PolarityTE Expands Clinical Board Of Advisors With Focus On World-Renowned Burn And Wound Care Specialists

SALT LAKE CITY, UT--(Marketwired - June 30, 2017) -

PolarityTE™, Inc. (NASDAQ: COOL) today announced the appointment of some of the world’s most-highly-regarded experts in burn and wound care to its Clinical Board of Advisors, as it drives toward the introduction of the Company’s flagship product, SkinTE™. This cadre of plastic and reconstructive surgeons includes Drs. Martin C. Robson, William L. Hickerson, Jeffrey W. Shupp, Mark S. Granick, David J. Smith, Jr. and Gerhard S. Mundinger.

“As we prepare for clinical and market launch of SkinTE™ in the near future, we are excited to bring on a tremendous block of experience and knowledge in burn and wound care surgery with the addition of this group of thought leaders to our esteemed Clinical Board of Advisors,” said Denver Lough, MD, PhD, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, and Chief Scientific Officer of PolarityTE™. “Our goal is to deliver our revolutionary skin regeneration technology in the easiest and most pragmatic manner, which requires the perspective of burn and wound care surgeons who have spent significant time in the trenches treating patients.”

Martin C. Robson, MD, FACS, Hon. FRCS, Hon. FRACS

Emeritus Professor at the University of South Florida, Dr. Robson previously served as President of the American Burn Association, where he received its Distinguished Service Award, and as President of the Wound Healing Society. Dr. Robson also has been Chairman of the American Board of Plastic Surgery, Chairman of the Residency Review Committee for Plastic Surgery, Chairman of the Plastic Surgery Research Council and President of the Association of Academic Chairmen of Plastic Surgery. Dr. Robson received his Doctorate of Medicine from the Johns Hopkins University and completed his general surgery residency at the Brooke Army Medical Center, and his plastic surgery residency at Yale. He has served as Chief of Plastic Surgery at the University of Chicago, Wayne State University, and the University of Texas Medical Branch. He is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and holds Honorary Fellowships from the Royal College of Surgeons of England and the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons. He is a recipient of the Lifetime Scientific Achievement Awards from the Wound Healing Society, the Association of Advanced Wound Care and the World Union of Wound Healing Societies. He has authored over 650 publications mostly devoted to wound healing, wound infection, burns and proliferative scarring. Dr. Robson has made numerous contributions to the growth of importance for wound and skin injuries, and he “hopes to inspire today’s generation to revolutionize the treatment, care and methods behind skin-related injuries through the scientific pioneers that exist today.”

William L. Hickerson, MD, FACS

Dr. William L. Hickerson is currently the Chief of Burn Surgery and the Professor of Plastic Surgery at the University of Tennessee-Health Science Center College (UTHSC). He is also the Medical Director of the Firefighters’ Burn Center in Memphis, TN, which is the region’s only comprehensive burn care unit. At UTHSC, Dr. Hickerson earned his Doctorate of Medicine, served as chief resident of general surgery and completed his plastic surgery residency. Dr. Hickerson is certified by the American Boards of General Surgery and Plastic Surgery. Dr. Hickerson has authored and co-authored over 40 medical articles about trauma, plastic surgery, skincare and wound cares. He is a well-respected expert in the field of burn surgery and has professional memberships with the American Burn Association, the American Association of Plastic Surgeons and the Association of Academic Chairmen of Plastic Surgery.

Jeffrey W. Shupp, MD

At MedStar Washington Hospital Center, Dr. Jeffrey W. Shupp is the lead investigator of the Firefighters’ Burn and Surgical Research Laboratory as well as the Director of the Burn Center. Dr. Shupp also directs the department of Burn Research at MedStar Health Research Institute. Outside of his leadership roles, Dr. Shupp is an Associate Professor of Surgery at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Washington, D.C. and an Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering at The Catholic University of America, also in Washington, D.C. After earning his Doctorate of Medicine from the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Dr. Shupp joined MedStar Washington Hospital Center to complete his residency in general surgery and his three-year fellowship in burn surgery. Dr. Shupp has done extensive research in a wide range of topics such as: burn surgery, thermal injury, burn injury and molecular pathology. His research has resulted in over 65 peer-reviewed publications. Dr. Shupp is highly recognized for his help in developing and designing MedStar Washington Hospital Center’s Burn and Surgical research program, a nationally renowned institution that encompasses all aspects of burn research: multi-center clinical trials, pre-clinical, translational, and basic science research.

