- Advancing the Alluminox® platform through deep expertise in medical device development and manufacturing
Medlight SA (“Medlight”) specializes in the development and manufacturing of sophisticated medical devices. Based in Ecublens, Switzerland, Medlight is a subsidiary of Rakuten Medical, Inc. (“Rakuten Medical”), headquartered in San Diego, California.
On October 1, 2026, Alain Woodtli, one of Medlight’s co-founders, returned to the company as Managing Director after nearly 20 years of experience across international companies in the medical device industry. Roland Bays, who also co-founded Medlight and led the company for nearly 30 years, retired on October 31, 2026, embarking on his own next chapter.
This transition marks a new beginning for Medlight, building on the expertise and talent developed over the years while pursuing further growth as part of Rakuten Medical.
Alain Woodtli and Roland Bays
Medlight: Born from a Shared Passion for Innovation
Medlight was born in 1997 at the intersection of science, engineering, and entrepreneurship. Drawing on the expertise developed at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), its founders set out to turn their knowledge into medical devices that could benefit society. With limited resources but strong ambition, the young entrepreneurs established reliable manufacturing processes, navigated an evolving European regulatory landscape, and built a quality system compliant with ISO 13485, the international standard for medical device quality management systems, achieving certification in 1998. Alain spent Medlight’s first decade helping to build and grow the company.
Advancing Medical Innovation: A Shared Ambition That Brought Rakuten Medical and Medlight Together
In August 2020, Medlight became part of the Rakuten Medical group, bringing together two companies with a shared ambition to advance medical innovation.
Medlight’s strength lies in transforming scientific concepts and clinical needs into manufacturable medical devices. Combining deep expertise in light and optical behavior with engineering, quality, and manufacturing capabilities, Medlight designs devices that deliver precisely controlled optical parameters, moving from concept to reliable, reproducible production.
This expertise found a natural application in Rakuten Medical’s Alluminox® platform-based photoimmunotherapy, where specialized medical devices deliver light to treatment sites following drug administration. Medlight designs and manufactures the light diffusers used for this purpose and has developed a new diffuser design in response to physicians’ needs, enabling light delivery for photoimmunotherapy in areas that had previously been difficult to reach with light.
Medlight’s Next Chapter
Medlight’s ability to turn innovative concepts into reliable production supports the advancement of the Alluminox platform and provides a strong foundation for its expanding role within Rakuten Medical as a global medical device manufacturing hub.
As Medlight approaches its 30th anniversary in 2027, the company is entering a new chapter. Effective October 1, 2026, Rakuten Medical Chief Operating Officer Abhijit Bhatia and Chief Product Officer Hiroyuki Kodama joined Alain as Managing Directors of Medlight, forming a new leadership team.
Building on Roland’s legacy and the expertise and experience of the Medlight team, this new leadership will lead Medlight forward as part of Rakuten Medical to help drive future medical innovation.
