- Leading nephrologists Dr. An De Vriese and Dr. Monnie Wasse join as Company continues clinical advancement
EINDHOVEN, Netherlands, March 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Xeltis, a leading developer of transformative implants that enable the natural creation of living and long-lasting vessels, today announces the appointment of clinical nephrology experts An De Vriese, MD, PhD and Haimanot (Monnie) Wasse, MD, MPH to its Medical Advisory Board (MAB).
An De Vriese is currently Head of the Division of Nephrology and Infectious Disease in AZ Sint-Jan Brugge and Guest Professor at Ghent University, while Monnie Wasse serves as the Interim Chair of the Department of Internal Medicine, and the Chief of Nephrology and Director of Interventional Nephrology at the Rush University Medical Center. Both add considerable clinical nephrology expertise to the Company's esteemed and decorated MAB and will work alongside current members to offer strategic and clinical guidance as Xeltis advances aXess towards commercialization.
Eliane Schutte, Chief Executive Officer of Xeltis said: "We are pleased that both An and Monnie have chosen to join our Medical Advisory Board, bolstering our already stellar team of advisors. The appointments represent significant validation of the unique and promising nature of our technology from leading experts in the field. Their experience across nephrology and vascular access will be invaluable as we continue to progress aXess through its pivotal trials in the EU and US, with primary readouts for our EU pivotal trial expected in mid-2025."
An De Vriese, MD, PhD, newly appointed member of the Xeltis Medical Advisory Board, commented: "It is an honor to join Xeltis' MAB at such a pivotal time in the Company's development. I am truly excited by Xeltis' innovative technology which, through its avoidance of the frequent reinterventions and infections associated with current treatment options, has the potential to transform patient outcomes for those with end-stage renal disease."
Monnie Wasse, MD, MPH, newly appointed member of the Xeltis Medical Advisory Board, added: "I am familiar with the important work of Xeltis, having kept a keen eye on the continual clinical progress of its technology. aXess has an immensely promising medical profile, and I am proud to now be in a position to offer my expertise in interventional nephrology and vascular access to further the clinical development of this innovative technology."
aXess is a restorative vascular access conduit which enables the creation of new, long-term living vessels for hemodialysis vascular access. It combines the safety and patency of a fistula with the speed to treatment of an AV graft while avoiding the frequent reinterventions and complications, such as infections, associated with current treatment options. Currently, Xeltis is advancing pivotal trials in both the EU and the US for aXess; enrolment was recently completed in the EU while ten patients have now been implanted in the US, marking significant clinical milestones in both regions.
About Xeltis
Xeltis is a medtech company developing transformative implants that enable the natural creation of living and long-lasting vessels. Xeltis seeks to address the limitations of currently available options for the millions of people requiring hemodialysis access grafts or cardiovascular replacements every year. The Company's proprietary endogenous tissue restoration (ETR) platform utilizes an advanced polymer implant which regenerates the patient's own tissue before gradually being absorbed and leaving new, living, and long-lasting vessels in place. Xeltis' most advanced product currently under clinical development is aXessTM, an implantable blood vessel for hemodialysis vascular access. Xeltis' groundbreaking technology has high potential to be applied to other major vascular and cardiovascular diseases.
Xeltis is based in The Netherlands and the USA. Its investors include DaVita Venture Group, EQT Life Sciences, Kurma Partners, VI Partners, Ysios Capital, Grand Pharma Group, the European Innovation Council and Invest-NL, in addition to other public and private investors.
Visit the Xeltis website for more details: https://xeltis.com/
About An De Vriese
An De Vriese, MD, PhD, is an esteemed researcher focusing her career on clinical nephrology. An received her degree in Medicine maxima cum laude from the Ghent University in 1992. She also studied at the University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, RSA and performed research at the Institut für Anatomie und Zullbiologie, Ruprecht-Karls-Universität, Heidelberg, and at the Institut de Recherches Servier, Paris. She was Research Assistant of the Belgian National Fund for Scientific Research and obtained a Ph.D. in Medical Science in 2001. Currently, she is Head of the Division of Nephrology and Infectious Disease in AZ Sint-Jan Brugge and Guest Professor at Ghent University. An is also the author of over 180 publications in peer-reviewed medical journals.
About Monnie Wasse
Monnie Wasse, MD, MPH, is an Interventional Nephrologist and Professor of Medicine at the Rush University Medical Center. She serves as the Interim Chair of the Department of Internal Medicine, is the Chief of Nephrology and Director of Interventional Nephrology, focused on the planning and maintenance of dialysis vascular access for patients with kidney diseases. An internationally renowned physician and scientist, Monnie formerly directed the Interventional Nephrology Program at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta. She has combined her clinical work in interventional nephrology with clinical and translational research in the field of hemodialysis vascular access and is one of the few U.S. interventional nephrologists whose research has been supported by National Institutes of Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Monnie served as the first female president of the American Society of Diagnostic and Interventional Nephrology in 2018-2020, participated as a national and site principal investigator for several dialysis access devise trials, and has led numerous local and international scientific and educational programs in the field of dialysis vascular access. She is an active member of the American Society of Nephrology and Vascular Access Society of the Americas.
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