Mark S. Granick, MD

Dr. Mark Granick is currently the Professor and the Chief of Plastic Surgery at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. Dr. Granick is affiliated with St. Barnabas Medical Center, Newark Beth Israel Medical Center and University Newark Hospital, all of which are in New Jersey. Dr. Granick has over 40 years of experience in plastic surgery, and he specializes in complex reconstructive surgery and surgical wound care. Dr. Granick received his B.A. from Cornell University and his Doctorate of Medicine from Harvard Medical School. He completed his residency and fellowship at Harvard Medical School and the University of Pittsburgh, respectively. Dr. Granick is certified by the American Boards of Plastic Surgery and of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery. Dr. Granick has edited nine textbooks, written 50 book chapters and authored 150 peer-reviewed scholarly publications. As demonstrated by his lifetime appointment to Strathmore’s Who’s Who and Castle Connelly’s mention of Dr. Granick in Top Doctors in the New York Metropolitan Area for the last nine consecutive years, Dr. Granick is internationally and nationally recognized as a top plastic surgeon.

David J. Smith, Jr., MD

Dr. David J. Smith, Jr. is currently the Richard G. Connar Professor and Chairman of the Department of Surgery at the University of South Florida, and serves as the Chief Medical Officer for the Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation. Dr. Smith previously enjoyed a long career at the University of Michigan where, among other roles, he was a Professor of Surgery and Section Head for Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, and Associate Chairman for the Department of Surgery. Dr. Smith received his B.A. from Wesleyan University, and his Doctorate of Medicine from the Indiana University School of Medicine. He completed his residency in plastic surgery at the University of Indiana Medical Center, and completed a fellowship in hand surgery at the Christine M. Kleinert Institute for Hand and Microsurgery in Louisville, KY. Among his many appointments and memberships, Dr. Smith is the past President of the American Association for Hand Surgery, the past Chairman of the American Board of Plastic Surgery, and past President of the Association of Academic Chairmen of Plastic Surgery. He has authored more than 140 peer-reviewed publications in prominent medical journals, in addition to more than 40 book chapters. He has served on numerous editorial boards for peer-reviewed medical journals, including Surgery, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Annals of Plastic Surgery, and the Journal of Surgical Research.

Gerhard S. Mundinger, MD

Dr. Gerhard S. Mundinger is the Director of Plastic Surgery at the Children’s Hospital of New Orleans, and an Assistant Professor of Clinical Surgery and Assistant Professor of Cell Biology and Anatomy at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans. From 2014 to 2015, he served as Administrative Chief of Service for the Johns Hopkins Department of Plastic Surgery. Dr. Mundinger received his B.A. from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and his Doctorate of Medicine from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland, where he also completed his residency in plastic and reconstructive surgery. Dr. Mundinger then completed a fellowship in pediatric and adult craniofacial surgery at Seattle Children’s Hospital. He has received numerous awards, including the Johns Hopkins Frank L. Coulson Award for Clinical Excellence. Dr. Mundinger has authored over 60 peer-reviewed original publications in prominent medical journals, including the New England Journal of Medicine. He is a nationally and internationally respected expert in his field, as evidenced by invitations he has received to speak at worldwide conferences on reconstructive microsurgery, surgical education, craniofacial surgery, aesthetic surgery, and vascularized composite tissue (face and hand) transplantation.

