This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
MedRx Technologies incorporates ‘Star Wars technology’ to assist with vision problems
Mini conglomerate offers “cyber eye” for sculpting the cornea of the eye.
CLEARWATER, Fla. — “Star Wars technology” aimed at eliminating and correcting vision problems is the cornerstone of upstart MedRx Technologies Inc. The multinational, mini conglomerate was formed this past December and is a cooperative venture between six smaller companies: Creger Technologies (a Fort Myers, Fla.-based venture capital company), Imperial Medical (an IOL company located in Marietta, Ga.), NNQ Inc. (a veterinary ophthalmic products company in Diamond Springs, Calif.), Technomed (the corneal topography product lines of this German firm), an excimer laser company in Hamburg, Germany (owned by Ulrich Gehm, PhD), and a French distributor of ophthalmic devices.
“We have some very advanced diagnostic power and real-time analytical capability,” said Carl R. Jordan, director of corporate development at MedRx and former owner of NNQ Inc. One exciting product is NC-PAS (Non-Contact Photo-Acoustic Spectroscopy), currently in operation in Tubingen, Germany, and scheduled to be launched here in the United States this fall. “The cornea, during real-time excimer laser surgery, is triangulated by three acoustical transducers. Surgeons listen for the echo of the excimer laser pulses. The echo is different for each type of tissue,” Mr. Jordan said. “So depending on the frequency and characteristic of that return echo, the computer can tell you that it is epithelium or stromal tissue and the amount of tissue hydration. As a result, you can convert that digital acoustical information into a picture. Therefore, you can actually observe the surgery as you are performing it. Up until now, it has been all guesswork based on questionable algorithms.”
NC-PAS can even slow down or stop the procedure when there is a problem or when the laser has reached the optimal ablation depths for the patient.
Advanced topography system
Robert E. Creger, chairman and CEO at MedRx, also is enthused about the Smart Scan corneal topography system that was acquired from Technomed. “We recently upgraded to a Windows-based operating system,” he said. Smart Scan uses more than 11,000 points of evaluation and advanced computer-generated data to electronically map, in detail, a three-dimensional topographical or biometrical map of the eye from which to sculpt.
A third high-tech offering is CYBER-i software, which removes many of the risks and complications associated with laser surgery. “You can create a computerized eye or a ‘cyber eye’ prior to surgery. The surgery is performed in the computer — no patients required,” said Kevin O. Dean, vice president of operations at MedRx. Furthermore, without performing actual surgery, “you can calculate visual acuity measurements postoperatively in the computer.” Once the patient and doctor agree on the procedure that they believe will achieve the best visual acuity, the surgeon can download the CYBER-i disk into the NC-PAS system merged with his or her laser. “NC-PAS will assist the physician in performing the identical surgery performed on the virtual eye in cyberspace,” Mr. Dean said.
In essence, MedRx seeks to become a market leader by capitalizing on the new refractive surgery market being stimulated by the current market leaders who offer diagnostic systems and lasers with limited capabilities. “We are intensely focusing on a real-time, affordable laser system capable of optimum custom optical profiling,” Mr. Dean said. The company also plans on unveiling the world’s first online database containing standardized Bio-Metric data on eye type, cornea parameters, laser settings and authentic live patient statistics. “Such an extensive database could allow surgeons worldwide to compare their surgical plan or protocol with historical surgeries of the same type, allowing them to perform simulated surgery on a computerized cybernetic eye before surgery begins,” Mr. Dean said.
Stellar manpower
In addition to acquiring and developing a variety of diagnostic and surgical devices, MedRx has recruited an impressive list of individuals from the medical community. “Some of the leading refractive surgeons in the world are an integral part of the company,” Mr. Jordan said. “These surgeons are part of the management team. They define which products will be developed and what characteristics those products will possess.” Two scientists affiliated with Tubingen University are key players: Benedikt Jean, MD, and Thomas Bende, PhD, a laser physicist. “Of the nearly 40 patents we currently have, all but a handful have been generated by these two gentlemen,” Mr. Jordan said.
Despite MedRx Technologies’ ambitious plans, Mr. Creger does not believe the company has too many fingers in the pie. “If one looks at these technologies, they really fall into only two categories: diagnostic and surgical,” he said. Consequently, “we can hire expressly the engineers and the manufacturers with that kind of experience. We are not spreading ourselves thin if we structure right and manage two separate functional units.”
Dawn M. Miller, vice president of marketing and sales at MedRx, commented on the rapid growth and changing organization of the company. “Consolidating operations will help,” she said. MedRx Technologies currently has two corporate headquarters: Marietta, Ga., and Tubingen, Germany. However, the company is in the process of relocating to Clearwater, Fla. “The six original companies also will eventually be restructured into divisional entities,” Ms. Miller said.
Benedikt Jean, MD, PhD, a refractive laser surgeon and professor at the department of ophthalmology, Tubingen, Germany, and Thomas Bende, PhD, a laser physicist, plan on a research and clinical investigations facility to be constructed in the greater Tampa area of Florida, possibly alongside MedRx Technologies’ facility in Clearwater.
MedRx Technologies plans an initial public stock offering late this year. The stock will be listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange. “We’re looking to raise about $40 million, with an initial price between $12 to $15 a share,” Mr. Dean said. West Park Capital of Century City, Calif., is acting as underwriter.
For Your Information:
- Robert E. Creger, Kevin O. Dean, Carl R. Jordan and Dawn M. Miller can be reached at MedRx Technologies Inc., 1349 Old Highway 41, Marietta, GA 30060-7913; (678) 290-0909. Mr. Creger is chairman and CEO at MedRx Technologies. Mr. Dean is vice president of operations at MedRx Technologies. Mr. Jordan is director of corporate development at MedRx Technologies. Ms. Miller is vice president of marketing and sales at MedRx Technologies.