ZURICH-SCHLIEREN, Switzerland and LAGUNA HILLS, Calif., September 23, 2021 – DiNAQOR, a genetic medicine platform company focused on addressing severe inherited cardiac diseases, today announced it has expanded its leadership team by appointing veteran medical device leader Mark Dehdashtian to serve as Executive Vice President, Medical Devices.
As the company grows its U.S. footprint, Mr. Dehdashtian will oversee DiNAQOR’s newly formed medical device division including its new manufacturing facility based in Laguna Hills, Calif. He will be responsible for the design, development, and production of genetic medicine delivery devices for the Company’s localized, catheter-based multi-organ access platform.
“Mark brings to DiNAQOR the expertise that comes from 30 years of developing innovative medical devices that change patients’ lives, and bringing them to market,” said Johannes Holzmeister, M.D., Chairman and CEO of DiNAQOR. “We are thrilled to have a real leader in this area take on this important role, especially at such an exciting time for our company.”
Mr. Dehdashtian led a distinguished 25-year career at Edwards Lifesciences, where he served in several senior-level positions, including Vice President of Research and Development for the Heart Valve Therapy, Advanced Technology and Cardiac Surgery Systems divisions. At Edwards, Mr. Dehdashtian designed the delivery systems for transcatheter heart valves and was instrumental in commercializing the transcatheter heart valve transapical systems. He holds more than 60 U.S. patents as well as many international patents, most notably for the design of the transcatheter heart valve, and his work has been published in several peer-reviewed journals. Mr. Dehdashtian has served as a member of medical technology steering committees to develop industry-wide standards.
“My career has been devoted to developing and bringing game-changing technologies to patients,” commented Mr. Dehdashtian. “DiNAQOR’s organ access platform is a real innovation in administering genetic medicines, and gene therapies in particular, that can improve the standard of care for patients. I’m excited to be a part of this, and to help DiNAQOR grow its U.S. presence.”
DiNAQOR’s localized, catheter-based organ access platform enables gene therapies to be routed directly to the cardiac muscle, maximizing biodistribution and transduction of the cardiac cells. This new minimally invasive approach, which is actively being used in several pre-clinical studies, may minimize potential adverse effects of systemic gene therapy delivery while lowering the total dose of vectors and thus the cost. DiNAQOR is also developing the platform for other organs.
“A device-based approach to gene therapy holds the promise of minimizing exposure to the viral vector, thereby enhancing both the safety and efficacy of our therapy,” said Valeria Ricotti, M.D., Chief Medical Officer of DiNAQOR. “Our aim is to treat a broader population of patients while avoiding the kind of systemic side effects that have caused a number of clinical programs to be put on hold.”
About DiNAQOR
DiNAQOR is a genetic medicine platform company focused on advancing novel solutions for patients suffering from severe, inherited forms of heart disease. The company is headquartered in Zurich-Schlieren, Switzerland, with additional presence in London, England; Hamburg, Germany; Laguna Hills, California; and Boston, Massachusetts. For more information visit www.dinaqor.com.