Stanford Surgeon Venita Chandra Joins Alucent Biomedical Scientific Advisory Board as Company Enters Arteriovenous Fistula Market

Alucent Biomedical, a privately held medical technology company founded to transform the way vascular disease is treated, today announced Venita Chandra, M.D., will join the company’s scientific advisory board.

Dr. Chandra is board certified in both general and vascular surgery. She is a clinical associate professor of surgery in the Division of Vascular Surgery at Stanford University Medical Center. She also serves as the co-medical director of the Stanford Advanced Wound Care Center and the program director of the Vascular Surgery Fellowship and Vascular Surgery Residency Programs at the Stanford University School of Medicine.

Alucent is currently developing its Natural Vascular Scaffolding (Alucent NVS) Vessel Restoration System with Photoactivated Linking for the treatment of peripheral artery disease (PAD) of the lower extremities. The company announced today it will also seek to adapt the technology for another use, the maturation and preservation of arteriovenous fistula (AVF) for hemodialysis (HD).

The prevalence of end-stage renal disease continues to rise, and there is a growing need for HD. The National Kidney Foundation Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative (NKF-KDOQI) guidelines and the Fistula First Breakthrough Initiative recommend AVFs as the preferred type of vascular access for HD, as they have superior patency rates, fewer complications, and lower health care costs.

“Early pre-clinical studies involving Alucent NVS therapy for AVF have been encouraging. Applying the treatment at fistula creation has facilitated maturation and the promotion of outward remodeling of the AVF,” Dr. Chandra said. “I’m thrilled to connect with Alucent as the company develops this new promising technology to address the challenge of dialysis access for patients suffering from end-stage renal disease.”

As part of the Alucent scientific advisory board, Dr. Chandra joins a team of leading experts in peripheral and cardiovascular disease, including Dr. Gary Ansel, Dr. Elazer Edelman, Dr. Ron Utecht, Dr. Bill Gray, Dr. Larry Kraiss, Dr. Bill Sessa, Dr. Krishna Rocha-Singh, and Dr. Craig Walker.

“Dr. Chandra is a renowned vascular surgeon and will be integral to informing the company’s direction as we seek to add another treatment protocol to our clinical trial portfolio,” said Myles Greenberg, M.D., chief executive officer of Alucent. “Her appointment will strengthen the team’s capabilities in developing this new use for our technology and underscores the untapped potential for Alucent NVS.”