Medcura Forms World-class Spinal Surgery Advisory Board

COLLEGE PARK, Md., – January 16, 2025 – Medcura, Inc., a leader in innovative hemostasis solutions that deploy patented biopolymer technologies to control surgical bleeding, has announced the formation of its Spinal Surgery Advisory Board. The Board includes nine spine surgeons who are experts in clinical trial strategy and medical device design. They will guide the Medcura team as it advances LifeGel™ Absorbable Hemostatic Gel through clinical trials, regulatory approvals, and commercialization.

"We are happy to have assembled such an esteemed group of spine surgeons to guide the development and commercialization of LifeGel,” said Chief Medical Officer Kenneth Renkens, MD. “Their insights and experience will be invaluable as we continue to advance this breakthrough hemostatic agent. With their support, we are confident in our ability to address the unmet needs of spine surgeons and improve patient outcomes.”

Dr. Renkens, who chairs Medcura’s Spinal Surgery Advisory Board, is an internationally renowned neurosurgeon and co-founder of the Indiana Spine Group. With his 30 years of experience in the implantable surgical innovation space, plus his involvement in five investigational hemostasis spine studies, Dr. Renkens leads clinical innovation of surgical hemostatic agents at Medcura.

Medcura’s Spinal Surgery Advisory Board includes the following internationally recognized experts who are leaders in the field:

Adedayo Ashana, MD, Minimally Invasive Spine Specialist at OrthoNC in Raleigh, North Carolina

Dr. Ashana is a spine surgeon with a special focus on minimally invasive surgical techniques. He is at the vanguard of computer assisted/robotic applications in spine surgeries. In addition, he is one of the few surgeons routinely performing endoscopic spine surgeries in the U.S and is highly involved in education and dissemination of the technology. A graduate of Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Ashana completed his Orthopedic residency at University of California Los Angeles and a combined Orthopedic/Neurosurgery spine fellowship at the Texas Medical Center.

Barrett Boody, MD, Orthopedic Spine Surgeon at Indiana Spine Group, core faculty for Indiana Spine Group’s spine surgical fellowship, and Assistant Professor of Clinical Orthopedic Surgery at Indiana University Health

Dr. Boody has published more than 80 peer-reviewed articles, has served as a Section Editor of Spinal Trauma for The Textbook of Spine Surgery, 4th Edition, and currently is the Lead Editor for The Fellow’s Manual: A Technical Guide for Spine Surgery. A graduate of University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, Dr. Boody completed an orthopedic surgical residency at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, followed by a spine surgery fellowship at the Rothman Institute at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia.

Bryan Cunningham, PhD, Director, Scientific Orthopaedic Research at Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, MedStar Union Memorial Hospital and Professor, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Georgetown University School of Medicine

Dr. Cunningham has published more than 150 journal articles and book chapters. He earned his Master’s in Neuroscience at Johns Hopkins University and his PhD in Neuroscience from Griffith University School of Medical Science in Brisbane, Australia. The North American Spine Society has recognized his contributions to orthopedic research with the Henry Farfan Lifetime Achievement Award.

Peter Grossi, MD, Chief Physician Executive, Duke Health Integrated Practice, Community Division Chief of Neurosurgery, Duke Raleigh Hospital

A graduate of Duke University School of Medicine, Dr. Grossi completed residencies in general surgery and neurosurgery at Duke University Medical Center, followed by a Neuro-Oncology fellowship, also at Duke. Dr. Grossi also holds an MBA from Duke University Fuqua School of Business.

Serena Hu, MD, Professor and Vice Chair of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Chief of the Division of Spine Surgery at Stanford University School of Medicine

Dr. Hu specializes in treating scoliosis, kyphosis, lumbar spine fractures, spondylolisthesis, disc degeneration, and spinal stenosis. She evaluates new technologies for spine surgery safety and efficacy and has received research grants from the North American Spine Society, Scoliosis Research Society, and National Institutes of Health (NIH). Dr. Hu completed her medical education at McGill University, followed by an internship at Beth Israel Medical Center, an orthopedic residency at Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, and a fellowship at Rancho Lost Amigos Medical Center in Los Angeles. She was past president of American Orthopedic Association and Scoliosis Research Society.

