LumiThera Receives Notice of Awards for two National Eye Institute Grants

SEATTLE, Sept. 29, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- LumiThera Inc., a developmental stage medical device company creating a non-invasive photobiomodulation (PBM) treatment for ocular disorders and disease, today announced it is a recipient of a two small business innovative research (SBIR) phase I grants from the National Institute of Health (NIH) and the division of the National Eye Institute (NEI). LumiThera was a previous recipient in May of a LSDF matching grant to provide for commercialization activities for a device to treat subjects with dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

One NIH/NEI grant provides for research collaboration between LumiThera and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee with Dr. Janis Eells, a leading researcher on light therapy in the eye, termed Photobiomodulation (PBM).

"We have examined and demonstrated benefits of PBM in several ocular models and this NIH/NEI grant will allow us to optimize treatment and extend our knowledge on the cellular mechanisms involved in the multi-wavelength PBM approach," stated Professor Eells.

The second NIH/NEI grant supports a pilot human clinical trial in subjects with dry AMD.  The pilot study will test the subject's vision and examine disease pathology in the eye, following the treatment in these subjects for up to one year. 

"Both grant awards from the NIH/NEI are targeted to further our work into bringing to humans a non-invasive treatment for an eye disease that can result in a debilitating loss of vision if left untreated," stated Robert Dotson, M.D., Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, LumiThera, Inc.

"The NIH clinical study is with Principal Investigators, Drs. Robert Devenyi and Samuel Markowitz," stated Clark Tedford, Ph.D., President and CEO. "The clinical trial is targeted to start in 4Q of 2015.  Early clinical work already completed is exciting and having the NIH/NEI support the further development endeavors of LumiThera is a significant step in the validation of the technology and its potential."

"LumiThera has demonstrated promising data with their PBM approach already," says Dr. Robert Devenyi, Ophthalmologist-in-Chief and Director of Retinal Services, University of Toronto. "Recent work showing PBM can improve vision and reduce drusen suggests disease-modifying benefits, and that would be very significant for the treatment of dry AMD."

Visit the Company's website at www.lumithera.com.

About LumiThera Inc.
LumiThera is a developmental-stage medical device company focused on treating people affected by dry age-related macular degeneration. The Company was founded by a team of physicians, scientists, and engineers, with backgrounds in the use of photobiomodulation ("PBM"), using non-invasive light emitting diodes ("LED") and laser treatments for acute and chronic ocular diseases and disorders. The Company is developing an ophthalmologist LED office-based instrument to be used in multiple ocular conditions or disorders as non-invasive medical treatments.

2015 LumiThera Inc., All rights reserved.

SOURCE LumiThera Inc.

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