Shocking Infections: How Pavaka is Using Electric Fields to Save Lives
Some infections fight back — and so must we
Some innovations disrupt industries. Pavaka Wound Care disrupts bacteria. The company’s electroceutical dressing uses controlled electric fields to break through the toughest bacterial layers. Pavaka attacks the kind of bacteria that shrug off antibiotics and devastate lives in hospitals and battlefield clinics alike.
A Chance Meeting Sparks a Mission
After 35 years at Cook Medical, Frank Fischer thought he was done launching new devices, until a mutual connection introduced him to Brent Toto. What began as post-retirement curiosity quickly turned into conviction. “So many technologies die on the shelf because there’s no one to take them forward,” Fischer said. With Department of Defense (DoD) research in hand and a clear unmet need, the two entrepreneurs teamed up to co-found Pavaka Wound Care and bring this wound care breakthrough, licensed from The Ohio State University (OSU), to market.
Drug-resistant Infections Threaten Lives, Not Just Hospitals
Chronic wounds infected with multidrug-resistant bacteria resist antibiotics and form protective biofilms that block healing. These infections aren’t just costly, they carry a profound human toll, leading to long hospital stays, amputations, and worse.
Pavaka’s Electroceutical Advanced Wound Dressing (EAWD) disrupts bacterial communication, letting the body’s immune system reengage, as well as directly treating the bacteria. Battery-powered and easy to integrate into hospital or battlefield care protocols, the technology reaches the deepest bacterial layers while remaining practical for real-world use. In a $2 million DoD–funded clinical trial with more than 100 patients, the dressing reduced biofilms by 40 percent in three weeks versus standard care. Scalable at $5 per unit, Pavaka’s platform potential extends beyond wounds, offering new possibilities for other bacterial, fungal and viral therapy to address global health challenges.
Progress Comes from Action, Not Perfection
“You’ll never have all the answers,” Toto said. “If you wait for that, you’ll never start.” Fischer’s advice: “Keep learning. Talk to people with different views. Even when you don’t like what you hear, it’s valuable.” The shared lesson from these entrepreneurial founders: forward motion, iteration, and learning from each step drives real innovation.
Bringing Hope to Patients, One Wound at a Time
Regulatory, manufacturing, and reimbursement milestones are underway, with a goal to bring the first product to market by 2027. Supported by Rev1 Ventures and grant funding, the Pavaka Wound Care team is de-risking clinical, regulatory, reimbursement, and cost barriers, and already engaging with major wound care partners. Pavaka’s vision extends beyond wounds, aiming to empower the body to heal itself and redefine what’s possible in electroceutical medicine.
