The Hatch Podcast · 2026-05-28 · 11 min
What started as research at an Air Force laboratory eventually led David Nelson and his team to develop a new way to measure blood flow without needles, probes, or invasive procedures. In this episode of our Building Biotech in Lower Alabama series, Stephanie Glines sits down with David Nelson, founder of Spectratherm, to discuss REFLO, a technology designed to measure microcirculation using low-power radio frequency signals and temperature response. David shares the surprising origin story behind the technology, how it could help vascular surgeons evaluate blood flow during critical procedures, and why one surgeon described the approach as “the holy grail” of vascular surgery. He also talks about the journey from university research to startup founder, lessons learned through the Hatch Biotech Accelerator, and what’s next as Spectratherm moves toward clinical testing and FDA approval.
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