UC Irvine Startup Makani Science Has Created the Most Important Medical Device You’ll Never Notice

Before Michelle Khine co-founded Makani Science, she was just a mother trying to hold her newborn son. He was in the NICU, hooked up to a constellation of wires and monitors, but none of them caught what turned out to be a collapsed lung. Hours passed before clinicians discovered the problem.

May 23, 2025 - As a biomedical engineering professor at UC Irvine’s Samueli School of Engineering, Khine knew she could design something better. And she did.

That failure planted the seed for what would become Makani Science, a UC Irvine-born startup that’s developed the first wireless, wearable continuous respiratory monitor. About the size of a Band-Aid, the device tracks how a person breathes in real time—even while in motion.

The technology hinges on a strain gauge so sensitive it can detect movement down to 20 microns—less than half the width of a human hair. Unlike traditional systems, it doesn’t rely on tubes, wires, or bulky belts. And, perhaps most importantly, it delivers respiratory data faster than the clinical tools most hospitals rely on today.

“I’ve spent my career trying to improve the health of individuals,” says Dr. Greg Buchert, Makani’s CEO and a former ER pediatrician and healthcare executive. “I believe this device could transform how we think about respiratory care.”

Makani Science was co-founded in 2019 by Khine and her former doctoral student, Michael Chu. The technology they developed addresses one of medicine’s most persistent blind spots: respiration.

That transformation is long overdue. Despite being one of the body’s most essential functions, respiration remains one of the least well-monitored vital signs. Most hospitals infer breathing status through pulse oximetry (which measures oxygen saturation) or capnography (which tracks exhaled CO₂).

But both methods have drawbacks. Pulse oximeters are considered lagging indicators—by the time oxygen levels drop, a patient may already be in distress—and they perform less reliably on individuals with darker skin tones. Capnography is more direct but requires nasal tubing and often malfunctions during movement or sedation.

In contrast, Makani’s wireless sensor sidesteps those limitations. It works wirelessly—whether you’re walking, playing sports, or sleeping—and streams real-time respiratory data to a mobile device. The sensor captures breathing as a continuous waveform, creating a signature for every inhale and exhale.

“Under routine conditions, a five- to twelve-second lead time over existing monitors might not seem like much. But when someone is deteriorating? That’s huge,” Buchert says.

Combining that kind of functionality with real-world momentum is no small feat. Neither is Makani’s pace: in just six weeks, the startup cleared three major milestones—FDA clearance, a critical round of funding, and a competitive $1.1 million NIH Catalyze grant.

Makani’s aim is to make that kind of early detection possible not just in the ICU, but anywhere someone is breathing. A second-generation model is already underway. The upgraded version will be smaller, with longer battery life, and will have additional features like heart rate monitoring, and a two-week lifespan to match other market-ready wearables like Continuous Glucose Monitors and Zio Patches.

The most urgent testbed for the technology is neonatal intensive care. Backed by their $1.1 million NIH Catalyze Grant, Makani is developing a version of the sensor for premature infants at risk of apnea of prematurity—episodes where a baby stops breathing for 20 seconds or more. These episodes, especially when frequent or prolonged, are linked to long-term developmental delays.

“The frequency and duration of these apneic events is associated with delays in intellectual, motor, and language development,” Buchert explains. “These kids will be compromised for life. If we can interrupt or prevent the apneic events, it’s not just life-saving — it’s life-changing.”

Makani is currently collaborating with clinicians at CHOC Children’s Hospital to trial the device in this context.

The company also sees wide-ranging applications in adult respiratory care, outpatient sedation, and athletic performance. Biofeedback from continuous breath monitoring could help athletes fine-tune endurance or improve recovery. The Department of Defense has expressed interest in monitoring stress in pilots, soldiers, and veterans exposed to environmental hazards. But Makani Science’s biggest impact may come from helping people avoid the hospital all together.

“If we can detect early signs of deterioration in someone with asthma, COPD, or sleep apnea, we can help keep them out of the ER,” Buchert says. “The goal is to help people stay healthy, and at home.”

This mission to improve lives and reduce hospitalizations is rooted in research that began at UC Irvine. The sensor’s core technology was developed in Khine’s lab and supported by a Proof of Product (PoP) grant from Beall Applied Innovation. The grant helped Makani turn its sensor into a product ready for the real world. The team tested its sensitivity, strength, stickiness, and safety on skin to make sure it could hold up in medical settings. They also ran usability studies, began weaving in machine learning to interpret breathing patterns, and started building relationships with potential partners to bring the device to market.

Beyond funding and lab space, the university has also helped raise the company’s profile.

“UC Irvine has helped champion Makani at conferences and in the community,” Buchert says. “That’s been really important for our visibility.”

Today, Makani is housed at University Lab Partners (ULP), a non-profit wet lab incubator and accelerator located just minutes from campus at UC Irvine Research Park. Buchert credits Makani’s location—and the ecosystem around it—with accelerating their development.

“ULP has been an incredible place to grow—having access to a wet lab, being surrounded by other startups, and learning from teams just a step or two ahead of us has made a huge difference,” Buchert says.

From the incubator’s side, the feeling is mutual.

“Makani is deeply committed to advancing their technology—they’re in the lab consistently, putting in the work to derisk and validate each step,” says Sandra Miller, Executive Director at ULP.

She notes that Buchert and Chu are not only building a promising company—they’re also building community.

“They show up, they support other founders and invest their time mentoring students through our STEM outreach programs. That kind of leadership is exactly what we strive to foster at ULP,” Miller says.

Makani has also secured early-stage funding from Tech Coast Angels, Koa Accel and the Cove Fund, three influential backers in the Southern California medtech scene. Their early support signals confidence not just in the technology, but in Makani’s potential to capture a share of a rapidly growing space. The global market for respiratory monitoring and disease management is projected at $153 billion. It’s a staggering figure, and one that reflects just how much room there is to innovate.

Respiration has long been overlooked in the vital sign hierarchy. As wearable health tech goes mainstream, Makani’s small, data-rich sensor may have arrived at exactly the right time.

With FDA clearance in hand, the company is preparing for commercial launch by the end of 2025. They’ve already had to turn down pilot requests—from Olympic trainers to military partners—simply because they don’t have enough devices in production.

“I know our sensor will save lives and improve the health of many people,” Buchert says. “That’s what I find the most exciting.”

And if Makani succeeds, the device might not just improve how we monitor breath—it could redefine what we expect from vital signs altogether.

- Jill Kato/UCI Beall Applied Innovation