As Mohan Muvvala enters into his fourth year of medical school at the Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine (BCOM), he is also adding CEO to his resume. Muvvala and four other founders have launched Neumynd Inc., a company that hopes to offer alternative medicine treatment options to future patients.
Their wearable, noninvasive technology is worn across the top of the head and around the forehead and uses a mixture of photobiomodulation, or light therapy, neurostimulation and non-invasive imaging. It is aimed at treating problems associated with attention-deficit disorder, depression, anxiety and other conditions.
Muvvala said the technology can proliferate stem cells, increase blood flow, and act as an anti-inflammatory, amongst other benefits. While the technology is still in development, the team hopes to have a final, safety-tested product within a year. They have applied for a provisional patent and are considered “patent-pending.”
The idea for Neumynd started in 2017 when Muvvala spent his summer interning at the NASA Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, California.
“During one of my discussions with Dr. Griko Yuri, we were exploring potential ways to combat inflammation through a non-pharmaceutical approach for astronauts given their weight limitations with each flight. This led to research on photobiomodulation and its effects on cognition and anti-inflammation properties, which interested me,” Muvvala said. “The idea for Neumynd started off as a personal project for bettering my own mental state, but the more I talked with others, the more real the possibility of its success became.”
Muvvala co-founded Neumynd with Joseph Donovan, a friend he met while studying at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. Donovan is serving as chief software architect for the project. Before Neumynd, the duo co-founded another company, Weirdos INC, which got noticed for an app Donovan created that detects and filters unsolicited sexual photographs from being sent over the phone.
Donovan’s background includes biosystems and mechanical engineering, as well as a degree in computer science.
“We started Neumynd because we realized we could solve issues that affect people’s lives. We’re motivated by actually making a lasting impact, rather than some self-serving goal,” Donovan said. “Our product can be used again and again without needing to dispose of it or get refills each month. This is crucially important in a society with a pharmaceutical market that can upcharge its medicines at a moment’s notice, as seen with insulin.”
Neumynd’s other team members are Mackenzie Swicegood and Levi Moore, who are executing the hardware components, and Lekhan Shivashankar, who is serving as chief business development officer. “Mackenzie and Levi have a passion for innovation and transformation that really helped mold the idea into a tangible product, while Lekhan’s intents for the future of health care through the lens of an upcoming finance professional jumpstarted our thirst for success,” Muvvala said.
Neumynd has already been accepted into the Studio G program at NMSU’s Arrowhead Center. The student business accelerator program provides shared office space, business consulting, and a wide variety of resources to students hoping to launch their own businesses. Muvvala said the program has provided them with business education as well as opportunities to network with investors, prototype designers, engineers and lawyers.
Muvvala said, “Our goal for Neumynd is to continue working in the state of New Mexico and provide services that are beneficial and affordable to all. Our mission is to make 21st century evidence-based health care ingenious and accessible, and we want to partner with the community to help find solutions that alleviate mental and chronic illnesses.”
