GI Dynamics Announces Scientific Advisory Board Members to Further Development of EndoBarrier

GI Dynamics Inc., a medical device company that has commercialized EndoBarrier in Europe, the Middle East and South America for patients with type 2 diabetes and obesity, has announced additional members of the GI Dynamics Scientific Advisory Board (SAB), bringing together physicians and scientists specializing in endocrinology, gastroenterology and bariatric/metabolic surgery. Ricardo Cohen, M.D., and Christopher Thompson, M.D., M.H.E.S., have joined the GI Dynamics SAB.

The GI Dynamics SAB was created to further advance the body of evidence regarding EndoBarrier and advance the state of patient care with EndoBarrier. The SAB will serve as a key resource for GI Dynamics during the Investigational Device Exemption clinical trial of EndoBarrier in the United States as well as supporting ongoing clinical studies and the commercialization process in the United Kingdom, Germany, the Middle East, and select European countries.

“Dr. Cohen and Dr. Thompson will be valued members of the GI Dynamics SAB,” said Scott Schorer, GI Dynamics president and CEO. “Dr. Cohen is a leader in the type 2 diabetes and obesity field and has developed a rich history with EndoBarrier, starting with early clinical work. Dr. Thompson is a gifted gastroenterologist with deep experience in complex primary and revision procedures. He is highly experienced in new technology development and generates significant research through his clinical team.”

Cohen is the director for the Center for Obesity and Diabetes at the Oswaldo Cruz German Hospital located in São Paulo, Brazil. Cohen is also the former president of the Brazilian Society of Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery, and is the current president of the International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders (IFSO), Latin America Chapter.

Cohen has been the primary investigator (PI) for 15 studies, including two EndoBarrier studies. He has published more than 150 papers and is considered a leader in the field of surgery for patients with type 2 diabetes and non-severe obesity.

“GI Dynamics with EndoBarrier has produced an excellent adjuvant tool to achieve diabetes control,” said Cohen. “I look forward to helping GI Dynamics continue to develop EndoBarrier to provide a safe and effective device in a treatment area that is growing rapidly.”

Thompson is the director of Therapeutic Endoscopy at Brigham Women’s Hospital and an associate professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School in Massachusetts. He is also the current chair of the Association of Bariatric Endoscopy (ABE). He started his career in medicine after receiving his medical degree from Pennsylvania State University, College of Medicine in Hershey, Pennsylvania. He went on to receive his MSc in health evaluation science.

Thompson has more than 200 academic publications to his name, and he has been the primary investigator in numerous clinical trials. He is particularly well-known for his work on metabolic therapies for obesity. He is the editor of the first textbook on bariatric endoscopy, and he has trained numerous fellows in the field.

“EndoBarrier is an exciting and novel technology that fills a rapidly expanding treatment gap in the management of type 2 diabetes and obesity. The GI Dynamics team has pioneered the advancement of our understanding of disease and treatment mechanisms over the past decade, and this device holds tremendous promise,” said Thompson. “I am thrilled to be joining such an accomplished group of clinicians and look forward to collaborating with them.”

GI Dynamics Inc. is the developer of EndoBarrier, the first endoscopically-delivered device therapy approved for the treatment of type 2 diabetes and obesity. EndoBarrier is approved and commercially available in multiple countries outside the United States. EndoBarrier is not approved for sale in the United States and is limited by federal law to investigational use only in the United States. Founded in 2003, GI Dynamics is headquartered in Boston, Mass.