Jun S. Kim, MD, Assistant Professor of Orthopedics at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Head of the Orthopedic Surgery Department’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) Laboratory

Dr. Kim has won numerous grants to support his research on Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning and was nominated by the Scoliosis Research Society for the prestigious Russell A. Hibbs Clinical Research Award. A graduate of Temple University School of Medicine, Dr. Kim completed his orthopedic residency at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and a spine surgery fellowship at Columbia University Medical Center.

Paul McAfee, MD, MBA, Chief of Spinal Research at Union Memorial Hospital and Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at Georgetown University School of Medicine

Dr. McAfee has worked as a spine surgeon at MedStar Union Memorial Hospital and was Former Chief of Reconstructive Surgery and Director of the Scoliosis and Spine Center at St. Joseph Medical Center in Towson, Maryland. He holds more than 20 spine surgery patents, and has supported spine surgery training at Johns Hopkins University, Sinai Lifebridge in Baltimore, and the University of Maryland. After completing his MD at State University of New York, Syracuse, Dr. McAfee did his orthopedic residency at State University of New York and a spinal reconstructive surgery fellowship at Case Western Reserve University Hospitals. He also holds an MBA from Fordham University.

Kornelis Poelstra, MD, PhD, Spine Surgeon at Allegiant Spine Institute, Director of the Robotic Spine Institute of Las Vegas, and Chairman of Orthopaedics and Spine at Southern Hills Hospital, Las Vegas, Nevada

A pioneer in robotic spine surgery, Dr. Poelstra specializes in minimally invasive spine surgery, scoliosis, and disc replacements. After earning his MD/PhD in Medicine and Biomedical Engineering at University of Groningen in the Netherlands, Dr. Poelstra did an orthopedic residency at University of Virginia, and an orthopedic and neurological spine surgery fellowship at Thomas Jefferson University/Rothman Institute.

Dr. Nicholas Theodore, MD, Professor of Neurological Surgery and Director, Neurosurgical Spine Center at Johns Hopkins Medicine and Chairman, Head, Neck & Spine Committee, National Football League

An award-winning teacher and researcher, Dr. Theodore focuses on brain and spinal cord injuries, minimally invasive spine surgeries, robotics, and the genetic and molecular basis of spinal diseases. He has written or co-authored 30 book chapters, more than 180 peer-reviewed journal articles, and is co-holder of 10 patents for medical devices and procedures. Dr. Theodore earned his medical degree at Georgetown University School of Medicine and completed a neurosurgery residency and spinal surgery fellowship at the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix.

Alexander Vaccaro, MD, PhD, MBA, Chairman of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and President of Rothman Orthopaedic Institute in Philadelphia

Author for more than 1200 peer-reviewed publications and 372 book chapters, Dr. Vaccaro is a recipient of the Leon Wiltse award for excellence in leadership and clinical research for spine care by the North American Spine Society. He completed an MD at Georgetown University School of Medicine, a PhD in Spinal Trauma and an orthopedic residency at Thomas Jefferson University, a spine fellowship at University of San Diego, and an MBA at Temple University’s Fox School of Business.

About LifeGel™
LifeGel, is the first and only surgical hemostatic agent to receive an FDA Breakthrough Device Designation. If approved, the product could offer a promising alternative to surgical bleeding control options currently available to spine surgeons and their patients. Current hemostatic agents can pose risks, including swelling within confined anatomical spaces, which may lead to neurological deficits. LifeGel’s no-swell properties would help to mitigate these risks while also providing several other advantages: cost-effectiveness, immediate readiness for use, and antimicrobial properties. A panel of leading spine surgeons have selected LifeGel to receive a 2024/2025 Best Technology in Spine Award.

About Medcura
Medcura, Inc. is a commercial-stage medical device company developing versatile hemostatic products serving large surgical, medical, and consumer market opportunities. The Company's proprietary technology platform combines the use of safe, inert ingredients with patented chemistries, all aimed at introducing disruptively lower cost products capable of safely and effectively controlling bleeding across a broad spectrum of clinical applications. Medcura has received FDA Breakthrough Device Designations for LifeGel™, which controls surgical bleeding for spine surgeries, and LifeFoam™, a hemostatic agent for traumatic wounds. Learn more about Medcura's growing product line at www.medcurainc.com.

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