The University of Pittsburgh has approved an agreement with Intermed Labs, a leading venture studio focused on medical technology innovation, to create Malleous, LLC, a new company dedicated to advancing neurosurgical technology.
Malleous aims to develop a groundbreaking neurosurgical device, licensed from Pitt, that promises to enhance open brain surgery procedures by increasing safety, efficiency and patient outcomes.
“This collaboration with the University of Pittsburgh and the launch of Malleous represents a powerful step forward in our mission to create meaningful, homegrown medtech innovation,” said Dr. Tom McClellan, CEO of Intermed Labs. “By aligning clinical insight with engineering and commercialization expertise, we’re not just developing a device—we’re building a platform for future regional impact in medtech innovation.”
Malleous, LLC is the latest in a series of spinouts supported by Intermed Labs, which converts clinician-led concepts into commercially viable solutions within the region. The company, based in Morgantown, WV, will begin prototyping and usability testing this summer.
This collaborative endeavor will be driven by the expertise of neurosurgeon Dr. Michael McDowell, who will bring critical clinical insight to the project, together with Pitt School of Medicine student Ben Leslie, who successfully guided the Malleous innovation to first place finishes last year in two Pitt pitch competitions designed to accelerate promising innovations toward commercialization: the Big Idea Competition and the Wells Student HealthTech Challenge.
The University is excited to support this venture, which exemplifies the transformation of academic research into impactful technological solutions through robust regional partnerships.
“With the signing of this agreement, the University of Pittsburgh has launched 15 startup companies in fiscal year 2025 based on exciting innovations born from Pitt research,” said Evan Facher, Vice Chancellor for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the University of Pittsburgh and Associate Dean for Commercial Translation in the School of Medicine. “We are delighted to have forged another strong regional partnership to help translate this exciting technology to benefit patients while contributing to our wider region’s economic growth.”
For media inquiries or more information, please visit: www.intermedlabs.com