Ophthalmology Management:
Dr. Brocks, please discuss your role as CMO of BostonSight.
Daniel Brocks, MD: As the CMO, I am fortunate to help in many aspects of patient care, education, and research at BostonSight. My main role is to support patient care in our Needham office, to assist in patient and medical professional education, and to support the clinical research program and our efforts to continue to investigate innovative and novel approaches to treat cornea and ocular surface disease.
We are fortunate to be able to provide each patient with a comprehensive evaluation of their disease state, to create a focused treatment plan, and to afford them the opportunity to participate in breakthrough investigations through our clinical trials program. Patient records are thoroughly evaluated prior to coming to our office, to determine the best approach to their care. While here, each patient has each and every prosthetic replacement of the ocular surface ecosystem (PROSE) device customized for their eye in our on-site ISO certified, FDA registered manufacturing lab. PROSE devices are removable, nickel-sized transparent domes made of gas-permeable plastic that allow oxygen to reach the surface of the eye. They rest on the sclera and vault over the cornea to create a smooth surface over the damaged or diseased cornea. PROSE treatment uses prosthetic devices cleared by the FDA for therapeutic indications.
OM: What do you find the most rewarding about your role as CMO?
DB: The most rewarding part of my role is getting to work with a team that is so passionate and dedicated to improving the ocular health and lives of those in need throughout all aspects of our company-patient clinic, medical device manufacturing, education, and research. We provide an approach to care that is unique, and it is with extreme pride that we offer the time and expertise needed to try to address the complex issues at hand. There are few medical institutions that provide the opportunity to meet with your doctor(s) and clinical staff for hours and provide access to the most advanced technology, including state-of-the-art manufacturing. In addition, each patient also has the opportunity to consider clinical trial enrollment as part of their BostonSight experience.
OM: BostonSight recently expanded its clinical trials capabilities for the design and execution of ophthalmic and optometric clinical trials. Can you tell us more about this?
DB: BostonSight is an integrated organization that is well positioned to provide tremendous support to perform and implement clinical trials in the fields of PROSE treatment, scleral lens care, and cornea and ocular surface disease. Our many resources to achieve our research goals include: a busy clinic which provides a patient population very interested in clinical trial participation; an on-site manufacturing lab for ease of support of PROSE and scleral lens R&D; an on-staff clinical research coordinator for supporting study start up and implementation; and experienced scientific authors that can support protocol development and manuscript writing for peer-reviewed publication.
OM: Can you discuss the type of studies that BostonSight supports?
DB: BostonSight supports all aspects and types of research studies, including case reports and case series publications; retrospective data analysis and retrospective study publication; self-sponsored prospective clinical trials; investigator-initiation prospective clinical trials; and clinical trial site for sponsored studies. In the field of PROSE and scleral lens research, we have many areas of focus. Recently, our major areas of focus include mental health improvement with PROSE and scleral lens treatment; PROSE and scleral lenses as drug delivery devices; and synergistic and complementary effect of topical ocular medications when used in conjunction with PROSE or scleral lenses.
Our recently published proof of concept prospective study1 describing the use of PROSE as a drug delivery system for cyclosporine 0.05% highlights the type of innovative ideas and questions that we are actively working to address.OM
Reference
1. Nakhla MN, Patel R, Crowley E, Li Y, Peiris TB, Brocks D. Utilizing PROSE as a drug delivery device for preservative-free cyclosporine 0.05% for the treatment of dry eye disease: a pilot study. Clin Ophthalmol. 2024;18:3203-3213. doi:10.2147/OPTH.S487369