(Patricia Buehler, MD, MPH)
A question raised in clinical practice by two Central Oregon surgeons has grown into an Oregon business story shaped by local collaboration, university resources and regional investment. Founded in Bend by Patricia Buehler, MD, MPH, and Knute Buehler, MD, MA, Osheru has reached a new stage as its first medical technology, Ziplyft, becomes commercially available to qualified surgeons in the United States.
The milestone follows years of work involving physicians, engineers, researchers, early investors and Oregon organizations. During its early development, Osheru worked with OSU-Cascades physical therapy and business programs on product improvements, market positioning and business strategy. The company also conducted early cadaver-lab evaluation at OSU-Cascades, assessing 62 eyelids across seven labs as the founders refined the technique and device design.
In 2022, Osheru was selected as an early stage investment recipient at the Bend Venture Conference and received a $25,000 prize from Portland Seed Fund. The company later announced a separate $7 million seed round to support continued development and commercialization.
“Building a company in Central Oregon has meant drawing on the strengths of a community that values collaboration, practical problem-solving and entrepreneurship,” said Dr. Patricia Buehler, co-founder of Osheru. “The progress reflects the contributions of many people who were willing to help two physicians turn an observation from clinical practice into a company.”
Osheru’s path also reflects a form of professional reinvention increasingly visible across Oregon. After careers centered on patient care, the Buehler’s moved into entrepreneurship and company building. Their experience demonstrates how frontline knowledge can become the starting point for entrepreneurship, even outside a major metropolitan technology hub.
Ziplyft provides the timely milestone in that broader story. The technology was developed to support a less invasive approach to upper eyelid rejuvenation. Osheru is now selling the device nation wide, training surgeons, working with physician collaborators and continuing to develop new devices as the company enters its next phase.
“Central Oregon is not always the first-place people think of when they picture medical technology development, but the region has the talent, facilities and entrepreneurial support to help ideas take shape,” said Dr. Knute Buehler, co-founder of Osheru. “We are proud that the company began here and that its growth continues to reflect Oregon’s contribution.”
For Osheru, commercialization is not only a product milestone. It marks the progression of a Bend-born idea through university collaboration, early testing, local venture support and the practical challenges of building an Oregon company intended to serve a broader market.
About Osheru:
Osheru is a Bend-based medical device company founded by physicians Patricia Buehler, MD, MPH, and Knute Buehler, MD, MA. The company develops technologies informed by clinical practice. Its first technology, Ziplyft, is intended for upper eyelid rejuvenation and is commercially available to qualified surgeons in the United States.
