MicroWash

What MicroWash does

MicroWash, developed by University Medical Devices, Inc., is a single-product medical device company that has commercialized the first nasal lavage specimen collection device for upper respiratory infection testing. The patented, FDA-listed, 510(k) exempt Class 1 device uses gentle sterile saline irrigation to wash the nasal passage and collect a self-contained sample that integrates directly into existing PCR workflows without extraction steps. Independent academic studies at the University of Nebraska Medical Center cite up to 49% greater sensitivity, 25% greater sensitivity and 34% greater precision versus nasopharyngeal swabs, a roughly 2mL specimen volume (about 20x that of a swab), and a 0.3/10 patient pain rating compared with 8/10 for swabs. The device carries a three-year shelf life, an FDA listing under cGMP manufacturing, and a CPT reimbursement code covering Medicare and most private payers, a combination not available to standard nasal swabs.

The company generates revenue through one-time sales of the single-use disposable device to healthcare organizations rather than through licensing, subscriptions, or per-test fees. Go-to-market is exclusively B2B: direct enterprise field sales to emergency departments, outpatient clinics, hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living communities, pharmacies, and dedicated test centers, supplemented by channel relationships with medical distributors, laboratories, and government organizations for large-scale and pandemic-preparedness volume. The core sales partner is Virology Testing Products (VTP), which also supports reimbursement coding along with AAPC. Customer segments split across healthcare facilities and test centers (primary), clinical laboratories (primary), and telehealth and remote-care use cases (secondary). Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is handled through VTP.

MicroWash is a privately held company headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, with 1-10 employees. It was formed in 2020 by clinicians and researchers from UNMC, initially led through COVID-19, and has raised roughly $2.07M across three rounds through August 2025, including a $1.6M seed in February 2024 led by Bright Minds Capital Partners. Leadership combines practicing physicians (UNMC emergency medicine faculty, the Medical Director of the National Quarantine Unit), a regulatory officer with 25+ career FDA clearances, and an operator CEO with prior healthcare startup exits to McGraw Hill, WebMD/Medscape, Gannett, and Walmart Health. No revenue figures have been disclosed.

Name

MicroWash

Legal name

University Medical Devices, Inc.

Website

https://getmicrowash.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

MicroWash, a product of University Medical Devices, Inc., sells a patented nasal lavage specimen collection device that replaces nasal swabs for upper respiratory infection PCR testing. It is sold B2B to healthcare facilities, clinical laboratories, and test centers through direct enterprise sales and channel partners including Virology Testing Products.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Omaha

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Medical Device Sales: MicroWash is sold as a nasal lavage specimen collection device to healthcare facilities, laboratories, and test centers. The device is a single-use, disposable product. Revenue is generated through direct sales to healthcare organizations and through channel partners including medical distributors and Virology Testing Products (VTP). Reimbursement is available through identified CPT codes for Medicare and private insurance.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

MicroWash is a patented, FDA-listed nasal lavage specimen collection device used to collect samples for upper respiratory infection (URI) testing. It replaces traditional nasopharyngeal swabs by using sterile saline irrigation to wash the nasal passage, delivering higher-sensitivity samples with greater patient comfort. The single-use, disposable device is sold to healthcare facilities, laboratories, and test centers for integration with existing PCR diagnostic workflows.

Product overview

MicroWash is a single-product company offering the MicroWash nasal lavage specimen collection device. The device represents a new gold standard for respiratory infection nasal sampling, providing higher-sensitivity samples (up to 49% greater), longer shelf life (three years), and improved patient comfort (0.3/10 pain rating vs 8/10 for nasal swabs) compared to traditional nasal swab methods. The product is designed for use in healthcare facilities and test centers, integrating with existing lab PCR testing processes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MicroWash Nasal Lavage Specimen Collection Device Patented, FDA-listed, 510(k) exempt Class 1 single-use disposable nasal lavage device that uses gentle sterile saline irrigation to wash the nasal passage and collect specimens for upper respiratory infection testing. Replaces traditional nasopharyngeal swabs with up to 49% greater sensitivity, 20X larger sample volume (~2mL), three-year shelf life, and 0.3/10 patient pain rating. Integrates with PCR lab workflows via extraction-free processing. Sold exclusively to healthcare facilities, laboratories, and test centers with a CPT reimbursement pathway covered by Medicare and most private insurance.

