Candela, Mass General Sign Laser Agreement

WAYLAND, Mass., May 12 -- Candela Corp. announced today it has entered into agreement with Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) for an exclusive, worldwide license to nonablative laser technology jointly developed by Candela and MGH.

Gerard E. Puorro, Candela's president and CEO, said the agreement is the culmination of a long-term collaborative research relationship between Candela and Wellman Laboratories of Photomedicine at MGH. He said earlier research on how lasers might be used to improve the appearance of wrinkles and photoaged skin led to the development of the Smoothbeam laser, now cleared by FDA for treatment of wrinkled skin around the eyes and other applications.

Former Wellman Laboratory researchers R. Rox Anderson, M.D., now associate professor of dermatology at Harvard Medical School, and E. Victor Ross, M.D., of San Diego Naval Medical Center, coinvented the Smoothbeam in collaboration with Candela. The agreement gives Candela rights to two US patents covering the technology.

Ross said, "The research we have done has shown that this type of technology is ideally suited to targeting the region of the skin that is affected by sun exposure and aging processes. The 1450 nm diode laser with dynamic cooling device is a precise tool for stimulating new collagen production in the papillary dermis."

The researchers said they will continue to conduct clinical research to determine new indications for the laser system.

For more information, visit: www.candelalaser.com