About the PolarityTE™ Clinical Board of Advisors

The PolarityTE™ Clinical Board of Advisors is comprised of leading experts from various fields of study aligned to potential clinical application of the Company’s revolutionary platform technology. The PolarityTE™ platform has been shown to regenerate skin in a preclinical model, and has the potential to regenerate bone, muscle, cartilage, fat, blood vessels and nerves. In addition to the five new appointees, the Clinical Board of Advisors includes:

• Wayne J. Saunders, DMD is the Chief of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Dentistry at St. Luke’s University Hospital in Bethlehem, PA.
• Michael P. Grant, MD, PhD, FACS is the Paul N. Manson Distinguished Professor of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center, University of Maryland Medical Center, and Professor of Surgery, Program in Trauma, University of Maryland School of Medicine.
• Anand R. Kumar, MD, FACS, FAAP is Professor of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery in the Department of Plastic Surgery at Case Western Reserve University and Division Chief of Pediatrics at Rainbow Babies Children’s Hospital in Cleveland, OH.
• Anthony P. Tufaro, MD, DDS, FACS is Associate Professor of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Associate Professor of Oncology, Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
• Trinity J. Bivalacqua, MD, PhD is the R. Christian B. Evensen Professor of Urology and Oncology and Director of Urologic Oncology at the James Buchanan Brady Urologic Institute at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
• Rachel Bluebond-Langner, MD is Associate Professor of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Transgender Surgery in the Hansjorg Wyss Department of Plastic Surgery, New York University School of Medicine at the NYU Langone Medical Center.
• Ryan Katz, MD, FACS is Attending Surgeon in the Department of Orthopedics at the Curtis National Hand Center in Baltimore, MD.
• Shannath L. Merbs, MD, PhD, FACS is Professor of Ophthalmology in the Wilmer Eye Institute at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

About SkinTE™ and the PolarityTE™ Platform

SkinTE™ is the Company’s lead product in development for skin regeneration. Its investigational platform and the Company’s namesake, PolarityTE, is being developed to simplify regeneration and allow tissue and cellular elements to function naturally. Using our revolutionary platform, we seek to utilize cell and tissue polarity in order to create a spectrum of uniquely functional tissues in a way that mirrors the natural development of the human body. Our goal is to apply the platform across all cells, tissues and composite structures, transforming regenerative medicine into what has been envisioned since its inception.

About PolarityTE™

PolarityTE™, Inc. is a regenerative medicine company positioned to be the first to successfully regenerate human skin. The Company’s novel regenerative medicine and tissue engineering platform was developed and patented by chairman and chief executive officer, Denver Lough M.D., Ph.D. This radical and proprietary technology employs a patient’s own cells for the healing of full-thickness, functionally-polarized tissues. If clinically successful, the PolarityTE™ platform will provide medical professionals with a truly new paradigm in wound healing and reconstructive surgery by utilizing a patient’s own tissue substrates for the regeneration of skin, bone, muscle, cartilage, fat, blood vessels and nerves. The PolarityTE™ platform leverages natural and biologically-sound principles which are readily adaptable to a wide spectrum of organ and tissue systems. This revolutionary technology, paired with the Company’s world-renowned clinical advisory board, position PolarityTE™ to drastically change the field and future of translational regenerative medicine. More information can be found online at www.PolarityTE.com.

Forward Looking Statements

Certain statements contained in this release are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward looking statements contained in this release relate to, among other things, the Company’s ongoing compliance with the requirements of The NASDAQ Stock Market and the Company’s ability to maintain the closing bid price requirements of The NASDAQ Stock Market on a post reverse split basis. They are generally identified by words such as “believes,” “may,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “should’” and similar expressions. Readers should not place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements, which are based upon the Company’s beliefs and assumptions as of the date of this release. The Company’s actual results could differ materially due to risk factors and other items described in more detail in the “Risk Factors” section of the Company’s Annual Reports and other filings with the SEC (copies of which may be obtained at www.sec.gov). Subsequent events and developments may cause these forward-looking statements to change. The Company specifically disclaims any obligation or intention to update or revise these forward-looking statements as a result of changed events or circumstances that occur after the date of this release, except as required by applicable law.