RadianceTx Expands Team to Develop Beta Ophthalmic System

Radiance Therapeutics has announced the expansion of its core team. Abigail Mackrill, formerly of Ophthalmology Futures Forums and The Ophthalmologist, joins as Director of Business Development and Outreach. James Fazio, MBA, Msc Eng, formerly Global Business Leader for Gore Medical’s Peripheral Vascular business unit, will now serve as Director of Engineering at RadianceTx. Cassie Vollmer, Director of Quality Assurance and Regulatory Affairs, joins RadianceTx from Vyaire Medical.

Ms. Mackrill, Mr. Fazio, and Ms. Vollmer join the growing RadianceTx team lead by Chief Executive Officer Laurence Marsteller, MD, and President and Chief Financial Officer, Harry George, to drive RadianceTx through its next phase of development.

The RadianceTx Beta Ophthalmic System is a device designed for topical application of beta therapy, currently under development.

“Radiance Therapeutics’ successful recruitment of commercial leaders to our team is due in large part to the exciting opportunity our device presents as a tool that can help ophthalmologists improve surgical outcomes,” Dr. Marsteller said in a company news release.

“We have seen the compelling clinical data and strongly support the vision of the leadership team to address this vital therapeutic unmet need. We look forward to our coming achievements together,” RadianceTx Board member Marc Sandroff, Founder and Principal at Cadre Partners, an investor in Radiance Therapeutics, and formerly Managing Director of Essex Woodlands Health Venture Funds, said in the news release.

Validated in three clinical studies conducted by ophthalmic research teams utilizing legacy devices, beta therapy has been shown to reduce postoperative scarring and therefore improve glaucoma filtration surgery outcomes [1,2]. A recent study reported odds ratios that beta therapy patients were five and a half times more likely to experience lower IOP at the end of 1 year than patients treated with the current standard of care, Mitomycin-C [3].

1. Kirwan, JF et al. Effect of Beta Radiation on Success of Glaucoma Drainage Surgery in South Africa: Randomised Controlled Trial. BMJ, doi:10.1136/bmj.38971.395301.7C (published 5 October 2006)

2. Dhalla, K et al. Is Beta Radiation Better than 5 Flurouracil as an Adjunct for Trabeculectomy Surgery When Combined with Cataract Surgery? A Randomized Controlled Trial. PloS ONE 11(9)

3.Cook, C et al. Randomised Clinical Trial of Trabeculectomy with Mitomycin-C Versus Trabeculectomy with Beta Radiation. South African Ophthalmology Journal, 13, 11-14 (2018)