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 49% greater sensitivity in PCR testing for URI detection compared to nasal swabs
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, support and strategic.

• University of Nebraska Medical CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeveloped in collaboration with leading medical professionals at University of Nebraska Medical Center. Clinical trials and validation studies performed at UNMC Emerging Pathogens Laboratory. Leadership includes UNMC faculty members: Dr. Michael Wadman (Chair of Emergency Medicine, Medical Director of National Quarantine Unit) and Dr. Thanh Nguyen (Assistant Professor, Emergency Medicine). Two studies performed at UNMC demonstrated device effectiveness in capturing superior-quality nasal samples compared to nasal swabs.
• Virology Testing Products (VTP)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUMD's sales partner for MicroWash distribution and reimbursement coding. VTP, along with AAPC (reimbursement coding consulting firm), identified CPT code for MicroWash sample collection that is reimbursed by both Medicare and most private insurance payers. Contact: [email protected] or (913) 226-6628.
• AAPCsupportImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerHighly regarded national reimbursement coding consulting firm that worked with UMD and VTP to identify CPT code for MicroWash sample collection reimbursement by Medicare and private insurance payers.
• Major Medical DistributorscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorStrategic partnerships with major medical distributors planned for large-scale distribution to meet volume needs. Company is scaling up manufacturing and packaging processes to ensure adequate supply through these distribution channels.
• Government OrganizationsstrategicChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorStrategic partnerships with government organizations planned for pandemic preparedness and stockpiling purposes, leveraging MicroWash's three-year shelf life advantage over nasal swab kits.
• Jana Broadhurst, MD, PhD - UNMC Emerging Pathogens LaboratorycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrincipal Investigator for independent study at UNMC Emerging Pathogens Laboratory comparing nasopharyngeal swab sampling and classic nasopharyngeal irrigation technique, demonstrating MicroWash advantage. EPL uses MicroWash exclusively in antibody research. Study data showed 34% greater precision for URI pathogen antibody detection with MicroWash samples.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Copan Diagnostics: Global leader in specimen collection, best known for flocked swabs (e.g., FLOQSwabs) used in respiratory and molecular testing. Copan is the most direct incumbent whose products MicroWash seeks to displace in URI specimen collection workflows.
• OraSure Technologies: Specialist in non-invasive specimen collection devices (oral fluid, nasal) for infectious disease and substance abuse testing. Directly comparable business model of developing proprietary collection devices that integrate with downstream laboratory diagnostics.
• Puritan Medical Products: One of the world's largest manufacturers of specimen collection swabs and transport systems, including the HydraFlock and PurFlock lines used in respiratory testing. Direct incumbent in the nasal swab market MicroWash targets for displacement.

Broad incumbents

• Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD): Diversified medical device giant with a major Diagnostic Systems segment including specimen collection products (e.g., BD flocked swabs, BD Max systems). BD is the dominant incumbent in respiratory sample collection and represents both the primary competitive threat and a logical strategic acquirer.
• QIAGEN: Major molecular diagnostics and sample-preparation company, with specimen collection kits and extraction-free PCR workflows overlapping MicroWash's PCR integration positioning. Comparable on sample-to-answer workflow integration.
• QuidelOrtho: Diagnostics company offering rapid respiratory pathogen tests (e.g., Sofia, Savanna) and a broad specimen collection portfolio. Comparable in targeting the same URI testing customer base (hospitals, urgent care, labs) and could be a natural channel partner or acquirer.
• Hologic: Major women's health and molecular diagnostics company, with the Panther system and extensive respiratory testing menu. Comparable in targeting high-volume clinical labs and integrated PCR workflows that MicroWash's device plugs into.
• Abbott Diagnostics: Global diagnostics leader with the Alinity m and m-PIMA respiratory testing platforms. Comparable as a downstream PCR platform partner and as a broad incumbent that could commoditize or vertically integrate specimen collection.
• Thermo Fisher Scientific (Microbiology & Diagnostics): Global life sciences leader offering specimen collection, transport media, and PCR reagents (e.g., TaqPath respiratory panels). Comparable as a comprehensive respiratory testing ecosystem and as a potential channel or acquirer for specimen collection innovation.

Emerging players

• Sekisui Diagnostics: Diagnostics company offering specimen collection, rapid testing, and clinical chemistry products with growing respiratory menu. Comparable in serving the same clinical lab and acute care customer base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors3 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about MicroWash