Sano Technologies - Helping clinicians see swelling, clearly
For people living with chronic swelling conditions like lymphedema, waiting weeks or even months for treatment is frustrating, uncomfortable and sometimes painful. But clinicians face a challenge too: accurately identifying where fluid is building up and tailoring a treatment plan for each patient can take up to 90 minutes per session. Sano Technologies is on a mission to change that, with a new imaging platform in development that hopes to help clinicians see swelling in real time and deliver personalised care more efficiently.
Solving a stubborn clinical problem
Lymphedema is a chronic condition affecting millions worldwide. It occurs when the lymphatic system is damaged or blocked, causing a build-up of fluid, typically in the arms or legs, that leads to swelling, infections and reduced quality of life.
"The biggest problem clinicians face is identifying where the fluid is," explains Dr John A Nguyen, founder and CEO of Sano Technologies.
After talking with clinicians, the team discovered a major gap in current clinical workflows: clinicians often rely on a combination of outdated tools, manual probing and guesswork to determine where fluid is accumulating. These methods are time-intensive and largely subjective, which contributes to long waitlists and delays in care.
"Our tool will help expedite their assessment so that treatment sessions can come down from 60 minutes, for example, to about 45 minutes. That’s a big shift in the workflow," says Nguyen.
After talking to clinicians, the team uncovered a clear and pressing need for better tools, ones that could provide localised, objective information quickly and without specialist training. That discovery laid the foundation for what would become Sano Technologies.
A wearable window into the body
Sano Technologies' solution is a portable, wearable imaging device that provides high-resolution maps of fluid composition in the body. It's non-invasive, easy to use and works in any setting, from clinics to patients' homes. "Our technology gives clinicians the data they need without relying on subjective assessments," says CTO David Conidaris. "They can see exactly where fluid is building up and track it over time."
The tool is cost-effective, too. While existing tools range from $7,000 to $20,000 and still don't solve the core problem, Sano Technologies' device is being designed to be significantly more affordable, bringing objective, localised imaging into the hands of more clinicians.
Crucially, the device is not operator-dependent, meaning patients can eventually use it themselves at home for real-time monitoring. "These patients are already wearing compression garments, we can integrate our technologies into compression-like wearables," explains Nguyen.
Sano Technologies prototype device
And that's just the beginning. The team envisions their technology not merely as a single-purpose tool, but as a powerful platform for real-time body composition mapping. At its core, the platform is built on advanced image processing algorithms that transform raw sensor data into detailed, high-resolution maps of tissue content. Over time, this foundation hopes to extend into mapping other body composition elements like fat, muscle and bone, providing clinicians with a richer, more comprehensive picture of physiological health.
Sano Technologies software showing a 3D fluid map of a right leg
Sano Technologies plans to harness this entirely new category of body composition data, data that has never been captured in this level of detail or format. Future applications could include everything from elite sports performance monitoring to breast cancer screening and even "smart suits for astronauts" in aerospace medicine.
Meet the team
Sano Technologies was born out of the University of Melbourne's Biodesign Innovation program in 2023, where John, David, Benny Li and Candice Bao came together to identify unmet medical needs and develop solutions. After shadowing clinicians and listening to their frustrations, the team quickly landed on lymphedema as an area of major need.
Sano Technolofies team - Left to right Dr. John A Nguyen, David Conidaris, Candice Bao and Benny Li
"From day one, we've been driven by the needs of clinicians," says John. "We've built a working group of 13 clinicians who continue to guide our design process. Their passion inspired us to go all in."
John brings a strong health domain and commercial background, combining a PhD in medical research, time in health consulting and an MBA from Melbourne Business School and Columbia University. David and Benny are biomedical engineers, bringing deep expertise in data analysis, scanning technologies and software development. Candice, also an MBA graduate, brings financial and operational acumen, with experience as a CFO in the MedTech sector.
Together, they're united by a shared commitment to human-centred design and solving real-world healthcare problems. "We're very driven by clinical needs and to create real impacts," says John. "We stay closely connected to clinicians; they help us design solutions that actually work in practice and make a meaningful difference in people’s lives."
Building momentum
Since forming in 2023, Sano Technologies has achieved a string of technical and commercial milestones. They've successfully built and validated a proof-of-concept prototype, progressed towards a minimum viable product and secured 8 letters of support from respected clinicians and medical experts, including Professor Neil Piller of Flinders University, who is now one of their clinical advisors.
Their list of accolades is growing, too. Sano Technologies has received the StartSpace Future Founders Award, the Telstra Impact Excellence Award, and two Stephen Ho Innovation Grants. These wins have helped fund early-stage development and market validation.
Dr. John A Nguyen and Candice Bao
The team is now preparing to launch pilot studies with three clinics by the end of 2025, with a goal of completing validation and feedback cycles to refine the product before regulatory approvals and market entry.
The potential impact is significant. Their modelling suggests an average clinic in Australia could see improved revenue of approximately $72,000 per year using their device. At a broader level, the Australian healthcare system spends $1.5 billion annually on lymphedema-related healthcare costs, costs that could be substantially reduced with better early intervention and monitoring.
TRAM and the road ahead
Sano Technologies joined the TRAM Air program in 2025 after participating in TRAM Runway last year. For the team, TRAM has provided more than just structure – it's offered accountability, a community of like-minded founders and access to mentors and investors.
"We've always been drawn to communities that push us forward," says John. "After Biodesign and TRAM Runway, TRAM Air gave us the momentum to keep learning, keep building, and stay connected to the ecosystem."
Sano Technologies team with a protype of their device in the Telstra Creator Space – Left to right Dr. John A Nguyen, David Conidaris, Candice Bao and Benny Li
In the next 12–24 months, Sano Technologies plans to complete their pilot studies, finalise their MVP, pursue regulatory approvals and explore expansion into international markets, particularly the United States. To support these efforts, the team is seeking to raise capital, which would provide an 18-month runway to accelerate development, partnership-building and commercial readiness.
With a wearable, affordable device on the horizon and a clear need in the healthcare system, Sano Technologies is poised to make swelling easier to see and much easier to treat.
Read more about the 2025 TRAM Air cohort
Connect with Sano Technologies
Get in touch with Masha to learn more about TRAM Air: masha.pelipas@unimelb.edu.au