Helius Medical Technologies Appoints Scientific Advisory Board Chairman

Helius Medical Technologies Inc. has appointed British surgeon Jonathan Sackier, M.D., as chairman of the company’s newly formed Scientific Advisory Board.

Sackier has more than 30 years of healthcare experience, having been trained in Britain as a surgeon and then recruited in 1989 to the United States, where he helped lead the laparoscopic surgery revolution. Sackier’s collaborations with the pharmaceutical and medical device industry have led to multiple technologies coming to market with partners like Pfizer, Valley Lab, Karl Storz and Applied Medical & Pall, the company claimed in a news release.

In consultation with Sackier, Helius is working to identify and recruit a multidisciplinary board to advise the company on the development of the PoNS device, an investigational medical device that induces neuromodulation by stimulating the cranial nerves found in the tongue. The product initially is being studied for the treatment of balance disorder symptoms caused by traumatic brain injury and Multiple Sclerosis.

“We are honored to have someone with Dr. Sackier’s exceptional skills in this role. His history in leading medical advisory boards combined with his passion, enthusiasm and expertise in the development of medical devices will be a welcomed addition to the Helius team,” Helius CEO Philippe Deschamps said.

As a professor at George Washington University, Sackier founded and funded the Washington Institute of Surgical Endoscopy, a center for education, research, innovation and technology transfer. He also is a pro bono visiting professor of Surgery at the Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences at Oxford University (United Kingdom). In addition, Sackier sits on the board of directors of Kypha, Clinvue, and Hemoshear. He is board chairman of The Load Zero Foundation, a trustee of First Star and previously chaired The Larry King Cardiac Foundation Board of Governors. Sackier also served as a board member of the American College of Surgeons Foundation, the Surgical Fellowship Foundation and Rex Bionics, winner of London’s 2014 Aim Award for outstanding achievement for most successful growth market.