Dr. Holman argues the autonomic nervous system is an overlooked therapeutic target with vast potential. By modulating this system, innovators can address root causes of not just autoimmune disorders but also cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. He calls this emerging field "immunoautonomics."
Dr. Holman, from a family of lawyers, applies a legal mindset to medicine. He views medical challenges not as settled facts to be memorized, but as complex cases full of unknowns and room for debate. This approach enabled him to identify the overlooked link between the stress response and autoimmune disease.
When traditional outreach for a licensing deal failed, Dr. Holman had 80 patients send personal Christmas cards to the CEO of Boehringer Ingelheim. The highly personal, non-digital approach bypassed corporate handlers, landed directly on the CEO's desk, and secured a meeting within a week.
Many medtech companies design large trials where a tiny, clinically meaningless response can be statistically significant. Dr. Holman advises entrepreneurs to instead run rigorous trials that prove genuine clinical value, arguing that credible data is the ultimate moat, even if it carries a higher risk of failure.
Dr. Holman started his company at 55, driven by decades of watching patients suffer from autoimmune diseases. This deep-seated motivation to solve a problem he knew intimately fostered a long-term, validation-focused approach centered on finding "proof points," a contrast to the faster, exit-oriented mindset of many younger founders.
Rather than inventing from scratch, InMedx licensed its advanced heart-rate variability algorithm from Omega Wave, a company serving pro sports teams. This allowed them to leverage a proven, precise technology and focus their resources on the higher-value activities of clinical validation and securing FDA clearance for medical use.