{"id":309,"date":"2018-03-20T15:02:39","date_gmt":"2018-03-20T20:02:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/m2d2\/?p=309"},"modified":"2018-03-20T15:02:39","modified_gmt":"2018-03-20T20:02:39","slug":"meet-an-m2d2-finalist-mag-optics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/m2d2\/2018\/03\/20\/meet-an-m2d2-finalist-mag-optics\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet an M2D2 Finalist: MAG Optics"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"MAG

Geeta Singh of MAG Optics<\/p><\/div>\n

MAG Optics\u00a0<\/b>is one of 20 finalists in the 7<\/b>th<\/b>\u00a0annual M2D2 $200K Challenge<\/b>.\u00a0<\/b>Geeta Singh, Co-founder<\/b>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/b>Chief Business Officer<\/b>, shares the\u00a0<\/b>story<\/b>\u00a0of<\/b>\u00a0their innovation.<\/b><\/p>\n

What is the innovation you\u2019ve entered in the M2D2 $200K Challenge?<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

MAG Optics is pioneering\u00a0an\u00a0intra-corneal implant,\u00a0MAGarcs, that is the first patient-centric corneal shape-changing platform to address\u00a0keratoconus, a rare degenerative disease\u00a0characterized by a cone-shaped cornea.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

What inspired you to develop your\u00a0<\/span><\/span>device?<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Our\u00a0inspiration has an interesting\u00a0back\u00a0story.\u00a0It wasn’t born in\u00a0a\u00a0university or\u00a0incubator, but\u00a0was\u00a0originates from\u00a0on-the-ground,\u00a0or\u00a0specifically\u00a0war-torn,\u00a0clinical\u00a0experience. Our co-founder and Chief\u00a0Scientist\/inventor, Dr. Marwan\u00a0Ghabra\u00a0is an ophthalmologist in the UK, but has roots from\u00a0Damascus, Syria. While he studied and began his practice in the UK, in 1998 he moved his family\u00a0back to Syria to set up eye hospitals due to the severe humanitarian need. At the height of the Iraqi\u00a0war (2004-2012), almost 60% of the patients crossed into Damascus from Iraq for the reputation of\u00a0the ophthalmologist who took on the most complex surgeries and severe eye conditions.<\/p>\n

Since\u00a0there were limited surgical facilities in Iraq, Dr.\u00a0Ghabra\u00a0was well known for two things: turning no\u00a0patient away and tackling the most difficult cases. Naturally, his understanding of the eye and its\u00a0anatomy\u00a0is\u00a0not textbook, traditional ophthalmic experience. This, coupled with working in low-resource environment, drove the innovation process in a very different way, sometimes prompting on-the-spot\u00a0innovation. In 2012 the civil war broke out and the family moved back to London, leaving most\u00a0everything behind, except his ideas for inventions.<\/p>\n

Fast forward to London 2015 and, you guessed it\u2014it\u2019s raining. Walking home, Marwan looks up at\u00a0his umbrella, which to him, resembles a cornea. He sees the radial spokes and bingo. Many visual\u00a0and refractive conditions are due to abnormalities in the corneal shape. Therefore, an implant in the\u00a0periphery would allow the manipulation of the cornea in a manner that other technologies couldn\u2019t\u00a0attain. Three months later, patents filed, we had our first prototype and were able to implant into\u00a0human cadaver eyes, which allowed us to test the mechanism of action and the resulting impact on\u00a0the cornea.<\/p>\n

W<\/i><\/b>hat are the most significant barriers you\u2019ve faced and overcome?\u00a0<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

Our most significant barriers have been\u00a0rogue innovation and logistics.<\/p>\n

While our radical design approach for corneal inlays is our competitive advantage, it also brought out the naysayers, questioning its feasibility. We had taken the traditional corneal inlay designs (almost all with a circular, contact lens design) and turned it on its head. We have a radial spoke, so convincing the industry why this would work was initially a challenge. To address this, we knew we had to be data-driven, test quick and have early data to support the theory. From early days, we used lean design principles\u2014build, measure, learn then repeat. We designed, ran quick studies, failed fast and used the learnings into the next design cycle. We didn\u2019t want to get caught in “analysis paralysis” that sometimes cripples early stage companies. We decided to embrace momentum rather than perfection, which is a balancing act.<\/p>\n

As a non-university innovator, we didn\u2019t have the financial backing or ecosystem of resources to embrace proof-of-concept in the traditional manner. The science was being driven in the UK, but the business would need to be built in the US. Therefore, for the innovation\/proof-of-concept phase, we embraced a cross-border virtual structure (UK\/US). Naturally, this brought its own challenges with a split team, different time zones, and communication. However, inherent in those challenges also was quick progress. By leveraging resources outside of US, we were able to fast-track early studies to inform device performance. Because of unique design considerations that we built in, we were able to conduct human feasibility studies and gather early data. This allowed robust human data analysis and enabled us to take conversations from \u201cSo is this really going to work?\u201d to \u201cWe have human data to show it works”<\/p>\n

Can you share a \u201cEureka!\u201d moment\u2014a breakthrough in the development of your\u00a0<\/i><\/b>idea?<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

\"Click<\/a>The unique design and implantation approach allows for a more patient-specific and nuanced corneal shape change. The first set of results from our initial keratoconus patient studies in 2016 took us a bit by surprise\u2014not only did we have marked and near-instant improvement in patient vision, but more:\u00a0We realized that the\u00a0MAGarc\u00a0had the potential to become a platform device. If we could elicit targeted shape change in a\u00a0keratoconic\u00a0patient, which is one of the most difficult and extreme corneal conditions, then our innovation could treat other conditions\u2014and perhaps even combined corneal conditions as well. This was the \u201cEureka!” moment. Thus, we have conducted additional, smaller human studies on two other indications:\u00a0presbyopes, as well as astigmatic patients.\u00a0 This is the real power of our technology\u2014a true corneal shape changing platform.<\/p>\n

If you win, what\u2019s next?<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

We are transitioning from an innovation\/POC phase to a more regulatory-focused one. To do so, we need to conduct independent US\/FDA studies. This requires significantly more resources, human and financial. Given our lean team, we could benefit greatly from the powerhouse, med-tech intellectual ecosystem that Massachusetts has to offer to support further development and our US studies. Furthermore, this is a resource intensive device, so collaboration partners will be essential to our future milestones.<\/p>\n

Learn more at\u00a0www.magoptics.com<\/a><\/p>\n

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You\u2019re invited to meet ALL the finalists in person at the two upcoming events that will conclude the Challenge:<\/strong><\/div>\n
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