Venus Concept Inc. ("Venus Concept" or the "Company"), a global medical aesthetic technology leader, announced today the establishment of a medical advisory board for AI.ME, its next generation robotic platform.
The primary mission of the medical advisory board will be to provide strategic input, guidance, and clinical recommendations regarding the Company's emerging robotic technology, AI.ME, which received its first 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) in December 2022, for fractional skin resurfacing.
The medical advisory board is composed of six leading practicing physicians:
Dr. Glynis Ablon, MD, FAAD. – Dr. Ablon is a board-certified dermatologist and cosmetic surgeon. Dr. Ablon is an Associate Clinical Professor at UCLA, practicing at both UCLA and LCMH. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology, American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery, and American Society for Dermatologic Surgery. Dr. Ablon is the owner and medical director of Ablon Skin Institute and Research Center, a boutique research center, actively performing over 60 clinical trials.
Dr. Macrene Alexiades, MD, PhD – Dr. Alexiades is a Fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology and American Society for Laser Medicine (ASLMS) and Surgery and a Goldman Circle Member. She has achieved the rare status of Double Board-Certification in Dermatology in the European Union as well as the U.S. Dr. Alexiades is also an Associate Clinical Professor, Yale University and Founder & Director, Dermatology & Laser Surgery Center of New York.
Dr. Eric Bernstein, MD, MSE – Dr. Bernstein is a dermatologist and researcher who has published extensively on the molecular basis of photoaging and the dermatologic uses of energy-based devices. He holds numerous US and international patents. Dr. Bernstein is past president of the ASLMS, is a director for the ASDS, and is Clinical Professor of Dermatology Perelman School of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and Adjunct Professor of Dermatology at Temple University School of Medicine.
Dr. James Chao, MD, FASC - Dr. Chao is board certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. He is a member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, the American Society of Reconstructive Microsurgery and was previously the President of the San Diego Plastic Surgery Society. Dr. Chao serves as plastic and hand surgeon for the San Diego Chargers professional football team and is the recipient of numerous prestigious state and national research awards. In addition, he holds multiple patents of novel devices for plastic and hand surgery.
Dr. Mitchel Goldman, MD – Dr. Goldman is a past president of the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery, the founder and past president of the American College of Phlebology, and Voted #1 Cosmetic Dermatologist in the USA by Newsweek in 2022 and 2023. He is the director of the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery Fellowship Program (which he conceived in 2013) and has hospital affiliations with Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla, California.
Dr. Gilly Munavalli MD, MHS, FACMS – Dr. Munavalli serves as a Clinical Assistant Professor at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine – Department of Dermatology and a Cosmetic Dermatologic Surgery Fellowship Director for the ASDS. He is founder and owner of Dermatology, Laser, and Vein Specialists of the Carolinas in Charlotte, NC, where has been in private practice for almost 20 years.
This diverse team of dermatologists and plastic surgeons, all of whom have extensive clinical experience in aesthetic treatments and authored numerous publications in top peer-reviewed journals, will play an instrumental role in defining AI.ME's commercialization strategy.
AI.ME is the first and only robotic system cleared by FDA for fractional skin resurfacing. It uses machine vision and AI algorithms to target the skin in a precise, pre-planned, selective, and predictable manner. It conducts the treatment via a robotic arm using a smart array of rotating hollow punches, actuated via smart algorithm, to precisely core and excise micro skin-tissue fractions, triggering re-epithelization and collagen deposition.
"We are truly honored to convene this talented group of industry-leading physicians to form the AI.ME medical advisory board," said Dr. Hemanth Varghese, President, and Chief Innovation & Business Officer of Venus Concept. "We believe that this group of experts is well positioned to guide us in realizing AI.ME's full clinical potential and ultimately helping us commercialize AI.ME in a way that transforms patient outcomes and physicians' approach to aesthetic procedures. We expect to begin engaging members of this group to start utilizing AI.ME in the clinical setting in the coming months. We look forward to sharing more exciting news, as we continue to develop and refine this technology in anticipation of commercial launch in the second half of fiscal year 2024."