Seventh Sense Biosystems, a Cambridge, Mass.-based privately-held medical device company developing the novel Touch Activated Phlebotomy (TAP) painless blood sampling system, has appointed Howard Weisman as president, CEO and board member.  

Weisman comes to Seventh Sense with experience launching medical products, most recently as the founder, chairman, and CEO of EKR Therapeutics, which announced its sale to Cornerstone Therapeutics in May 2012.  Prior to his role at EKR, Weisman co-founded ESP Pharma, serving as its president and COO from its initial funding in 2001 through to its sale to PDL BioPharma in 2005 for over $500 million.  He began his career in sales and marketing at Merck and later joined Parke Davis, a division of Warner Lambert, to oversee the launch of its diabetes franchise in 1995.

The company also announced that it has closed the final tranche of a $10 million series A financing with existing investors Flagship Ventures and Polaris Venture Partners.  The company will use this financing to complete clinical testing and to commercialize its first TAP-based blood collection device for point of care diagnostics.