Dune Medical Expands Leadership Team

Dune Medical Devices has appointed Skip Ashmore as chief commercial officer. Ashmore joins Dune with 25 years of experience in the medical device industry including engagements with Covidien (now Medtronic plc), CryoLife, Baxter Healthcare and Motus GI.
 
“Having worked with Skip at Covidien, I have seen first-hand his ability to integrate his background in the sciences with a market driven, customer focus to the business,” said Lori Chmura, Dune Medical CEO. “His expertise enhances our team’s ability to execute against our commercial strategy, pursue reimbursement and develop our next generation products. Skip’s addition to the leadership team is the next step in building a world class medical device company.”
 
MarginProbe, Dune Medical’s first commercial product based on its proprietary Radiofrequency (RF) Spectroscopy technology, has been helping surgeons ensure clean margins in lumpectomy procedures since 2013. Multiple peer-reviewed studies have demonstrated MarginProbe’s ability to reduce re-excision rates in women undergoing breast conserving surgery by up to 79 percent.
 
“Realizing that one in four women undergoing breast conserving surgery must have a repeat surgery to remove undetected cancer was a top reason to join the Dune Medical team,” said Ashmore. “Achieving standard of care status in margin detection to improve outcomes and reduce costs is a compelling mission that I am honored to lead.”

Dune’s next product earned a 3 million euro grant from the EC 2020 Horizon program in 2016. It will expand the company’s surgical oncology portfolio to include a soft tissue biopsy system with its first indication in breast tissue.
 
“Longer term, we believe our RF Spectroscopy platform can improve clinical outcomes and reduce the total cost of care across multiple cancers,” Ashmore said.

Dune has also appointed Susan Turner as vice president of healthcare economics and reimbursement. Turner joins Dune with 19 years of experience in the medical device industry, where she was responsible for payer relations and managed care with Hologic, Cytyc, and Proxima Therapeutics.
 
“As the healthcare system seeks ways to improve quality and reduce spending, MarginProbe brings a necessary benefit to the delivery of care in women with breast cancer,” said Turner. “By reducing costly repeat surgeries, Dune’s technology helps advance the move from volume-based to value-based healthcare. It is important that payers recognize the value Radiofrequency Spectroscopy offers by supporting coding, payment and coverage decisions to improve access to this technology.”
 
Dune Medical Devices develops, manufactures, and commercializes innovative products that improve the effectiveness and outcome of cancer therapy by providing real-time tissue characterization systems to guide surgical and diagnostic decisions. The company was founded in 2002 by Dr. Dan Hashimshony to realize the medical potential of its proprietary tissue characterization technology. Offering surgeons and radiologists the real time ability to identify cancerous tissues and react immediately, this technology holds the promise for a broad range of surgical and diagnostic applications. Dune Medical Devices is a privately held company with offices in the United States and Israel.