Paul P. Weitzel, MD, a noted orthopaedic surgeon and Assistant Clinical Professor at Tufts University School of Medicine, was named Vice President of Medical Affairs, Orthopaedics. Dr. Weitzel specializes in sports medicine with a primary emphasis on minimally invasive arthroscopy of shoulders and knees. He is affiliated with the New England Baptist Hospital and practices at the Boston Sports and Shoulder Center. Dr. Weitzel received his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and completed his Residency at Harvard and his Fellowship at Tufts New England Medical Center. He is active in several professional organizations, including the Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery and the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine.
“Dr. Weitzel has been a valued advisor to Serica and is a highly respected orthopaedic surgeon, who will play a valuable role in helping to shape the clinical development and applications of our silk-based biomaterials in knee (ACL) and shoulder (rotator cuff) repair,” said Gregory H. Altman, PhD, President and CEO, Serica Technologies. “He will continue to work closely with our medical advisory board and clinical investigators, as we move forward with registration studies in Europe and the U.S.”
Also joining Serica is Mona Haynes, as Chief Commercial Officer. Mona has over 25 years of experience as a marketing and sales executive in medical devices and equipment, surgical supplies, biotech and pharmaceuticals. She began her career at Baxter Healthcare, where she held a variety of marketing and sales positions. Mona has successfully launched numerous medical products, including Avonex, the multi-million dollar drug marketed by Biogen for multiple sclerosis. Most recently, she served as CCO at Targanta Therapeutics (recently purchased by the Medicines Company), where she built the infrastructure to support the U.S. hospital launch of an IV antibiotic. Mona received her undergraduate degree in economics/mathematics from California State University, Long Beach, and an MBA from the University of Southern California.
“Mona brings extensive experience in building commercial operations to support the successful launch of medical products, and that experience gives Serica tremendous depth in our sales, marketing and business development operations,” Altman added. “With the addition of Dr. Weitzel and Mona Haynes, we are creating a fully integrated commercial company, uniquely prepared to distinguish itself in the tissue repair and regeneration market.”
About Serica’s Biomaterials
The body’s structural tissue can be destroyed, removed or weakened due to trauma, disease or aging. Serica is developing natural, silk biomaterials designed to act as “scaffolds” to provide support and relief to damaged tissues, in order to promote restored function. The company’s ligament grafts for ACL repair, surgical meshes, and gels are comprised of the fiber protein of the B. mori silkworm, which has centuries of human use. In pre-clinical studies, Serica’s silk-based products are shown to be bioresorbed at slower rates than other common structural proteins, such as collagen, as well as other water soluble synthetic polymers, to enable optimal healing. Serica’s silk-based biomaterials require no re-hydration or advance preparation for surgical implantation.
Serica is developing products for a wide variety of applications where current materials fail to meet the needs of clinicians and patients, including connective tissue repair of the knee, shoulder, abdomen, breast, neck and face.
About Serica Technologies Inc.
Serica Technologies, Inc., formerly Tissue Regeneration, Inc., is a growth-stage medical device company pioneering silk-based biomaterial platforms for tissue regeneration. Incorporated in 1998, Serica’s proprietary products currently in preclinical and clinical development are being studied in the areas of orthopaedic and sports medicine, aesthetic and reconstructive plastic surgery and other structural tissue repair needs, and drug delivery applications. Serica’s team of engineers and scientists are located in a state-of–the-art 26,000-square-foot office, R&D and manufacturing facility in Medford, MA. For more information about Serica Technologies, please visit www.sericainc.com.
