Avisi Technologies, LLC
Ocular implant for treating glaucoma
Presenter: Rui Jing Jiang
Monday, January 14, 2019
Embassy Suites, Chesterbrook, Pennsylvania (directions)
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About
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Founded in March 2017, Avisi is a pre-clinical medical devices company developing VisiPlate, a nanoscale ocular implant for treating glaucoma (http://avisitech.com).
Open-angle glaucoma (OAG) is the second leading cause of blindness in the world and leads to vision loss that cannot be cured or reversed. By 2020, OAG will affect 3.4 million people in the U.S. and 80 million people globally. In OAG patients, excess fluid builds up inside the eye, putting pressure on and permanently damaging the optic nerve.
VisiPlate is a nanoscale drainage implant that creates a new outflow pathway for aqueous humor in the eye. Excess fluid flows through VisiPlate and is slowly absorbed into surrounding tissue over time, alleviating pressure on the optic nerve. VisiPlate is 1000x thinner than other tube shunts like the Ahmed Glaucoma Valve and the Baerveldt Implant, thus decreasing bleb profile and increasing patient comfort.
VisiPlate also mitigates risk of post-operative double vision, tissue erosion, and bleb failure from excess fibrosis around tube shunts. Compared to minimally invasive glaucoma surgeries (MIGS) such as the XEN Gel Stent and iStent, VisiPlate aims to lower pressure more effectively over time and reduce the need for procedures such as needling.
Technology: The nanotechnology underlying VisiPlate is a shape-recovering, plate metamaterial developed at the University of Pennsylvania. At 100 nanometers, this technology is 1% the thickness of a contact lens. Hexagonal microstructures in the material give VisiPlate the flexural strength to be manually handled by surgeons, unlike other delicate nano-films that crumple. VisiPlate’s unique shape-recovery properties also enable it to withstand multiple sharp bends, which can help facilitate insertion strategies and withstand the physical rigors of daily life post-implantation.
Founded in March 2017, Avisi is a pre-clinical medical devices company developing VisiPlate, a nanoscale ocular implant for treating glaucoma.
Open-angle glaucoma (OAG) is the second leading cause of blindness in the world and leads to vision loss that cannot be cured or reversed. By 2020, OAG will affect 3.4 million people in the U.S. and 80 million people globally. In OAG patients, excess fluid builds up inside the eye, putting pressure on and permanently damaging the optic nerve.
VisiPlate is a nanoscale drainage implant that creates a new outflow pathway for aqueous humor in the eye. Excess fluid flows through VisiPlate and is slowly absorbed into surrounding tissue over time, alleviating pressure on the optic nerve. VisiPlate is 1000x thinner than other tube shunts like the Ahmed Glaucoma Valve and the Baerveldt Implant, thus decreasing bleb profile and increasing patient comfort.
VisiPlate also mitigates risk of post-operative double vision, tissue erosion, and bleb failure from excess fibrosis around tube shunts. Compared to minimally invasive glaucoma surgeries (MIGS) such as the XEN Gel Stent and iStent, VisiPlate aims to lower pressure more effectively over time and reduce the need for procedures such as needling.
Technology: The nanotechnology underlying VisiPlate is a shape-recovering, plate metamaterial developed at the University of Pennsylvania. At 100 nanometers, this technology is 1% the thickness of a contact lens. Hexagonal microstructures in the material give VisiPlate the flexural strength to be manually handled by surgeons, unlike other delicate nano-films that crumple. VisiPlate’s unique shape-recovery properties also enable it to withstand multiple sharp bends, which can help facilitate insertion strategies and withstand the physical rigors of daily life post-implantation.
3 Major Issues
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- How can Avisi incentivize contract MEMS foundries manufacturers who are used to large order volumes (thousands of wafers) to get on board affordably when we're only producing a few units initially (tens of wafers - low hundred wafers) for trials and won't be scaling until we enter the market in ~3 years?
- What's the best way to structure incentive compensation for first hires - how closely tied should it be to company performance vs. his/her role performance?
- How can we start interviewing payers? Who should we reach out to and what's the most effective way to do so?
Program:
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6:30 - Cocktails & Dinner (Cash bar and special 2-entree buffet menu)
7:45 - Rui Jing Jiang, Avisi CEO and Co-Founder, will deliver "Elevator" Pitch to the Group
8:00 - A Panel will address three major issues crucial to helping the Company reach the next level.
9:00 - Open discussion: members and guests
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Slides
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