– Company is Focused on Slowing Brain Tumor Progression, Improving Quality of Life for Patients and Caregivers
– Seasoned Life Science Industry Executives Prattipati Laxminarain and Mara Aspinall Join Board of Directors
TEMPE, Ariz.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–GT Medical Technologies, Inc., a company dedicated to improving the lives of patients with brain tumors, today announced that it has raised $10 million in a Series A financing led by MedTech Venture Partners with participation from BlueStone Venture Partners. Funds from the round will support the commercialization of GammaTile™ Therapy, an FDA-cleared, surgically targeted radiation therapy (STaRT™) for patients with recurrent intracranial neoplasms (brain tumors). The company recently launched a limited market release of GammaTile Therapy and is making it available at select medical centers in the United States.
Approximately 400,000 Americans are newly diagnosed with some type of brain tumor each year.1 Despite the efforts of the most skilled brain tumor specialists throughout the world, outcomes for patients with brain tumors have improved very little over the past 30 years. Recurrence of brain tumors is common, and about half of all patients treated for brain tumors have their disease recur within a year.“GT MedTech’s mission is in line with our investment goal of supporting innovative technologies that address unmet needs in vital disease areas,” said Radu Cautis, partner and managing director of MedTech Venture Partners. “We are enthusiastic about the potential of GammaTile Therapy to address the shortcomings of current treatments and elevate the standard of care for patients with brain tumors.”
GammaTile Therapy is placed directly at the site of the tumor after excision is complete and immediately begins targeting residual tumor cells before they can replicate. Designed to protect healthy brain tissue and facilitate rapid, accurate placement during the procedure, the therapy features a bioresorbable, conformable, 3D-collagen tile and uniform radiation source. GammaTile Therapy is indicated for the treatment of all types of recurrent brain tumors, including primary (benign or malignant) and metastatic tumors.
Matthew Likens
president and CEO
GT MedTech
Data supporting the efficacy and safety profile of the therapy for patients with recurrent, previously-treated meningiomas were published last month in the Journal of Neurosurgery (JNS), the official journal of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons. Additional clinical data from other types of tumors will be presented at the AANS Annual Scientific Meeting in April.
“GammaTile Therapy was developed by a team of brain tumor specialists who were running out of options for their patients. Their urgency to find a viable solution for these patients led to the creation of GammaTile Therapy, which is designed to be immediate, safe, predictable, and effective,” said Matthew Likens, president and CEO of GT MedTech. “With this funding, in addition to adding seasoned industry executives to our team, we look forward to building and expanding our commercialization efforts so that we can offer this new option to patients at brain tumor treatment centers across the United States.”
Company Announces Appointments of Seasoned Executives
GT Medical Technologies also announced that Prattipati Laxminarain has joined the company’s Board of Directors, having previously served as the worldwide president of Codman Neuro, a neurosurgical medical device business recently acquired by Integra Life Sciences from Johnson & Johnson for more than $1 billion. Laxminarain had a 30-year career at Johnson & Johnson, spanning international markets. He remains active in the healthcare sector as a board member of the Global Neuro Foundation, Microbot Medical, Oculogica, Stratus Global LLC, and the Brain Aneurysm Foundation.
In addition, Mara Aspinall, co-founder and managing director of BlueStone Venture Partners, has been appointed as an observer to the company’s Board of Directors. Formerly the president and CEO of Ventana Medical Systems, which was acquired by Roche for $3.4 billion, Aspinall brings more than 20 years of industry experience in medical device development, biomedical diagnostics, personalized medicine, and digital health. Aspinall also currently holds various board of director roles, including Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona, OraSure Technologies, Allscripts, and others.
“GT MedTech’s innovative technology has the potential to significantly improve the lives of patients with brain tumors and their caregivers,” said Aspinall. “By taking part in this funding round and working alongside the Board of Directors, BlueStone Venture Partners hopes to help further advance GT MedTech’s vital technology.”
About GammaTile™ Therapy
GammaTile Therapy is a FDA-cleared, surgically targeted radiation therapy (STaRT) that is placed at the end of brain tumor excision surgery and immediately begins targeting residual tumor cells. GammaTile Therapy features a bioresorbable, conformable, 3D-collagen tile and uniform radiation source. This therapy offers advantages over the most common treatment for patients undergoing surgery for recurrent brain tumors: a course of External Beam Radiation Therapy (EBRT), which requires daily treatments for up to six weeks. Some patients may not be candidates for EBRT, and those patients who are candidates typically have to wait two weeks or more for surgical wound healing before beginning treatment, giving any residual tumor cells a chance to replicate. Patients treated with GammaTile Therapy require no additional trips to the hospital or clinic for radiation therapy. Because the therapy is targeted, patients receive radiation only where it is needed, and may receive a lower overall level of exposure to radiation.
GammaTile Therapy received FDA 510(k) clearance in July 2018 for the treatment of all types of recurrent brain tumors, including primary (benign or malignant) and metastatic tumors, and has an established CMS code for Medicare reimbursement.
About GT Medical Technologies, Inc.
Driven to overcome the limitations of current treatments for recurrent brain tumors and raise the standard of care, a team of brain tumor specialists joined forces and formed GT Medical Technologies with a purpose to prevent disease progression and improve quality of life for patients with recurrent brain tumors. Extensive clinical expertise informed the design of GammaTile Therapy, and deep medical device experience guides the company. The company is headquartered in Tempe, Arizona. For more information, visit https://www.gtmedtech.com/.
1 http://www.cbtrus.org/factsheet/factsheet.html, accessed January 23, 2019