MicroWash: Omaha-Made Medical Innovation Now Available Nationwide
The journey from medical concept to market-ready product requires vision, perseverance, and collaboration. Today, we celebrate an extraordinary Omaha success story – the MicroWash, a revolutionary nasal lavage specimen collection device that was conceived, developed, and manufactured entirely within our community.
Born in the laboratories of the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) and supported by the UNeTech Institute’s Omaha Medical Technology Pipeline (OMTP), the MicroWash represents what’s possible when local talent and resources unite around solving healthcare challenges. What began as an innovative concept became a market-ready medical device and now is available through McKesson, one of the nation’s premier medical supply distributors.
Demonstration of the MicroWash nasal sample collection device.
Photo courtesy of UNeMed.
A True Omaha Success Story
The MicroWash story exemplifies the complete localization of medical innovation:
- Invention: Developed by visionary researchers at UNMC who identified the need for better respiratory specimen collection.
- Design and Prototyping: Refined through iterative development at Metropolitan Community College.
- Production: Manufactured locally by Omaha companies RD Tool and Major’s Plastics.
- Support: Facilitated by UNeTech Deploy! which connected inventors, entrepreneurs, and manufacturers.
This extremely short supply chain demonstrates our region’s capacity to support the entire medical device development lifecycle from concept to market.
Revolutionary Patient-Centered Design
The MicroWash transforms respiratory specimen collection through innovative design:
- Enhanced Patient Comfort: Pain rating of just 0.3 out of 10 compared to 8 out of 10 for traditional nasopharyngeal swabs.
- Improved Clinical Effectiveness: Increases sample sensitivity by up to 49% in PCR testing.
- Extended Shelf Life: Three-year stability exceeds the typical one to two years for nasal swab kits.
- Seamless Integration: Designed to work within existing laboratory workflows.
- Clear Reimbursement Pathway: Identified payment structure for healthcare providers.
The Power of Local Collaboration
The UNeTech Deploy! program provided critical infrastructure for this success:
- Connecting university innovators with local manufacturers.
- Facilitating fundraising efforts for medical technology startups.
- Creating a robust ecosystem for medical device development.
- Positioning Omaha as a hub for healthcare innovation.
- Building relationships between academia, industry, and investors.
Now Available Nationwide
We’re thrilled to announce that healthcare providers across the country can now purchase the MicroWash Specimen Collection and Transport Kit (VTP-011MW) directly through McKesson’s medical supplies website.
The Microwash team visits the UNeTech Institute for a reveal of their “graduation” banner. Left to right:
Michael C (Mike) Wadman, MD, FACEP Chief Medical Officer, Thanh Nguyen, PhD, MSN, FNP-C Chief Technology Officer, James Young, MBA Founder, Anne Bueltel Chief Operating Officer, Nicholas Lorenzo, MD, MHCM, CPE, FAAPL Founder, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President
A Community Achievement
- This milestone belongs to many contributors:
- The visionary UNMC researchers who conceived the innovation.
- The entrepreneurs who navigated complex regulatory challenges.
- The skilled manufacturers who brought precision to production.
- The investors who provided critical funding.
- The patients whose needs inspired this solution.
The MicroWash demonstrates that Omaha possesses all the elements needed to develop life-improving medical technologies. From university research labs to manufacturing facilities, our community has built an innovation ecosystem capable of responding to healthcare challenges with locally-developed solutions that can reach national markets.
As we celebrate the MicroWash’s commercial launch, we recognize it as both an achievement and a blueprint—showing what’s possible when Omaha’s talent, resources, and vision converge around improving healthcare for all.
