Is there an invisible feeding tube?

Yes. The Alsteni System is an intraorally-anchored feeding tube that is completely invisible when not in use. It anchors to a custom-fitted oral appliance inside the mouth, with no tube on the face or surgical opening in the abdomen.

What are the alternatives to a nasogastric tube?

Traditional alternatives include PEG (gastrostomy) tubes, which require surgery. The Alsteni System offers a new alternative: an intraorally-anchored feeding tube that is removable, invisible when not in use, and placed without surgery.

Can you get a feeding tube that no one can see?

The Alsteni System is designed to be completely hidden. The anchor sits behind the teeth on a custom-fitted oral appliance, and the feeding tube retracts entirely inside the mouth between feedings. Nothing is visible on the face, neck, or body.

Is there a removable feeding tube?

The Alsteni System features a fully removable feeding tube that connects to a permanent intraoral anchor. The tube can be inserted and removed by a physician, and retracts inside the mouth between feedings.

What is the Alsteni System?

The Alsteni System is a medical device platform for enteral nutrition that uses a custom-fitted oral appliance to anchor a completely removable feeding tube inside the mouth. It was developed by a board-certified endocrinologist and is designed to eliminate the body image and social isolation issues associated with traditional feeding tubes.

Intraorally Anchored · FDA 510(k) Pathway Confirmed

The first new enteral access route since PEG·1979

Invisible. Reversible. Patient-removable.

First new enteral access route since 1979 · Nutrition & Diabetes (Springer Nature, 2020) · FDA 510(k) Pathway Confirmed · USC Techstars ’25

Get in Touch How It Works

The proof

First in Human

334

Tube-days · Zero serious adverse events

Published in Nutrition & Diabetes (Springer Nature), 2020. IRB-approved feasibility study in 16 adults. Zero device-related hospitalizations across all enrolled patients.

Beale et al., Nutrition & Diabetes, 2020 · PMID: 32555148

Patent Estate

2+ Pipeline

Issued US patents · Active prosecution across multiple filings

Two issued US patents anchor the device, with the core protection spanning nearly two decades. An active pipeline of additional filings is in prosecution at Knobbe Martens, covering multiple dimensions of the device architecture. The estate is built and maintained with disciplined capital efficiency — and continues to grow.

FDA Pathway

Q252869

FDA 510(k) pathway confirmed

FDA Pre-Submission complete (Q252869). Class II medical device pathway. Next-stage clinical studies planned to support the 510(k) submission for enteral nutrition.

FDA Pre-Submission · MedTech Impact Partners, Regulatory Strategy

Backed by

Supported by

USC '25 ·

I‑Corps ·

Coulter Advisors from Mayo Clinic · Columbia · USC Keck · U. Adelaide

View All Credentials ↓

Institutional Affiliations

Mayo Clinic — Advisory board (ASPEN Board members)

Columbia University — Advisory board (clinical nutrition research)

USC Keck School of Medicine — Founder affiliation, clinical study site

University of Adelaide — Co-investigator (Prof. Michael Horowitz)

Creighton University — Clinical trial site (Dr. John Anwar, faculty champion)

Washington State University — Alumni network, faculty research collaborations

Funding & Programs

Coulter Foundation — Grant recipient

National Science Foundation — Grant recipient

USC Techstars 2025 — Inaugural cohort

Published Science

Beale et al., Nutrition & Diabetes (Springer Nature, 2020)

Zero serious adverse events across 334 device-days

2.4 kg mean weight loss in 14 days (p=0.008)

Statistically significant GLP-1 and PYY elevation

Intellectual Property & Regulatory

US Patent 10,744,070 — Issued

US Patent 12,336,797 — Issued

PCT WO2025235457 — International protection filed

2 issued patents · Active pipeline in prosecution at Knobbe Martens

FDA Pre-Submission Q252869 — 510(k) pathway confirmed, December 2025

Why This Matters

Over

600,000

Americans depend on tube feeding each year. The tubes work. The experience doesn’t.

Today’s options force an impossible choice: a nasogastric tube taped across the face, or a gastrostomy tube requiring surgery. In more than four decades, no fundamentally new approach has reached patients.

Today’s standard

Nasogastric Tube

Taped across the face — visible to everyone

A prospective study found 53% of NG tube patients reported significant body image disturbance, with many describing feelings of shame, embarrassment, and social withdrawal directly linked to the tube’s facial visibility.

Ojo et al., Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, 2019
Dislodges regularly, requiring reinsertion

NG tube displacement rates range from 21–58% across published studies. Each reinsertion carries risk of misplacement into the lungs, with reported rates of pulmonary insertion between 1.3–2.4% — a potentially fatal complication.

