Procyrion Expands Team in Preparation for First Human Trials

Houston, TX, October 24, 2015 --(PR.com)-- Heart pump developer Procyrion, Inc. today named Joseph Choi as clinical development engineer where he will focus on the pre-clinical and clinical programs to ensure safety of the company’s novel circulatory support device, Aortix™. A graduate of Johns Hopkins University, Choi most recently spent three years as a research assistant on various translational research projects, including corneal tissue engineering studies.

An important part of obtaining FDA’s approval to market a medical device, Choi will coordinate pre-clinical biocompatibility and safety testing to meet regulatory standards. Choi will also help develop a clinical and non-clinical testing plan to ensure product safety for First in Human studies.

“Joseph has been a valuable addition to our team. His background has enabled him to jump in and quickly help the team construct a thorough pre-clinical testing strategy,” said William Clifton, MD., Director of R&D for Procyrion. “His knowledge in immunology and biomaterials further enhances our efforts as we move into human trials with an implantable device that is safe.”

Procyrion’s catheter-deployed heart pump aims to give NYHA Class III-IVa heart failure patients a better quality-of-life by decreasing the workload of the failing heart and increasing blood flow to vital organs. The small but powerful micro pump is placed downstream of the heart in a simple cath-lab procedure and works to support heart function by accelerating native blood flow in the aorta. Designed specifically to reduce the risks associated with existing circulatory support technologies (e.g. stroke, infection, and catastrophic device failure), Aortix is thinner than a No. 2 pencil, yet was still able to reduce the workload of the heart by almost 40% in pre-clinical studies.

Choi holds a bachelors of science in biomedical engineering and a master of health science in immunobiology from Johns Hopkins University.

Procyrion’s Aortix is not approved for sale or use.

About Procyrion
Houston-based medical device firm Procyrion, Inc. is developing the first catheter-deployed, intra-aortic pump for ambulatory use. The device is designed to rest and heal the heart by reducing afterload while simultaneously improving blood flow to vital organs. This groundbreaking cardiology tool, conceived by cardiologist Dr. Reynolds M. Delgado, III, medical director of Mechanical Support Devices in Heart Failure at the Texas Heart Institute, is expected to provide a minimally invasive treatment option for millions of chronic heart failure patients. For more information, visit www.procyrion.com or call 713.579.9227.