Leading clinicians to play key role in company’s ambitious product development programs aimed at dramatically improving patient outcomes in pancreatic cancer and other high-unmet-need disease areas
Myka Labs, a leader in the development of groundbreaking intraoperative imaging solutions and anatomy-modifying components for high-unmet-need diseases, today announced the formation of its Clinical Advisory Board.
Inaugural members of the board are:
- Dr. Deb Nagle (Stony Brook Medicine; pictured above). Dr. Nagle is Chief of the Division of Colon and Rectal Surgery at Stony Brook Medicine/Renaissance School of Medicine, Stony Brook University. From robotic and non-robotic laparoscopic surgery for colon and rectal cancer to inflammatory bowel disease and Crohn’s, Dr. Nagle is recognized around the world as a leader in patient care, while also performing groundbreaking research in areas ranging from gut metabolomics to intestinal tumorigenesis to surgical site infections. Dr. Nagle also has expertise in health economics and health care system management. Dr. Nagle completed her medical education at the University of Pennsylvania and her fellowship training at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. At Myka Labs, Dr. Nagle provides insight both on priorities for improving patient outcomes in conditions like Crohn’s and colorectal cancer as well as on considerations around broader stakeholder priorities that can affect adoption of innovative new solutions in the practice of medicine.
- Dr. Brett Sheppard. Dr. Sheppard is co-director of the renowned Brenden-Colson Center for Pancreatic Care, which is part of the Knight Cancer Institute at Oregon Health Sciences University, and one of the world’s leading experts on pancreatic cancer care and research. Roles currently held by Dr. Sheppard in the Oregon Health Sciences School of Medicine include Professor of Surgery, Division of Gastrointestinal and General Surgery; William E. Colson Chair of Pancreatic Disease Research; and Vice Chair for Quality and Clinical Operations, Surgery. At Myka Labs, Dr. Sheppard provides broad insight around current and future directions in pancreatic cancer patient care as well as the multispecialty nature of the process of individual patient decisionmaking in pancreatic cancer and other abdominal cancers.
- Dr. Miguel Burch (Cedars-Sinai). At Cedars-Sinai, roles currently held by Dr. Burch include Director of the Division of General Surgery and Director of the Gastrointestinal and Robotic Research Fellowship Program, and an Associate Professor of Surgery. His research includes studies of best practices for managing post-operative complications of metabolic procedures like Roux-en-Y bypass as well as studies of health disparities in the field of surgery. At Myka Labs, Dr. Burch guides senior leadership in understanding challenges in current robotic procedures and opportunities to improve surgical robot functionality to overcome barriers to uptake for key categories of procedures.
- Dr. Marshall Stoller (University of California at San Francisco). In three decades of practice, Dr. Stoller has consistently driven innovation in the field of urology, ranging from his pioneering work in the 1990s on the use of neurostimulation for overactive bladder; to developing citrate drinks to promote kidney health, to carrying out groundbreaking research on the underlying pathophysiology of cystinuria, a rare genetic condition associated with profoundly elevated rates of kidney stone formation; to most recently co-founding (along with Myka Labs CEO Dan Laser) Applaud, which is a leader in lipid nanoparticle technology and has developed innovative products using hybrid alendronate-LNP chemistries for treating biomineralization-associated diseases. At Myka Labs, Dr. Stoller lends his expertise around potential applications of Myka’s advanced navigation technologies for conditions like ureteral stricture.
- Dr. Barry Salky (Mount Sinai). Dr. Salky was an early adopter and pioneer of therapeutic laparoscopic surgery, with a primary focus on minimally invasive surgery in the gastrointestinal tract with special interest in inflammatory bowel disease. He is Professor Emeritus of Surgery, Mount Sinai Health System. At Mount Sinai Hospital, Dr. Salky founded the Division of Laparoscopic Surgery in 1992 and presided as its Chief for many years. He has published extensively, presented at hundreds of global conferences. He is the past vice president of the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES); the current Secretary of the SAGES Foundation; and the current President of the International Federation of Surgical Endoscopic Societies (IFSES). Dr. Salky provides expert insight on a broad range of Myka Labs priorities with particular emphasis on applications of Myka Labs technology in inflammatory bowel disease.
- Dr. Robert Lustig (UCSF). At UCSF, Dr. Lustig is Professor emeritus of Pediatrics, Division of Endocrinology. He specializes in the field of neuroendocrinology, with an emphasis on the regulation of energy balance by the central nervous system. His research and clinical practice has focused on childhood obesity and diabetes. More broadly, Dr. Lustig has fostered a global discussion of metabolic health and nutrition, including through serving on a variety of international commissions and advisory boards focusing on nutrition and health. Books authored by Dr. Lustig include New York Times bestseller Fat Chance, which broke important ground in spurring conversation around the toxic and addictive properties of sugar, as well as The Hacking of the American Mind, and Metabolical: The Lure and Lies of Processed Food, Nutrition and Modern Medicine. Dr. Lustig holds a Bachelor’s in Science from MIT, a Doctorate in Medicine from Cornell University. Medical College, and a Master’s of Studies in Law from U.C. Hastings College of the Law. At Myka Labs, his role includes understanding the interrelationship between interventional procedures enabled by the company’s innovative technology and metabolic health.
- Dr. Joo Ha Hwang (Stanford Medicine). Dr. Hwang specializes in advanced endoscopic procedures like endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). He completed his medical training at the University of Chicago and a fellowship in advanced endoscopy at the University of Washington, where he also did a PhD in electrical engineering with a focus on therapeutic ultrasound. He is a member of the American Gastroenterology Association’s Center for GI Innovation and Technology; chair of the Asian American Stomach Cancer Disparity Task Force, and past president of the International Society for Therapeutic Ultrasound. At Myka Labs, Dr. Hwang provides essential input to the R&D team around how advanced navigation technologies can potentially improve patient safety in challenging procedures like endoscopic gastrojejunostomy while reducing care team radiation exposure.
Myka Labs is a clinical-stage company dedicated to helping patients battling challenging conditions like pancreatic cancer live longer, healthier lives. Leveraging artificial intelligence in combination with innovative anatomy tagging technology, ConfluxTM from Myka Labs is a family of transformative solutions for high-clinical-impact procedures like bypasses, resections and ablations.