PolyTouch Medical Ltd. Announces the Appointment of Robert D. Fanelli, MD, FACS, FASGE as Medical Advisor

MISGAV, Israel, July 6, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- PolyTouch Medical Ltd., a leading developer of laparoscopic soft tissue prosthetic placement technologies, today announced that it has appointed Robert D. Fanelli, MD, FACS, FASGE as Medical Advisor.

PolyTouch has developed PatchAssist, an FDA cleared laparoscopic surgical instrument that enables accurate and rapid delivery and placement of soft tissue prosthetics for a variety of procedures, including laparoscopic ventral hernia repair (LVHR). PatchAssistTM is a stand-alone surgical device that is compatible with all currently commercialized soft tissue prosthetics. PatchAssist enables surgeons to rapidly deliver and position soft tissue prosthetics over the defect potentially reducing operation time by 30% - 50%.

Dr. Robert D. Fanelli is the president of Surgical Specialists of Western New England P.C., and has extensive experience in minimally invasive surgery, gastrointestinal surgery, and advanced gastrointestinal and pancreaticobiliary endoscopy. Dr. Fanelli is an editorial review board member for http://www.minimallyinvasiveprocedures.com, a community-based video wiki; and a peer reviewer for the Annals of Surgery, Journal of the American College of Surgeons, and Surgical Endoscopy. He has presented and published more than 200 articles in peer-reviewed medical literature and has received numerous awards and appears in the Guide to America's Top Surgeons - Excellence in Gastrointestinal Surgery, Minimally Invasive Surgery, and Gastrointestinal & Biliary Endoscopy; and Who's Who in America.

Dr. Fanelli completed medical school at the Medical College of Pennsylvania; residency programs at the Stamford Hospital General Surgery Residency and Michigan State University; and a fellowship at Mount Sinai Medical Center. He has developed a number of successful products, and has assisted with countless others.

"Dr. Fanelli has outstanding abilities for assisting in medical product developments. I am delighted and honored to have Dr. Fanelli join our U.S. Medical Advisory Board," remarked Ofek Levin, Founder and CEO of PolyTouch Medical.

Dr. Fanelli commented, "PatchAssist has the potential to revolutionize laparoscopic ventral hernia repair. By streamlining the tedious process of introducing, unfurling, and positioning the mesh, this unique product enables rapid deployment and accurate placement of even the largest pieces of mesh, including even lightweight synthetics and floppy biologics. Based on my early experience with this device, PatchAssist will save substantial time in the operating room and therefore is poised to help trim the overall costs of delivering care for patients with ventral hernias."

As previously reported, PolyTouch announced on June 21, that it has received FDA clearance to commercialize PatchAssist(TM)

PolyTouch announced on April 26th, the appointment of Karl A. LeBlanc, MD, MBA, FACS, as Medical Advisor.

PolyTouch announced April 12th, the appointment of Morris E. Franklin Jr., MD, FACS, as Medical Advisor.

On January 25th, PolyTouch announced the appointment of William Edelman as Chairman of the Board.

About PolyTouch Medical Ltd.

PolyTouch Medical was founded in March 2009 and is located in the Misgav Venture Accelerator, Israel. PolyTouch is a portfolio company of The Trendlines Group's (http://www.trendlines.com) Misgav Venture Accelerator (http://www.misgav-venture.com). PatchAssist(TM) is an innovative laparoscopic surgical instrument that enables accurate and rapid delivery and placement of soft tissue prosthetics for a variety of procedures, including laparoscopic ventral hernia repair (LVHR) potentially reducing procedure time by 30%-50%. PolyTouch plans to introduce the PatchAssist(TM) device into the U.S. market in the beginning of 2011. <start_public>

    Contact:
    Ofek Levin, Founder & CEO
    PolyTouch Medical Ltd,
    [email protected]
    Phone: +972-72-260-7066 <end_public>

SOURCE PolyTouch Medical Ltd.