Leonard Marks on startup
From 22-11. Prof. Leonard Marks MD. "Contemporary Management of Prostate Cancer" · · ProstateForumofOrangeCounty
“I'm a co-founder of a startup company that's interested in trying to commercialize focal laser ablation, which will have the advantage of being able to do this in a clinic outpatient instead of an operating room.”
On , Leonard Marks, Cofounder at Avenda Health, spoke about startup during 22-11. Prof. Leonard Marks MD. "Contemporary Management of Prostate Cancer" on ProstateForumofOrangeCounty.
About Leonard Marks
In a November 2022 presentation to the Prostate Forum of Orange County, Leonard Marks, a UCLA urology professor and cofounder of Avenda Health, discussed what he described as a dramatic transformation in prostate cancer management. Marks stated that MRI-guided biopsy has "changed everything" and argued that biopsies for suspected prostate cancer should be preceded by an MRI, saying, "if you get the biopsy wrong the whole journey will be badly affected." He noted that his team was among the first in the United States to use the FDA-approved Artemis image-fusion device for targeted biopsies. Marks also discussed focal therapy options for localized prostate cancer, including cryotherapy, high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU), and focal laser ablation, which he said his startup is working to commercialize for use in a clinic rather than an operating room. He estimated that up to 40 percent of newly diagnosed prostate cancer cases may be candidates for focal therapy. Marks additionally highlighted the PSMA scan (Pylarify) as the most sensitive method for detecting metastases and noted that the PIRADS scoring system is used internationally, with PIRADS five lesions harboring clinically significant cancer about 80 percent of the time.