Two companies in the eyecare space are teaming up to form a joint Medical Advisory Board comprising nine leading ophthalmologists (MDs) and optometrists (ODs) across the country.
The companies: Vital Tears and Brightstar Therapeutics.
Right off the bat: Let’s start with these clinical experts.
Of the nine members, six are MDs:
- Albert Cheung, MD (Virginia Eye Consultants)
- Marjan Farid, MD (Gavin Herbert Eye Institute, University of California-Irvine)
- Pedram Hamrah, MD (University of San Francisco Health)
- Huck Holz, MD (Kaiser Permanente and University of California, San Francisco)
- Sumitra Khandelwal, MD (Baylor College of Medicine)
- Barry Lee, MD, FACS (Eye Consultants of Atlanta and Piedmont Healthcare)
And the remaining three are ODs:
- John Gelles, OD (Cornea and Laser Eye Institute and CLEI Center for Keratoconus)
- Paul Karpecki, OD, FAAO (Kentucky Eye Institute)
- Cecelia Koetting, OD, FAAO, Dipl ABO (University of Colorado School of Medicine)
And their purpose on this MAB?
According to the companies (which we’ll discuss in a moment):
Each of these members will provide three key forms of guidance—strategic, clinical, and scientific—to support the following areas across their portfolios of ocular surface and corneal care innovations:
- Product development
- Evidence generation
- Market access
- Clinical adoption
Now let’s take a look at these companies.
We’ll begin with Vital Tears.
The provider of autologous serum eye drops (ASEDs) was co-founded in 2015 by ophthalmic device manufacturer Stephens Instruments and nonprofit SavingSight.
- Its purpose: The Kansas City, Missouri-based company was launched to provide a more convenient way to deliver serum tears to patients in need across the United States.
Tell me more about ASEDs.
See here for a brief rundown on the history of their use and formulation.
Generally speaking, the tears can be used to treat dry eye disease (DED; including severe DED) along with corneal conditions such as:
- Recurrent corneal erosion
- Neurotrophic keratitis
- Corneal neuropathic pain
- Persistent epithelial defects (PEDs)
And in the case of Vital Tears’ ASEDs?
The company’s preservative-free (PF) serum tears are personalized eye drops derived from a patient’s own blood serum—and formulated with a blend of natural components (think: growth factors, proteins, and vitamins) to mimic natural tears.
See here for more on their processing methods, and click here for details on how Vital Tears works with eyecare providers to provide serum tear access to patients within 48 hours of a blood draw.
Next up: Let’s talk Brightstar.
Launched in 2023, the Lexington, Kentucky-based biotechnology company has developed a patented technology to support its pipeline of regenerative cell therapies targeting two key disease areas:
- Corneal dystrophies
- Ocular surface diseases (OSDs)
But more specifically: Its current disease focuses are on PEDs and limbal stem cell deficiency (LSCD).
What do we know about this patented technology?
Known as BrightMEM, this is designed as a corneal allograft derived from Descemet’s membrane (DM)—and is aseptically processed from donated human tissue.
How it works: By promoting durable regeneration of the corneal epithelium while simultaneously protecting the underlying tissue.
What type of procedure is used to transplant this allograft?
That would be BrightMEM anterior keratoplasty (BMAK), which transplants BrightMEM onto the ocular surface to promote corneal epithelium regeneration.
See here for a visual of the procedure.
Fascinating … and has this undergone any clinical evaluations to support its efficacy?
Yes, actually—among LSCD patients. Check out these positive clinical findings presented in 2024.
Nice! Now, circling back to the MAB …
Vital Tears and Brightstar referred to the Board’s establishment as “a natural and strategic evolution,” with both aligned on improving access and advancing the standard of care for OSD patients.
- For Vital Tears: Via its “pioneering national service model that makes autologous serum tears convenient, accessible and affordable.”
- And for Brightstar: Via the introduction of BrightMEM, “ the first long-term corneal allograft solution designed to support patients with impaired ocular healing.”
And what’s the intent?
Keeping their focus on treating OSD patients, the companies plan to expand adoption of their respective products by leveraging the expert insights from their MAB to inform clinical strategy and enhance patient outcomes.
No other details have been shared as of yet—so stay tuned for updates.