Martinez, Calif. – September 29, 2020 – Michael Porter, Ph.D., has joined the board of directors of ExThera Medical Corporation, a privately held medical technology company focused on the therapeutic reduction of drug-resistant pathogens and sepsis mediators in whole blood.  ExThera’s Seraph^® 100 Microbind^® Affinity Blood Filter (Seraph 100) has a CE Mark in Europe for the treatment of a wide range of bloodstream infections. In the USA Seraph 100 has Emergency Use Authorization from FDA, where it is being used successfully in the treatment of COVID-19 patients, many of whom are critically ill.

Professor Porter, the Bishop William Lawrence University Professor at Harvard Business School, is recognized as a leading authority on competitive strategy, the competitiveness and economic development of nations and regions, and the application of competition and strategy principles to address social problems such as health care, the environment, and creating economic opportunity by increasing corporate social impact. Harvard University and Harvard Business School jointly created the Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness dedicated to furthering Professor Porter’s research. In addition, he has founded several non-profit organizations including the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC), focused on revitalizing distressed economic urban communities, and the International Consortium for Health Outcome Measurements (ICHOM), the leader in developing patient centered health outcomes by medical condition, today encompassing 33 conditions affecting a substantial part of the disease burden.

“Dr. Porter’s global expertise in the strategic development of commercial organizations, his work on transformation of healthcare, and his relationships with numerous health systems and delivery organizations, will provide a new and welcomed perspective to ExThera as we expand the markets for our novel blood filter,” said Bob Ward NAE President and Chairman of the Board. “Michael will provide world class guidance as a strategic advisor to the Company. We are excited to welcome him to the Board as we begin a period of significant growth.”

Professor Porter holds a Bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from Princeton University where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, a Master’s degree in Business Administration with high distinction from Harvard Business School where he was a George F. Baker Scholar, and a Ph.D. in Business Economics from Harvard University. He has also been awarded numerous honorary doctorates from universities around the world. He is a member of the Princeton University Board of Trustees, and the author of 20 books and over 150 articles. Professor Porter also co-chairs the editorial board for New England Journal of Medicine Catalyst, a leading journal for new approaches to health care delivery.

Professor Porter commented on joining the ExThera board, “I am truly excited about ExThera Medical’s business potential, and I am honored to be affiliated with this life-saving company at a time when medical innovation is more important than ever. ExThera Medical is a leading innovator in health technology and treating some of the most challenging and life-threatening medical conditions of our time.”

# # #

About ExThera Medical Corporation
ExThera Medical Corporation develops and commercializes extracorporeal blood filtration devices, including the Seraph^® 100 Microbind^® Affinity Blood Filter (Seraph 100) for removing a broad range of pathogens from the bloodstream of patients. Seraph 100 can be used in hospitals, clinics, on battlefields and in other austere environments to address nosocomial and community-acquired infections as well as those caused by battlefield wounds, pandemics, and biological warfare agents. ExThera Medical’s extracorporeal products have demonstrated life-saving capabilities in a wide range of critically ill patients suffering from sepsis, COVID-19, and many other severe bloodstream infections. With a growing body of outcome and health economic evidence from independent clinical studies, success in the DARPA Dialysis-Like Therapeutics program, and from successful clinical use in the U.S., the EU, and the Middle East, the company is well positioned to serve healthcare professionals and patients alike. 

The Seraph 100 Microbind Affinity Blood Filter (Seraph 100) attained CE Mark in 2019 and is commercially available in the EU for the treatment of blood stream infections. The Seraph 100 device has neither been cleared nor approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for any indication. The Seraph 100 has been authorized by FDA under an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) to treat patients with COVID-19 infection. The Seraph 100 is authorized only for the duration of the declaration that circumstances exist justifying the authorization of the emergency use of the Seraph 100 device under section 564(b)(1) of the Act, 21 U.S.C. § 360bbb-3(b)(1), unless the authorization is terminated or revoked sooner.

For more information, visit the company’s website at http://www.extheramedical.com/.

About Seraph 100 and the ONCObind Procedure
As a patient’s blood flows through the Seraph^® 100 Microbind^® Affinity Filter (Seraph 100), it passes through a bed of small beads with receptors that mimic the receptors on human cells that pathogens target when they invade the body. Many harmful substances are quickly captured and adsorbed onto the surface of the beads and are thereby subtracted from the bloodstream. Seraph 100 adds nothing to the bloodstream. It targets the pathogens that cause the infection, while it also binds and removes harmful substances generated by the pathogen and by the body’s response to the infection. Seraph’s proprietary adsorption media (the beads) constitute a flexible platform that uses immobilized (chemically bonded) heparin for its well-established blood compatibility and its unique ability to bind circulating tumor cells, bacteria, viruses, fungi, and important sepsis mediators reported to contribute to organ failure during sepsis.

ExThera Medical is currently developing the ONCObind Procedure Hemoperfusion Filter (ONCObind) to support cancer treatment. ONCObind is part of the same platform technology as Seraph 100.

For more news stories on Seraph 100 and ONCObind, click here.

Disclaimer
All information contained in this news release derives from plausible, reliable sources, however they have not been independently examined or verified. There is no representation, warranty, or guarantee provided herein. Except as otherwise required by appliable law, all liability for any direct or indirect claims, damages or losses are hereby disclaimed whether or not foreseeable. This communication includes forward-looking statements regarding events, trends and business prospects that may affect our future operating results and financial position. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results and financial position to differ materially. Accordingly, the investment and/or the revenues that arise from it can rise or fall or fail entirely. We assume no responsibility to update or revise any statements contained in this news release, including forward-looking, to reflect events, trends, or circumstances that might arise after the date of this news release. Results from case studies (reviews) may not be predictive of future results.

MM0044 Rev A