously unconscious but they have a pulse, what do you have to do then? Do you have to start some sort of compression?

Elleesha King: 8:42

No, so then the pulse tile will show that they have a pulse and then they won't get CPR because there can be danger and there's risk associated with giving CPR where it's not required and while the pulse tile will say like, wait or look for something else to do. That includes laying them on their side to protect their airway, calling triple zero so that you're still waiting for an ambulance. All the while, pulse tile will be monitoring for deterioration, if that person loses a pulse, and then you'll know, you won't have to monitor it the whole time.

Caroline Duell: 9:12

And then if they improve hopefully they do they'll be sitting up chatting to you shortly hopefully I can see what a difference and also what a relief it would be to be using this in this situation, like you say, where there's many things going on. You're trying to evaluate the patient. It's one less thing you have to think about A hundred percent.

Elleesha King: 9:29

Yeah, it's interesting too. I went in with it thinking, oh, I want to help the victims, but there's also merit in helping like it's to help the rescuers as well. Have a you know when, when they are confident, more confident in their interventions they'll be. They're a better patient outcome that sounds really amazing.

Caroline Duell: 9:49

You talked about developing it over time and the work that you've done to to bring it to reality prototype and and things like that. Where are you at now, like, how soon can we see this innovation in operation?

Elleesha King: 10:02

I wish it was sooner. So, as you would know, the medical, the med tech journey is long and arduous and I'm still learning about it, but leaning into the support of the expert team that I've built around me. So we've got our alpha prototype. The tech team's working on the final stages of the MVP, which would be used for clinical trials. So we're going to, or at least the first in human trial. We'll be opening our pre-seed fundraising round shortly to provide the resources to be able to start those trials before the end of the year.

Caroline Duell: 10:36

And obviously the journey as an entrepreneur when you're working full-time is a challenging one. Is that one of the reasons why you decided to apply to take part in the Australian Clinical Entrepreneurs Program?

Elleesha King: 10:50

Yes, it's just that expansion of network right, and I'd participated in quite a few programs well, not quite a few programs, oh, not quite a few. A couple of programs um 20 earlier in 2024 that were industry agnostic, and I learned some really valuable things about you know how to build a business, what a cap table looks like, all of the lingo about it felt like three degrees in the space of nine months, um, but what really occurred to me was a lack of that med tech specific circle. That's what I was missing, and so that's what you know drew me to the OSSEP program, and it's paid out in spades.

Elizabeth Stares: 11:26

Elizabeth over to you. So where was your journey when you started the the OSSEP program, and what, specifically, have been your highlights? Where? Where have you learned the most through it?

Elleesha King: 11:40

I think I was just finishing up like an industry agnostic accelerator program which, as I said, got heaps out of but was looking for something more, and so I can't actually remember how I got onto OSEP, except that maybe I've been recommended from someone in that circle, and yeah, who also then saw the value in that industry specific program. Um, yeah, and what have I got out of it? It's their, you know, their cohort themselves is some like a group that you can ask anything to and not feel I don't feel any hesitation in asking any question. No question feels silly. They're super supportive. Um, you know the, the speakers that the team have introduced to come and tell like to speak to different aspects of the journey, um, the med, like the med tech journey specifically, um learning about things like regulatory and reimbursement and those sorts of aspects that know your average startup outside of med tech doesn't have to deal with, and so that's been like absolutely the highlights.

Elizabeth Stares: 12:44

And so we're due to open a new program on the 19th of May. What would your message be to anyone thinking of joining OSSEP?

Elleesha King: 12:54

It's just I mean as the support and the opening up to a network that I'm sure you could establish yourself, but outside of OSEP it would take so long and having those connections right there, like the support in Victoria, we've got Anna and Brandon there who are just ultra connected and generous, generous with those connections. So having access to that right there, you just wouldn't get it on your own, and so that's that. That's been my message to a couple of people who have already got, who will apply on the 19th so we've got one more month left.

Elizabeth Stares: 13:31

We've got our finale event where we're going to be wrapping up and looking at some pitching, potentially with some up and looking at some pitching, potentially with some investors as advisors in the room.

Elleesha King: 13:43

Where are you heading to next? Yeah, um, we're opening up our proceed fund rate fundraise shortly, so that, um, pit stop is going to be a particularly valuable for us. Um, and then, yeah, we need, yeah, we need to acquire some resources so we can do the next milestones. So the next milestones is for us really formalising the regulatory strategy that will inform the clinical trial pathway and get us ready for a small-scale manufacture. Yeah, we're excited.

Caroline Duell: 14:12

What if anyone wants to get in touch with you to talk about this more? How do they find you Well?

Elleesha King: 14:18

probably that website would be easiest, which is thepulstylecom, and yeah, there's links there for how to get in touch further, but I love having a chat to anyone aspiring founders. I think like the best thing we can do is like pay back the support that I've already had, but also, yeah, anyone who wants to follow the journey, support us with any resources. Mentorship would be very much appreciated.

Caroline Duell: 14:46

That was Alicia King, a paramedic and nurse and founder of Pulsatile Innovations, talking about developing a patented pulse sensing device to save lives. To find out how to be part of the next cohort of the Australian Clinical Entrepreneurship Program, visit their website to find out more. At auscepau, you've been listening to the MTP Connect podcast. This podcast is produced on the lands of the Wurundjeri people here in Narm, melbourne. Thanks for listening to the show. If you love what you heard, share our podcast and follow us for more. Until next time.