Sparks et al., Nutrition in Clinical Practice, 2011; Metheny et al., American Journal of Critical Care, 2019
Patients report avoiding social situations and public spaces

Qualitative research shows tube-fed patients consistently describe social isolation as a primary burden — avoiding restaurants, declining invitations, and eating in private. Visibility is cited as the leading reason patients decline NG tubes.

Brotherton et al., Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, 2006; ASPEN Clinical Guidelines, 2024

or worse

Today’s standard

Gastrostomy (PEG) Tube

Requires a surgical opening in the abdomen

PEG placement carries a procedure-related mortality rate of 0.5–2% and a 30-day mortality as high as 24% in certain elderly populations. Despite being intended as "temporary," many patients retain PEG tubes for years due to the invasiveness of removal.

Defined for removal: Rahnemai-Azar et al., International Journal of General Medicine, 2014; Janes et al., BMJ, 2005
Daily wound care and ongoing infection risk at the stoma site

Peristomal wound infections occur in 4–30% of PEG patients, making it the most common complication. Other risks include buried bumper syndrome (0.3–2.4%), peritonitis, and tube migration — each requiring additional clinical intervention.

Blumenstein et al., World Journal of Gastroenterology, 2014; Hucl & Spicak, Best Practice & Research Clinical Gastroenterology, 2016
Permanent scarring, even after removal

After PEG removal, persistent gastrocutaneous fistula occurs in up to 44% of patients, often requiring surgical closure. All patients are left with a visible scar. For patients whose underlying condition resolves, the physical reminder of the tube remains indefinitely.

Löser et al., Endoscopy, 2005 (ESPEN Guideline); Gordon & Lovat, Frontline Gastroenterology, 2019

How It’s Different

Not a new version of the same tube.
A fundamentally different approach.

Invisible Between Uses

No visible hardware. Ever.

The anchor lives inside the mouth. When the tube isn’t in use, there’s nothing visible — no tape, no tubing, no external hardware. Patients look exactly as they did before.

No Surgery. No Stoma. No Scar.

Placed in minutes. Removed just as easily.

The Alsteni System requires no surgical opening. Placement takes minutes in an outpatient setting. No incision, no wound care, no permanent change to the body.

Patient-Controlled

Designed for daily life, not just clinical settings.

Patients place and remove the tube themselves. No clinic visit required between feeds. Feed at home, sleep normally, go to work. The device fits into life — not the other way around.

Published Research

Grounded in peer-reviewed data.

One published study. Next-stage clinical studies planned. Every claim on this site traces to primary data.

Beale et al., 2020 — Nutrition & Diabetes

Journal

Nutrition & Diabetes
Springer Nature

PMID

32555148

Design

IRB-approved feasibility study

Population

Adults with intraoral feeding tube

Key Finding

The study completed 334 tube-days with zero serious adverse events, establishing an initial safety signal for the intraoral anchoring approach.

View full research page

Safety

334 tube-days · Zero serious adverse eventsNo dislodgements requiring emergency intervention across all patients and tube-days in the published feasibility trial.

In Development

What’s Next

OASIS-90 TrialFDA-required next-stage clinical study. IRB protocol in development with academic medical center partner.

The Platform

One platform. Designed to grow.

The Alsteni System is a modular enteral feeding platform. The same anchor, tube, and adapter architecture is designed to support multiple clinical applications — beginning with enteral nutrition.

Alsteni Nourish

Designed for patients who depend on tube feeding

An invisible, non-surgical alternative to NG and PEG tubes — for patients with cancer, dysphagia, neurological conditions, or any diagnosis requiring sustained enteral nutrition. Designed to support patient dignity and treatment adherence without a visible tube on the face.

Alsteni Reset

A metabolic therapy program currently in development

Exploring the use of intraoral-anchored enteral delivery as a targeted metabolic intervention — leveraging the same platform architecture to support caloric control and metabolic health. Currently in pre-clinical development.

Future indications may be pursued under Phase 2 label expansion following 510(k) clearance for enteral nutrition. Not currently under FDA review.

The Alsteni System is built on three integrated components: an intraoral anchor, a patient-managed feeding tube, and a standardized adapter architecture — designed to support multiple clinical applications from a single platform.

Get in Touch

Leadership

Built by operators. Guided by experts.

63 issued patents. $1.5B+ in commercialized medical device revenue. Published researchers. Former FDA reviewers. A team built to take this from prototype to patients.