Misti: revolutionising respiratory relief

In the ever-evolving landscape of medical innovations, some startups stand out not merely as companies, but as missions. Misti, founded by Dr Anushi Rajapaksa, exemplifies this mission-driven ethos, striving to provide rapid respiratory relief through their nebuliser technology.

The path to Misti

Reflecting on the journey, Anushi shared insights from a conversation with a fellow startup founder. "Everything I've done in my life led to this moment of running this mission," she remarked. Her path to Misti is as inspiring as it is unique. With over 12 years of experience as a senior scientist at the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne and as a regulatory officer at GSK, Anushi has led innovative clinical studies and managed regulatory approvals for respiratory technologies. Now, as the founder of Misti, she is focused on revolutionising how vaccines and biological medicines are delivered, making them accessible for home use. Anushi’s vision is driven by a deep commitment to protecting vulnerable children and older adults, ensuring that her work has a lasting global impact.

A pivotal moment in her career came after being inspired by leaders like Katalin Karikó, a Nobel Prize-winning scientist and senior VP in biotech. “I realised that the scientific career wasn’t going to allow me to get the product into the hands of consumers or patients. The only way to do that is through a commercial track,” she explained.

This realisation led to the inception of Misti, a company dedicated to developing a first-in-class rapid drug delivery nebuliser. The device delivers life-saving therapeutics swiftly, tackling infectious respiratory diseases in both children and older adults.

Established in 2022, Misti operates across Melbourne and San Diego, uniting a world-class team of experts in pediatric technology, immunology and microfluidics.

Dr Hamish McWilliam, Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) and Co-Founder, first crossed paths with Anushi during their PhD studies at Monash University. He now leads Misti’s efforts in developing cutting-edge, medical-grade technology. As a group leader at the Doherty Institute, Dr McWilliam is a renowned authority in immune response, specifically how lung cells detect and respond to bacterial infections.

Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Professor James Friend, based in San Diego, has worked alongside Co-Founder Anushi for over a decade. A global leader in acoustofluidics, Prof. Friend has successfully translated his research into commercial success, with two spinout ventures from his lab now valued at over $100 million USD.

Misti’s commercial strategy is guided by Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) Paul Carboon, a proven leader in the Australian medtech ecosystem. In San Diego, Mark Stambaugh, Misti’s lead Embedded Systems Engineer, has played a key role in miniaturising the MyMisti circuit. Meanwhile, Commercial and IP Advisor Dr Joanne Boag has been instrumental in expanding Misti’s intellectual property portfolio, fueling the company’s growth.

Together, this multidisciplinary team – along with a network of clinicians, engineers, chemists, and regulatory experts – drives Misti’s mission to deliver groundbreaking innovations to the healthcare industry.

Misti has already achieved significant milestones, from filing a provisional patent and solidifying their IP position to the launch of their pre-orders, seeing an overwhelming response with 21 orders filled within hours and a waitlist of 145 people. Misti has seen enthusiastic customer engagement, allowing the team to integrate customer feedback directly into their product development, ensuring the technology meets the needs of its users.

Misti’s acceptance into the Medical Device Partnering Program (MDPP) and receiving a grant from LaunchVic has enabled the team to bring their manufacturing process to Victoria. “Establishing our manufacturing in Victoria is a focus at the moment, and bringing the next stage of development of integrating all the electronics,” said Anushi, highlighting the team’s interest in local production and innovation.