AKRON, Ohio (January 14, 2020)—Medical device company Okapi Medical announced the appointment of CEO, Darren Obrigkeit, Ph.D. This appointment comes on the heels of a successful pre-clinical study involving the company's innovative wound closure technology. Obrigkeit brings more than 20 years of experience in medical devices, holding leadership roles internationally for both start-ups and large-scale corporations. He will round out the veteran Okapi team, joining co-founders Dr. David Kay and William Fuller as well as a large group of seasoned medical advisors.
"I'm thrilled to join the Okapi team," said Obrigkeit. "This company is positioned to have a massive impact in the health care market with a product that can change the medical adhesive space dynamically."
Okapi's successful studies, conducted from August through December 2019, demonstrate the value of their patented wound closure technology, Cutiva.
"This represents the next generation in wound closure," said co-founder and inventor Dr. David Kay. "Cutiva excels where existing adhesives fall short and breathes new life into options for closing wounds."
Cutiva, is the first to incorporate a major advancement in medical adhesive chemistry since the 1990s. The technology platform is based on a portfolio of issued and pending international patents licensed from the University of Akron's world class polymer science department.
"This unique chemistry enables the creation of truly dynamic, skin-like adhesives for the first time. Cutiva will allow for far superior wound healing in an entirely cost-effective way," Kay said.
With the completion of this testing milestone, Okapi has progressed to working on development of its unique closure system.
"We are zeroing in on the adhesive while developing an entire closure solution. Our next stage of development will include applicators, instruments, and other products aimed to speed and simplify the procedure." said Obrigkeit. He adds that discussions are underway with key partners, and Okapi's team is well equipped to rapidly meet the next set of milestones towards market launch.
Okapi Medical, formerly known as K-Medical, is developing next generation wound closure systems. Their adhesive technology takes cyanoacrylate chemistry, which has evolved over 60 years from most commonly known "Super Glue," to new levels and has the ability to tune the chemistry for specific health care applications. The company, based in Akron, Ohio, is founded by a team of medical device industry veterans.
