Valcare Medical has announced the formation of a scientific advisory board (SAB) to provide insight and guidance in helping the company advance its research and development initiatives for the Amend mitral valve repair device.
The Amend mitral annuloplasty ring has been designed to treat patients suffering from severe mitral regurgitation not deemed suitable for surgery.
“We are excited to be joined and supported by some of the world’s leading pioneers in mitral valve therapies,” said David Meerkin, Valcare Medical’s chief medical officer. “Their combined experience and collective insights will greatly assist Valcare at this critical point as we significantly broaden and deepen our clinical experience.”
Members of the Valcare Medical scientific advisory board include Isaac George (New York Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center, New York, USA) an expert in the most current and innovative procedures including transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI), transcatheter valvular mitral valve repair, transcatheter mitral and tricuspid valve replacement and surgical TAVI removal/explantation, Scott Lim (University of Virginia, Charlottesville, USA), who has developed a career focusing on novel therapies for heart valve, structural, congenital, and heart failure therapies, Paul Sorajja (Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation, Minneapolis, USA), whose expertise is interventional cardiology, with a focus on bringing the latest innovative technologies to patients with valvular and structural heart disease, Azeem Latib (Montefiore Health System, New York, USA), a world-leading expert in interventional cardiology, with a clinical focus on complex coronary interventions as well as transcatheter aortic, mitral, and tricuspid interventions, and Federico DeMarco (Centro Cardiologico Monzino, Milan, France), who has experience spacing from complex coronary interventions to TAVI, transcatheter mitral and tricuspid valve repair and replacement, patent foramen ovale (PFO) and left atrial appendage (LAA) occlusion, peripheral interventions, and a wide variety of other endovascular interventions.
“We are honoured to have these accomplished mitral valve experts join Valcare Medical’s scientific advisory board,” said Steve Sandweg, Valcare Medical CEO. “Each of these individuals has made significant contributions and helped pioneer breakthroughs in the treatment of mitral valve disease. We look forward to leveraging the vast expertise of our scientific advisory board to help drive Valcare’s clinical and regulatory strategy.”
The Amend mitral valve repair device is a closed, d-shaped semi-rigid annuloplasty ring with proprietary anchoring capabilities. Amend has been designed to replicate the efficacy of the traditional annuloplasty rings used to treat mitral regurgitation during open-heart surgery, but is implanted via a less invasive, percutaneous approach.
Amend is investigational and limited to investigational use only. The products are not available for sale or commercial distribution.
