EMVision Medical Devices adds respected stroke care experts to clinical advisory board

Queensland-based EMVision Medical Devices (ASX: EMV) has added three respected experts in the field of stroke care to its clinical advisory board.

Neurologists Professor Geoffrey Donnan and Professor Stephen Davis will join the board in an ex-officio capacity as co-chairs of the Australian Stroke Alliance.

They will be joined on the Clinical Advisory Board, also in an ex-officio capacity, by stroke neurologist and Mobile Stroke Unit (MSU) expert Dr Angela Dos Santos.

EMVision chief executive officer Dr Ron Weinberger said the new board members would be a strong addition to the company’s clinical advisors.

“They bring significant international stroke care experience and connectivity, which is important as we advance our products towards realisation and commercialisation,” he said.

“We have developed an excellent working relationship with Professors Donnan and Davis via the Australian Stroke Alliance I am looking forward to their ongoing guidance as we execute on our product, clinical and commercial strategy.”

Stroke expert

Professor Donnan is a past president of the World Stroke Organisation and helped establish the World Neurology Foundation.

He was chair of the World Congress of Neurology held in Italy last year.

Professor Donnan’s work has shown that brain tissue could have prolonged survival after stroke and, if salvaged, could improve clinical outcomes.

This research provided the rationale for acute stroke therapies.

He has a major research interest in ischemic stroke, having conducted the first ever clinical trials of clot dissolving agents (thrombolysis) in Australia and being regarded as a leader in acute stroke trials internationally.

“Working with EMVision on the clinical translation of their lightweight imaging device represents a once in a generation opportunity to revolutionise the delivery of acute stroke care to all Australians,” Professor Donnan said.

“The concept of bringing imaging to the patient will dramatically reduce times to administer lifesaving interventions such as thrombolysis and thrombectomy,” he explained.

Translational neuroscience

Professor Davis works in translational neuroscience at the University of Melbourne.

He is a director of the Melbourne Brain Centre at Royal Melbourne Hospital, a past president of the World Stroke Organisation and co-chair of the Australian Stroke Alliance.

His research is focused on acute therapies for ischemic stroke and intracerebral haemorrhage, particularly the use of advanced imaging in selection of therapy.

Mobile Stroke Unit

Established by Professors Davis and Donnan, the MSU is a specially-equipped ambulance with CT (computerised tomography) scanner and trained stroke team onboard.

The unit is the first of its kind in Australia and offers hospital-grade brain scans (including angiographic studies) in a pre-hospital or community-based setting.

It stocks a full range of stroke treatment drugs, including medications to dissolve blood clots or stop brain bleeds.

First indigenous neurologist

As Australia’s first indigenous neurologist with subspecialty training in stroke, Dr Dos Santos works at Royal Melbourne and The Alfred hospitals, and for Ambulance Victoria as a stroke specialist within the Victoria Stroke Telehealth Network (VST) and on the MSU.

She is also a senior clinical research fellow for the Australian Stroke Alliance.

Dr Dos Santos said she had a vested interest in her role with EMVision.

“I am proud to be associated with a company which is creating mobile devices for stroke diagnosis,” she said.

“With so many Australians – and in particular, a large proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients – living vast distances from stroke imaging, EMVision holds promise in being able to reduce stroke care inequity.”