Vesalius Cardiovascular Inc.

We are a preclinical medical device company in the structural heart space. We are developing a Transfemoral Mitral Valve Repair (TMVr) solution for a very common heart valve disease called Degenerative Mitral Regurgitation.

Our TMVr solution uses pre-established techniques (transfemoral-transseptal delivery, annuloplasty, and chordal replacement) and is based on current surgical principles; we are reproducing proven surgical results without the need for surgery.

Our solution eliminates the burden associated with surgery and allow the treatment of almost all patients suffering from the underlying disease.

We are based in Vancouver, Canada.

WE FOCUS

on the treatment of degenerative mitral valve disease causing mitral regurgitation.

OUR GOAL

is the percutaneous treatment of degenerative mitral regurgitation with a novel medical device that respect the proven principles of mitral valve surgery.

Who We are

The Management Team

Dr. Peter Skarsgard, MD

Chief Scientific Officer

Dr. Skarsgard is a Cardiovascular Surgeon and Clinical Associate Professor of Surgery at the University of British Columbia, and Head of the Division of Cardiovascular Surgery at Vancouver General Hospital. His area of expertise is mitral valve repair and complex valvular surgery. Based upon a simple clinical observation, Dr. Skarsgard developed and patented concepts for devices aimed toward percutaneous treatment of mitral regurgitation, utilizing proven surgical principles. These ideas form the basis for Calla and Orion.

Vincent Ledoux, MSc

Chief Operating Officer

Mr. Ledoux is a Business Specialist with over 23 years experience in Investment Banking, Corporate Management and Startups. During his tenure at BNP Paribas, the largest bank in Europe, he successfully held several roles internationally and completed the prestigious General Inspection program within the group. Since 2009, he has been deeply involved in Canadian engineering and medical device startups. Vincent holds an MSc in Business Management from EMLyon Business School. Vincent manages the day-to-day activities and coordinates the R&D.

Ryan Harrington, MEng

Head of Engineering

Mr. Harrington is a Mechanical Engineer with over 8 years experience in engineering design and development, with a primary focus on cardiovascular implants. He was one of the first engineers to join Vesalius and grew with the company to lead the current team of 8 handpicked biomedical engineers. Ryan holds a Master of Engineering degree from University College Dublin in Ireland. He is responsible for all engineering aspects of the device development and regulatory affairs.

The Clinical Team

Dr. Robert Boone, MD

Interventional CardiologIST

Dr. Boone is an Interventional Cardiologist at St. Paul’s Hospital and Vancouver General Hospital in Vancouver, and Clinical Associate Professor in the UBC Faculty of Medicine. He leads the Transcatheter Mitral and Tricuspid Programs at the Centre for Heart Valve Innovation at UBC and is a researcher at the Center for Cardiovascular Innovation. He has had early clinical / first in human involvement with a number of transcatheter valve therapies (Pascal, Evoque, SM3, LuX, and Tiara), and is a recognized national key opinion leader in this area.

Dr. Jacqueline Saw, MD

Interventional CardiologIst

Dr. Saw is a Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of British Columbia, and a Structural Interventional Cardiologist at the Vancouver General Hospital. She is a recognized expert and key opinion leader in percutaneous device delivery, left atrial appendage occlusion, and spontaneous coronary artery dissection. Her contributions in CT imaging, pre-procedural planning, device selection, and device delivery have enabled acceleration of evolving structural interventions. She has considerable clinical trial experience, and has been a driving force for understanding women’s health in cardiovascular disease.

Dr. Christopher Durkin, MD

Anaesthesiologist/Echocardiographer

Dr. Durkin is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Anaesthesiology at the University of British Columbia, and a member of the Section of Cardiovascular Anaesthesiology at Vancouver General Hospital. In addition to expertise in cardiovascular physiology and pharmacology, he holds National Board of Echocardiography Certification in Advanced Perioperative Transesophageal Echocardiography, and is an expert in 3D echo for intracardiac structural disease and procedures. Dr. Durkin brings critical inputs in 3D echo imaging, both procedurally and in planning, to Vesalius Cardiovascular.