A Talk with Ted Lamson of NeoTract

When Ted Lamson first came to Penn State in 1987 from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, he had his sights set on a master’s degree in bioengineering. Working in the artificial heart lab, Lamson’s aptitude and ingenuity for medical devices soon became apparent. After being offered a position to supervise the heart lab, he decided to stay at Penn State and continue on for his doctorate as a project engineer. During graduate school, he strongly considered pursuing a career in academia by becoming a professor. However, mid-way through his doctural program, Lamson realized his passion for innovation and decided to pursue a profession in industry. He set out with one goal in mind: changing the standard of care offered by health professionals.

Lamson played a leadership role in several successful business enterprises, such as vice president of advanced technologies at Medtronic Vascular and vice president of research and development at TransVascular, a company eventually sold to Medtronic. Along with his management positions, he currently serves as the chief technical officer for NeoTract, a company he founded in California.

NeoTract is dedicated to developing innovative, minimally invasive devices focusing on current unmet needs in the field of urology. NeoTract has developed a device called UroLift, which is capable of alleviating symptoms associated with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), a condition affecting over 500 million aging men worldwide. In short, BPH occurs when the prostate enlarges to a point where it constricts the passing urethra, causing bothersome lower urinary tract symptoms. Before UroLift, doctors would often be required to resect or ablate the prostate tissue in order to open the blocked urethra in a procedure known as transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP). The UroLift system gives health professionals the ability to open the urethra directly, without need to resect prostate tissue. This device has truly revolutionized the current standard of care offered to patients with BPH, an important core goal for the founder of NeoTract.

Lamson speaks very highly of his time at Penn State. He mentions how he learned systematic approaches to solving problems, something that has helped him extensively in his career. In his studies and project work on the artificial heart, he was driven to understand the complex systems in the body, a passion that continues in his work today.

Similar to his experience in the artificial heart lab at Penn State, Lamson has continued to be an extremely versatile professional. Often his job at NeoTract requires him to play several different roles during the day. “I play the shortstop at the company. Whether I am needed in sales, management, or even just sometimes a technician, I go where needed,” he explains when asked of the responsibilities he handles on a regular basis. His humble nature seems to have allowed him to keep focus on all the divisions of his company, giving him the ability to determine key areas for improvement and growth that he can then take lead on.

When asked what advice he has for prospective biomedical engineering students at Penn State he advises, “If you want to succeed at something, your overall goal should be to learn. As opposed to feeling qualified for something because your major is applicable, immerse yourself in what you do and always look to learn something new. The demonstrated ability to study up, tap into valuable resources, and rapidly grow should never be underestimated. When an individual exhibits true curiosity in a field, they put themselves in a position to lead others.”

- Surge Kalaba, (B.S. '14)