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Who We Are

Our Mission

My wife died of breast cancer in 2003. Since then, I have made it my mission to help prevent others from experiencing the same pain from cancer left behind after surgery.

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At Lumicell, our mission is to improve the way cancer surgery is performed, starting with breast cancer.  Our innovative, fluorescence-guided imaging technology is designed to illuminate cancerous tissue inside the breast cavity following initial lumpectomy to help surgeons achieve a more complete surgical resection.

In the United States,

100 k

The Problem

The standard of care for lumpectomies has well-known limitations as cancer is left behind 20-40% of the time.

Today’s Standard of Care

The focus is on analyzing cancerous tissue that has already been removed after the initial lumpectomy instead of looking inside the patient where the cancer may still remain.

Our Aim

Enhance the standard of care by assisting surgeons with intracavity detection of residual cancer in real-time.

Incomplete tumor resection (i.e., positive margins) has been shown to more than double the risk of recurrence.

Lumicell recognizes the challenge surgeons face in finding and removing all cancerous tissue while conserving as much healthy breast tissue as possible. That’s why we are committed to pioneering new technologies to help surgeons make more informed decisions in real-time.

Leadership Team

Kevin Hershberger

Kevin joined Lumicell as Chief Financial Officer in 2018 and currently serves as President and Chief Executive Officer. He leads an experienced team dedicated to changing the way cancer surgery is performed. Kevin brings over 25 years of global executive management experience in a variety of life science product and manufacturing companies. Prior to Lumicell he held leadership roles at ReWalk Robotics, NxStage Medical and Boston Scientific. He holds a B.S. in accounting from West Virginia University.

Howard Hechler

Howard joined Lumicell in 2020 as Senior Vice President of Strategy and Corporate Development, and now serves as Chief Business and Strategy Officer. He brings almost 20 years of focused life-sciences experience in market access, strategy, and operations. Prior to Lumicell, Howard worked at Locust Walk, PolarityTE, Smith & Nephew, Medtronic, and Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals. Howard graduated cum laude with a B.A. from Harvard University, and received his M.B.A. and Juris Doctorate degrees from the University of Virginia.

Brent Palmisano

Brent joined Lumicell in May 2022 and is responsible for building the company’s commercial strategy and organization. Brent brings more than 20 years’ experience and a demonstrated track record in building and leading medical device commercial organizations. Previously, Brent was Senior Vice President of Global Commercial Operations at DYSIS Medical, where he oversaw building the business to new heights. He also spent 15 years at Boston Scientific, where he held multiple commercial positions with increasing responsibilities, including Area Vice President of Boston Scientific’s National Accounts team and Director of Marketing and Commercial Integration, where he oversaw the development of dozens of devices. Earlier in his career, Brent spent seven years at Black and Decker in various sales and marketing positions. He holds a B.S. in marketing from the University of South Florida.

Jorge Ferrer, PhD

Jorge joined Lumicell in 2010. He leads the company’s clinical research and strategy for cancer applications, and manages the company’s regulatory strategy, preparation of communications and reporting to the FDA. Jorge co-developed Lumicell’s optical imaging agent, LUMISIGHT™, as Senior Director of R&D at Lumicell. He also co-developed the prototype of the Lumicell Direct Visualization System™ (DVS) during his post-doctoral tenure with Dr. Moungi Bawendi at MIT. Prior to his post-graduate studies, Jorge worked as a Mechanical Design Engineer at Texas Instruments. He holds a doctorate in biological engineering and a M.S. in mechanical engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a B.S. in mechanical engineering from University of Puerto Rico Mayagüez.

Daniel K. Harris, PhD

Daniel joined Lumicell in 2017 as a Principal Scientist. In his current role as Vice President of Pharmaceutical Development and Chemistry, Manufacturing and Controls, Daniel is responsible for the co-development of Lumicell’s optical imaging agent, LUMISIGHT™, as well as regulatory strategy and preparation of drug-related regulatory filings, including the New Drug Application. Prior to joining Lumicell, Daniel led the chemistry R&D group at QD Vision, a nanomaterials company developing fluorescent materials for the consumer display market and supported the company through its acquisition by Samsung. He earned his PhD from MIT, studying in the laboratory of Dr. Moungi Bawendi, and received a B.S. in chemical engineering from the University of Southern California.

