Artedrone, a Truffle Capital's medtech portfolio company developing an autonomous micro robotic platform to perform and democratize mechanical thrombectomy procedures to treat patients suffering from a stroke, announces the appointment of Liane Teplitsky as CEO and Nnamdi Njoku, Dan Raffi to its Board of Directors.
A stroke occurs when a blood clot blocks an artery in the brain. This prevents brain tissue from getting oxygen and nutrients and brain cells begin to die within minutes. The removal of the clot is a medical emergency, that should take place within a few hours. However, most patients do not benefit from a mechanical thrombectomy (currently a complex procedure) in time. Worldwide, less than 5% of patients benefit from this life-saving procedure.
Strokes are the second cause of death and third cause of disability worldwide.
Artedrone plans to address the lack of stroke centers and expert neuro-radiologists by democratizing the thrombectomy procedure and allowing for greater adoption of this life-changing procedure, with its breakthrough micro-robot technology.
Liane Teplitsky is a successful seasoned senior executive in the medical device and technology industry with achievements in building, leading, and growing innovative businesses that elevate the standard of patient care. With an extensive background in R&D and a passion for advancing intelligent and life-changing medical technologies, Liane has cultivated an expertise in leading business strategy, clinical data development and commercialization for multimillion-dollar global medical technology franchises. Additionally, Liane has demonstrated excellence in building and leading high functioning, highly engaged teams. Most recently she was President, Global Robotics, Technology Data Solutions at Zimmer Biomet where she led the global growth and development of the company's portfolio of robotics and digital health technologies. Prior to Zimmer Biomet, Liane spent nearly a decade in executive leadership roles at Abbott and St. Jude Medical, with a focus on cardiac diseases and diagnostics.
Liane holds a Master of Science in Biomedical Engineering from Duke University, and a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering and a Bachelor of Science in Physiology from the University of Saskatchewan.
Nnamdi Njoku is a highly experienced and successful business leader with global operating experience at multinational healthcare and medical technology companies, including Medtronic and Zimmer Biomet.
Nnamdi was recently appointed as EVP COO at Omnicell where he will help scale pharmacy automation and drive multi-year innovation and excellence and leads the company's global operations.
Nnamdi's leadership in both neuroscience and cardiovascular businesses, along with his operating acumen will help drive excellence and product performance at Artedrone.
Nnamdi has an MBA from Cornell University and holds a bachelor's degree in accounting from the University of St. Thomas.
Dan Raffi is a visionary results-driven executive with over 25 years of leadership experience across global markets, driving growth and operational excellence in the medical device and pharmaceutical industries. Dan is the Senior Vice President Global Chief Commercial Officer at Guerbet, and before that was the Chief Operations Officer at Sim Cure. He has spent the majority of his career in Neuroscience, as a leader with Medtronic Neurovascular and Neuromodulation and with Allergan (Abbvie) Neuroscience division. He is currently a board member of the French Healthcare Association. Dan's extensive experience in the Neurovascular market will be a key asset to Artedrone.
Dan has an MBA from the ESCP business school, and a pharmacist diploma from Nantes University.
Philippe Pouletty, M.D., CEO of Truffle Capital and founder of Artedrone said: "We are very happy to continue to add experience and expertise to our Artedrone team. With the addition of Liane as CEO and Nnamdi and Dan as board members, we will drive next-level design, development and go-to-market strategies that lay the foundation for the company's success. I thank Michel Grimaud who has been progressing the company from incubation up to an animal proof of concept stage, making the company a technological leader in its field. I am pleased that the company will continue to benefit from his tremendous technological expertise to the benefit of patients."
Liane Teplitsky said: "I am excited to be joining a fantastic team that is dedicated to bringing game-changing technology to market. Ischemic stroke patients deserve to have the best treatment possible, regardless of their location. I believe SASHA has the ability to democratize the mechanical thrombectomy procedure and will save and improve millions of lives around the world."
About Artedrone
Artedrone, founded by Truffle Capital, is currently developing SASHA, an autonomous micro-robotic solution for mechanical thrombectomy.
Strokes are the second cause of mortality and third cause of disability worldwide. In particular, acute ischemic strokes (AIS) are extreme emergencies affecting 7.6 million people worldwide every year according to the World Stroke Organization.
Stroke outcomes are heavily dependent on the patient's access to immediate care, with mechanical thrombectomy (MT) for ischemic stroke treatment being the current standard of care. A patient who receives thrombectomy treatment within the first six hours after the event has up to three times better outcome.
By introducing SASHA, Artedrone seeks to address the lack of stroke centers expert interventionalists by democratizing the thrombectomy procedure and allowing for greater adoption of thrombectomy procedures.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250204092856/en/
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Armand Rigaudy Primatice Conseil
armandrigaudy@primatice.com +33 7 88 96 41 84
