This transcript has been edited for clarity.

Hi, my name is Rui Jing Jiang, and I’m the founder and CEO of Avisi Technologies. I’m here today at the American Glaucoma Society meeting and it’s been fantastic connecting with physicians from all over the states and beyond and share what we're working on at Avisi.

Glaucoma Physician: What is Avisi Technologies, and how does the VisiPlate nanotechnology work?

Rui Jing Jiang: At Avisi, we are developing a portfolio of vision-saving technologies based on a metamaterial nanotechnology developed at the University of Pennsylvania. The technology we’re working with is the world’s thinnest freestanding material—meaning it’s ultralight, it’s ultra-robust, and it’s highly biocompatible. We've used this technology in a portfolio of 3 key programs. The first, our flagship device, is called VisiPlate. VisiPlate Aqueous Shunt is an ultrathin, multichannel subconjunctival-placed device that controls intraocular pressure (IOP) over time by wicking aqueous through a network of connective microchannels into a low-lying drainage space.

Our second program is called VisiPlate-S. This uses a similar mechanism, where we’re shunting aqueous through a network of finely tuned microchannels to the suprachoroidal space to help treat patients with mild to moderate open-angle glaucoma at the time of cataract surgery. And the third program we have today is called V-001. This is a pretty nascent program, but it’s a sustained delivery drug project that was recently funded by the National Science Foundation.

GP: What is the current regulatory status of the VisiPlate?

Rui Jing Jiang: Avisi is currently enrolling patients in the SAPPHIRE study. This is our FDA-approved investigational device exemption (IDE) trial for the VisiPlate Aqueous Shunt. We're seeking to evaluate up to 65 subjects who have refractory primary open-angle glaucoma, and thus far it’s been thrilling to see the first cases come through and have successful implantations. We’re super grateful for all of our current principal investigators (PIs) and the potential PIs who are interested in the study. It’s been great to connect with them at this conference.

GP: What has it been like building Avisi Technologies?

Rui Jing Jiang: I started Avisi Technologies back in 2017, when I was a student at the University of Pennsylvania. It was a very interdisciplinary, collaborative effort with folks like Eydie G. Miller-Ellis, MD, at the Scheie Eye Institute, in the Perelman School of Medicine with my home institution, the Wharton School of Business, and the School of Engineering, where the technology is from. Since then, it’s been such a pleasure and a tremendous honor to work with these institutions and get funding from others at the National Science Foundation and our investor partners to be able to bring VisiPlate and its adjacent technologies to the impact that they’re delivering today.

Our VisiPlate technology has shown great IOP control, excellent safety, and durability of effect out to 2 years now in our outside-the-United States (OUS) VITA study. We’re excited to replicate this data here in our SAPPHIRE study.

In terms of VisiPlate-S, we’re in preclinical development, and as I mentioned, V-001 is in development as well, so it’s a very exciting time to be at Avisi Technologies.

I mentioned that I started as a student; I'm glad to say today we have a dedicated full-time team of 10 experts across our engineering, clinical, regulatory quality departments, and it's been such a pleasure to work with our amazing team and our scientific advisory board to bring our technologies to life. We're really trying to create a new paradigm in glaucoma by melding novel materials that are highly biocompatible, nonfibrotic, and truly unique to a disease that really requires a new approach. We hope that with our low-profile devices, we can deliver a big impact. GP