Amee Patel Pant

Amee joined Lumicell in 2019 and now serves as Vice President of Human Resources and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging. Amee is responsible for all aspects of human resources initiatives and has over 15 years of diverse human resources and management experience. Prior to Lumicell, Amee founded Boylston Consulting Group to help companies advance organizational goals, implement change and drive top and bottom-line profit and revenue. She has also served on the senior management team at New England Office Supply (now WB Mason) leading human resources strategy. She holds a B.A. in economics and international relations from the University of Southern California and a M.B.A. from Boston College.

Brian Schlossberg, PhD

Brian joined Lumicell in 2018 as Director of Medical Affairs and is currently responsible for leading development of new indications for Lumicell’s fluorescence imaging technologies.  He brings over 15 years of product development experience from medical device start-ups.  Prior to joining Lumicell, Brian served as Director of Research and Development at Osteonovus; a medical device company developing biomaterials for spine and orthopedic indications. Brian earned his PhD in Biomedical Engineering from The University of New South Wales, where he studied in the Surgical & Orthopaedic Research Laboratories under Professor Bill Walsh.

Michael Viscido

Michael joined Lumicell in 2021. He is responsible for leading the development and implementation of the company’s quality management system, regulatory compliance program, design assurance practices, and risk management processes. Michael has over 30 years of quality assurance experience in the medical device and pharmaceutical industries. He has held senior quality leadership roles at Integra Life Sciences, Ikaria, and Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals. He received his B.S. in electronics engineering technology from the College of New Jersey and his M.S. in engineering management from the New Jersey Institute of Technology. He is a Senior Member of the American Society for Quality (ASQ), holds four ASQ Certifications (CQA, CQE, CRE, CQM) and is RAC – US certified by the Regulatory Affairs Professionals Society (RAPS).

Board of Directors

Andrey Zarur, PhD

Executive Chairman, Lumicell
CEO, Green Light Biosciences

Elon Boms

Launch Capital, LLC

Cosimo Fiorenza

Vice President & General Counsel, Quantum Valley Investments.

David Furneaux

CEO, BlueIO & Managing Partner, Kodiak Venture Partners

Kevin Hershberger

President & CEO, Lumicell

Kevin Krenitsky, MD

Former COO, CCO, Foundation Medicine

W. David Lee

Founder, Lumicell

Mike Ruettgers

Retired Chairman, Lahey Clinic, and Former CEO, EMC Corporation

Investors

References

1. National Cancer Institute. SEER Cancer Stat Facts: Female Breast Cancer. Accessed April 19, 2023. https://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/breast.html 2. Fefferman M, Nicholson K, Kuchta K, Pesce C, Kopkash K, Yao K. Rates of Bilateral Mastectomy in Patients With Early-Stage Breast Cancer [published correction appears in JAMA Netw Open. 2023 Mar 1;6(3):e236719]. JAMA Netw Open. 2023;6(1):e2251348. Published 2023 Jan 3. 3. Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Mastectomy and Double Mastectomy. Accessed April 24, 2023. https://www.brighamandwomens.org/surgery/surgical-oncology/resources/mastectomy 4. Breastcancer.org. Breast Cancer Facts and Statistics. Updated January 18, 2023. Accessed April 7, 2023. https://www.breastcancer.org/facts-statistics 5. McCahill LE, Single RM, Aiello Bowles EJ, et al. Variability in Reexcision Following Breast Conservation Surgery. JAMA. 2012;307(5):467-475. 6. Havel L, Naik H, Ramirez L, Morrow M, Landercasper J. Impact of the SSO-ASTRO Margin Guideline on Rates of Re-excision After Lumpectomy for Breast Cancer: A Meta-analysis. Ann Surg Oncol. 2019;26(5):1238-1244. 7. Chagpar AB, Killelea BK, Tsangaris TN, et al. A Randomized, Controlled Trial of Cavity Shave Margins in Breast Cancer. N Engl J Med. 2015;373(6):503-510. 8. Tang R, Coopey SB, Specht MC, et al. Lumpectomy Specimen Margins Are Not Reliable in Predicting Residual Disease in Breast Conserving Surgery. Am J Surg. 2015;210(1):93–8.