Vycor Medical, Inc. Announces Alvaro Pascual-Leone, MD, PhD as Head of the Strategic Advisory Board of its NovaVision, Inc. Subsidiary

BOCA RATON, Fla., July 11, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Vycor Medical, Inc. announces that Alvaro Pascual-Leone, MD, PhD has agreed to be the Head of the Strategic Advisory Board of its NovaVision, Inc. subsidiary.

Alvaro Pascual-Leone, MD, PhD, is Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School; Director of the Berenson-Allen Center for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation; Program Director of the Harvard-Thorndike Clinical Research Unit; and an Attending Neurologist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center -- all in Boston. He is a practicing behavioral neurologist and movement disorders specialist.

A native of Spain, Dr. Pascual-Leone received his M.D. in 1984 and his Ph.D. in Neurophysiology in 1985, both from Albert-Ludwigs University in Freiburg, Germany.  Following an internship in Medicine at Staedtisches Klinikum Karlsruhe in Germany and residency in Internal Medicine at Hospital Universitario de Valencia in Spain, Dr. Pascual-Leone completed a Neurology residency at the University of Minnesota, and then trained in Clinical Neurophysiology and Human Motor Control at the University of Minnesota and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). He joined Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in 1997, after several years at the Cajal Institute of the Spanish Research Council.

Dr. Pascual-Leone is a world leader in research and development, clinical application and teaching of noninvasive brain stimulation. Dr. Pascual-Leone's research aims at understanding the mechanisms that control brain plasticity across the life span to be able to modify them for the patient's optimal behavioral outcome. Dr. Pascual-Leone has authored more than 450 scientific papers as well as several books, and holds various patents.

Dr. Pascual-Leone is also the recipient of several international honors and awards, including the Ramón y Cajal Award in Neuroscience (Spain), the Norman Geschwind Prize in Behavioral Neurology from the American Academy of Neurology, the Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Research Award from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (Germany), and the Jean-Louis Signoret Prize from the Ipsen Foundation (France). He is an elected member of the Spanish Royal Academy of Science (Farmacia). His work also has wide general public appeal and outreach through dissemination in articles in the lay press (Time Magazine, Newsweek, New Scientist, National Geographic) and documentaries on television and radio (Scientific American, 60 minutes, CNN, BBC, Discovery, National Geographic, etc.).

David Cantor, the President of Vycor Medical, Inc., commented: "Having Alvaro lead NovaVision's Strategic Advisory Board is a significant milestone in the Company's development. Alvaro will assist senior management in steering the Company's strategic direction and will act as one of the key Scientific people responsible for determining the choice and execution of future clinical studies. I am delighted he has agreed to join and greatly value his enormous experience and thoughtful input."

About Vycor Medical, Inc.

With corporate headquarters in Boca Raton, FL, Vycor Medical, Inc. (VYCO.BB) is a medical device company committed to making neurological brain, spinal and other surgical procedures safer and more effective.  The company's flagship, Patent Pending ViewSite™ Surgical Access Systems represent an exciting new minimally invasive access and retraction system that holds the potential for speedier, safer and more economical brain, spinal and other surgeries and a quicker patient discharge.  Vycor's innovative medical instruments are designed to optimize neurosurgical site access, reduce patient risk, accelerate recovery, and add tangible value to the professional medical community. Vycor is ISO 13485:2003 compliant, has FDA 510(K) clearance for brain and spine surgeries, and CE marketing and HPB licensing in Canada. 

Vycor Medical's subsidiary NovaVision, Inc. researches, develops and provides science-driven light-based neurostimulation therapy and other medical technologies that help restore sight to patients with neurological vision impairments.  The company's proprietary, Visual Restoration Therapy (VRT) platform is FDA-cleared and clinically supported to improve lost vision resulting from stroke, brain cancer, traumatic brain injury ("TBI"), or other acquired brain injury. VRT can be prescribed by any ophthalmologist, optometrist, neurologist or physiatrist. NovaVision also provides a device that aids in the early identification of visual field deficits: the Head Mounted Perimeter (HMP^™) - a portable and ADA-compliant instrument to aid in the detection and measurement of visual field deficits even in bed-ridden patients.

For the latest information on the company, including media and other coverage, and to learn more, please go online at www.VycorMedical.com or www.NovaVision.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

Information in this document constitute forward-looking statements or statements which may be deemed or construed to be forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The words "forecast", "anticipate", "estimate", "project", "intend", "expect", "should", "believe", and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve, and are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which could cause Vycor Medical's actual results, performance (financial or operating) or achievements to differ from the future results, performance (financial or operating) or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. The risks, uncertainties and other factors are more fully discussed in Vycor Medical's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements attributable to Vycor Medical herein are expressly qualified in their entirety by the above-mentioned cautionary statement. Vycor Medical disclaims any obligation to update forward-looking statements contained in this estimate, except as may be required by law.

Contact: Karen Coviello, 323-387-9555, [email protected]

SOURCE Vycor Medical, Inc.