NEWTOWN, Pa., July 31, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Helius Medical Technologies, Inc.(TSX:HSM) (TSX:HSM.WT) (OTCQB:HSDT), a medical technology company focused on the treatment of neurological symptoms caused by disease or trauma, announce the formation of a newly constituted Scientific Advisory Board including Dr. Gopal Chopra to serve as Chairman.
“I am delighted we have recruited a good friend and respected colleague to take on this important responsibility,” said outgoing chair, Dr. Jonathan Sackier. “Dr. Chopra’s work as a neurosurgeon and entrepreneur position him ideally to assume the mantle of Chairman of our Scientific Advisory Board (SAB). Gopal and I, together with the company leadership, have reconfigured our SAB to guide Helius towards commercialization of our investigational and disruptive PoNS™ Therapy. We want to thank Dr. Ron Alterman, Dr. Jennifer Sweet, Dr. Jim Surmeier, Dr. Reggie Edgerton, Major General Gale Pollock (ret) and Dr. Rick Celebrini for their service. I can now focus as Chief Medical Officer on the other exciting projects we are working on as we move towards bringing PoNS™ Therapy to the numerous patients who may benefit. Our excellent team is growing and Gopal enhances our reach into the medical community.”
“Helius has an extraordinarily simple non-invasive way of tapping into the brain’s ability to create new connections after injury or disease,” said Gopal Chopra, M.D. “With the world of neuroscience exploring the future of connecting the brain with computers and electronic interfaces, the team we are bringing to Helius will explore the frontiers of neuroplasticity and the previously untreatable world of brain injury. It will be a pleasure to work alongside this world-class team of neuroscience experts."
Remaining SAB Members Include:
Dr. Jonathan Sackier, Chief Medical Officer, Helius Medical Technologies
Carl Hauser, M.D., Director of Trauma and attending surgeon at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital; visiting professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School
Scott Parazynski, M.D., Former NASA astronaut, inventor and leader in the medical device and medical research fields
Catherine Cho, M.D.,Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Neurology at New York University Langone
New SAB Members Include:
Gopal Chopra, M.D., Co-founder and managing partner of TCG, neurosurgeon and serial entrepreneur in medtech and healthtech
Ann M. Graybiel, Ph.D., Institute Professor at MIT, The McGovern Institute of Brain Research. Her research focuses on the regions of the forebrain that influence movement, mood and motivation, and how these regions function in health and disease.
Raj K. Narayan, M.D., FACS, Professor and Chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery at Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine and Director of the Northwell Neuroscience Institute. He is recognized internationally for his work on traumatic brain injury.
Ali Rezai, M.D. is the Director of the Neurological Institute and Associate Dean of Neuroscience at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.
For full biographies of Helius’ Scientific Advisory Board members, please visit: http://heliusmedical.com/index.php/about/advisory-board
About PoNS™ Therapy
The Portable Neuromodulation Stimulator (PoNS) is an investigational non-invasive device designed to deliver neurostimulation through the tongue. PoNS Therapy combines the use of the device with physical or cognitive therapy and is currently being evaluated in a multicenter clinical trial for the treatment of chronic balance deficits for subjects with mild to moderate Traumatic Brain Injury.
About Helius Medical Technologies, Inc.
Helius Medical Technologies is a medical technology company focused on neurological wellness. Helius seeks to develop, license and acquire unique and non-invasive platform technologies that amplify the brain's ability to heal itself. For more information, please visit www.heliusmedical.com.
