Echo Therapeutics Names New Product Development Chief

Echo Therapeutics Inc. has hired a new head of product development.

The Philadelphia, Pa.-based medical device firm, which is developing its Symphony CGM as a non-invasive, wireless continuous glucose monitoring system, recently named Thomas Bishop as vice president of product development. He will lead the company’s roadmap strategy and reports directly to Robert F. Doman, Echo’s executive chairman and interim CEO.

“Tom joins Echo at an important and exciting time. We are extremely pleased to have such a highly valuable, proven industry leader join the company as we move toward Symphony’s commercialization,” said Doman. “Tom’s product development expertise and successful track record in developing complex medical devices will help support Echo’s goal of attaining regulatory clearance and bringing our Symphony CGM System to market. I have great confidence in Tom’s ability to take us into the next phase of our product development process.”

Bishop brings more than 30 years of experience leading the development of high-technology products for the medical device, networking and military industries.

Prior to joining Echo, Bishop was a senior director of control systems at iWalk Inc. where he led a multidisciplinary team in the development of a robotic prosthetic. Prior to that, he held the positions of vice president of advanced development and vice president of engineering for TransMedics, where he led the development of revolutionary devices that maintained human hearts and lungs in a functioning state outside of the body. During his eight years with TransMedics, Bishop led commercialization projects that resulted in product introductions to both the Europe and the United States. Prior to TransMedics, Bishop directed all software activities for Quarry Technologies, a start-up company making high-security Internet routers. He also spent 10 years with Siemens Medical Systems where he managed the development of three generations of intensive care unit patient monitors. Bishop has also held leadership positions with Analogic Corporation and Bishop MedTech Consultants.

He received his bachelor’s degree in computer science and economics from Denison University.

Echo Therapeutics is focused on advanced skin permeation technology. In conjunction with Symphony CGM, the company is developing its Prelude SkinPrep system as a platform technology to allow for enhanced skin permeation that will enable two important applications: Analyte extraction, with the Symphony system for needle-free, continuous glucose monitoring in critical patients as the first application; and needle-free drug delivery, with the delivery of lidocaine as the first application.

The company’s approach is that transdermal drug delivery and analyte monitoring is a better way of patient care than the current paradigm of invasive, needle-based therapy.