Artio Medical, Inc., a medical device company developing innovative products for the peripheral vascular, neurovascular, and cardiology markets, today announced the hiring of Dan Tamez as Senior Director of Nonclinical and Clinical Research and the engagement of Geoff Tansley, PhD as Senior R&D Consultant.
Dan Tamez will lead nonclinical research for Artio’s diverse product portfolio and work as a member of Artio’s clinical research team. Tansley will lead the company’s external grant efforts and consult on the design and testing of the Amplifi™ Vein Dilation System*, a novel, wearable, external blood pump system that is designed to stimulate arm vein enlargement in hemodialysis patients prior to vascular access site creation that aims to make more patients suitable for arteriovenous fistula (AVF) surgery, reduce the time required for AVF maturation, increase successful maturation, and prolong AVF patency.
“We are pleased to welcome Dan and Geoff to the Artio team at this important time,” said F. Nicholas Franano, MD, President and CEO of Artio Medical. “Both bring a wealth of technical expertise and industry experience that will be invaluable as we seek to demonstrate market-leading performance of our devices, finalize the design of the Amplifi™ Vein Dilation System, and initiate and expand our clinical research programs in hemodialysis access and hemorrhagic stroke.”
Tamez joins Artio with over 25 years of medical device experience, including deep domain expertise in blood pumps and mechanical circulatory support. Most recently, Tamez served as Distinguished Scientist at Medtronic. In this role, he was responsible for next-generation device development, overseeing mechanical circulatory programs from design through nonclinical testing and clinical use. In recognition of his contributions, Tamez was inducted into the Bakken Society in 2019 at Medtronic. Prior to this role, he served as Senior Director of Clinical Research at HeartWare. Tamez has published over 40 manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals on mechanical circulatory support and cardiac devices and has co-authored book chapters on the subjects. He holds several issued patents and patent applications and has a BS from the University of Texas.
Tansley joins Artio Medical with over 30 years of experience in medical device R&D including the design, testing, and clinical use of blood pumps and mechanical circulatory systems. He has worked extensively in the fields of computational fluid dynamics and mechanobiology. Most recently, he served as Dean and Professor of the Griffith University School of Engineering in Gold Coast, Australia. At Griffith he co-led the Mechanobiology Laboratory where he worked with a team focused on blood pump safety, including the study of shear stress-related damage to blood components including erythrocytes, von Willebrand factor, and other blood proteins. Tansley has published over 100 papers and holds numerous patents and patent applications focused on blood pump design and hemodynamics. He is Professor Emeritus at Griffith University and a member of the Technical Board for BiVACOR, and holds a BSc in Engineering and a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Trent Polytechnic in Nottingham, UK.
*An estimated 2.3 million end-stage renal disease patients require life-sustaining hemodialysis treatment worldwide. Creating and maintaining a suitable vascular access site is one of the most difficult and expensive aspects of hemodialysis. The National Kidney Foundation and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services agree that an arteriovenous fistula (AVF) is the preferred form of vascular access, however an estimated 35% of U.S. patients are unsuitable for AVF surgery and more than 50% of AVFs fail to mature.
The Amplifi Vein Dilation System is a wearable, external blood pump system designed to stimulate arm vein enlargement in hemodialysis patients prior to AVF creation, through a treatment of the arm with rapid, non-pulsatile blood flow for up to 7 days. The Amplifi System aims to make more patients eligible for AVF surgery, reduce the time required for AVF maturation, and increase successful maturation after AVF creation. Amplifi Vein Dilation System is not available for commercial sale in US.
