RAYNHAM, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Medrobotics, an emerging medical robotics company developing the innovative Flex™ Robotic System, announced today the appointment of Eugene N. Myers, M.D., and Marshall Strome, M.D., two thought-leaders in the field of head and neck surgery, as co-chairmen of the Company’s worldwide Medical Advisory Board.
“The Flex™ Robotic System is designed to provide hospitals with a cost‐effective, multi‐purpose surgical platform so they can offer patients and surgeons a new, minimally-invasive treatment alternative for disease in difficult-to-access anatomical locations, starting with transoral applications in the oropharynx and larynx,” said Samuel Straface, Ph.D., president and CEO of Medrobotics. “We are extremely excited to have Dr. Myers and Dr. Strome, two exceptional surgeons, lead our worldwide Medical Advisory Board as we prepare to make our first product available to leading head and neck surgeons,” added Dr. Straface.
Dr. Eugene N. Myers is Distinguished Professor and Emeritus Chair of the Department of Otolaryngology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. He has written 259 articles and has published many books, the most notable of which is ‘Cancer of the Head and Neck’ together with Dr. James Y. Suen, now considered the standard textbook on this topic. Dr. Myers serves on many editorial boards throughout the world and was International Editor of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. “I am excited to participate in making this important technology available to surgeons and their patients, whose treatment options currently are often limited and not well tolerated,” said Dr. Myers.
Dr. Marshall Strome is the immediate past Professor and Chairman of the Cleveland Clinic Head and Neck Institute. In 1998, Dr. Strome performed the world’s first total human laryngeal transplant; and in 2005, he performed the world’s first robotic laser excision of a laryngeal malignancy. In addition to more than 200 publications and several books, Dr Strome was one of a select group of physicians recognized at the millennium by the American Academy of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery for their contributions to medicine in the last 250 years. “I’ve had the privilege of working with the Medrobotics team throughout the development process, and am pleased to formalize my role with the company as the Flex™ Robotic System is introduced to the eagerly awaiting ENT community,” said Dr. Strome.
The initial application of the Flex™ Robotic System will address a compelling unmet need for minimally invasive treatment options for the approximately 200,000 patients diagnosed with head and neck cancer each year in the U.S. and Europe, and many more with significant benign disease. The Flex™ Robotic System is anticipated to be commercially available in 2013 in the U.S. and Europe. Additional applications in other difficult-to-access anatomical locations in the body are already under development.
About Eugene N. Myers MD, FACS, FRCS Edin. (Hon)
Dr. Myers is Distinguished Professor and Emeritus Chair of the Department of Otolaryngology of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. The department has always been in the top tier in the nation in U.S. News & World Report.
Dr. Myers is acknowledged as one of the top Head and Neck surgeons worldwide. He has written 259 articles and has published many books, the most notable of which is ‘Cancer of the Head and Neck’ together with Dr. James Y. Suen now considered the standard textbook on this topic. Dr. Myers serves on many editorial boards throughout the world and was International Editor of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. He is also an Honorary Member of more than 20 national societies and was Principal Investigator of the Oral Cancer Center of Discovery funded by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research.
Dr. Myers is Past President of the American Board of Otolaryngology, the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, the American Laryngological Association, the American Head and Neck Society, and the Pan American Association of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.
About Marshall Strome MD, MS, FACS
Dr. Marshall Strome has spent most of his academic career at Harvard Medical School, heading Otolaryngology at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and at the Cleveland Clinic as Professor and Chairman of the Clinic’s Head and Neck Institute. Under his leadership, the Clinic’s program attained recognition as one of the elite programs worldwide.
Among Dr Strome's numerous national and international awards and honors, he was one of a select group of physicians recognized in the millennium edition of the ‘Guinness Book of World Records’ as a medical hero. He has received the medal of the city of Paris, France, the Leica visionary award and currently serves as a member of the Recombinant DNA Committee of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Having given many noted keynote addresses and named lectureships, Dr. Strome has spoken as a visiting professor more than 100 times worldwide leading to broad exposure in the news, lay press and television, including the Discovery Channel's ‘Pioneers in Organ Transplantation.’
Dr Strome has been president of the American Laryngological Association, The Society of University Otolaryngologists, the New York Laryngological Society and the Cartesian Society. He has served as Chairman of the Board of Governors of the University of Michigan Alumni Society. His current research interests are in regenerative medicine, specifically the trachea, and in robotics.
About Medrobotics
Medrobotics Corporation (www.Medrobotics.com) is a privately held company headquartered in Raynham, Massachusetts, that is developing and commercializing the Flex™ Robotic System, a robotic assist platform that enables surgeons to gain single-site access and visualization to difficult-to-access anatomical locations. The robot provides a precise and stable platform for enhanced visualization, and enables two-handed dexterity with compatible third-party tools having tactile feedback. The Flex™ Robotic System is anticipated to be commercially available in 2013.