Serial entrepreneur examines the risk-to-reward ratio balance in GI innovation

“With no one interested, we created a start-up,” Dr. Thompson said. The company, GI Windows, has now taken this product, a magnetic endo-luminal anastomosis bypass device for the treatment of diabetes mellitus, into advanced stages of clinical testing. Relative to licensing arrangements, this involved a different level of participation.

“A start-up means creating a board, raising money, and being involved in details that can involve a lot of heavy lifting,” Dr. Thompson said. “It is basically a second job.”

The ongoing clinical studies in patients with diabetes have been very encouraging. Dr. Thompson reported that a large proportion of patients with diabetes fitted with the device have been able to reduce or discontinue their antidiabetic medications, and high rates of excess weight loss have been documented.

GI Windows was created for the sole purpose of developing the anastomosis device, but Dr. Thompson was also involved in creating another company, now sold, that started without a specific device in mind.