Paris, February 21st 2024 – HighLife SAS, a medtech company focused on the development of a novel Trans-Septal Mitral Valve Replacement (“TSMVR”) system to treat patients suffering from moderate to severe mitral regurgitation (MR), announced today the appointment of Prof. Stephen Brecker, as the Company’s new Chief Medical Officer.
Prof. Brecker brings over 30 years of extensive clinical and leadership experience in both general and interventional cardiology. Prof. Brecker is Consultant Cardiologist at Mayo Clinic Healthcare in London, UK and holds Honorary Consultant Cardiologist status at St. George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. He has held numerous leadership positions at St. George’s Hospital, including Chief of Cardiology Clinical Academic Group and Director of the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratories. Prof. Brecker has been active in research and education throughout his career, participated in numerous innovations in the Cardiology field and developed an interventional guidewire for use in transcatheter procedures now used by physicians worldwide. Prof. Brecker has published numerous books and book chapters and has more than 175 peer-review publications.
Prof. Stephen Brecker commented, “I am delighted to be joining HighLife as Chief Medical Officer, at this incredibly exciting time. I hope to leverage my experience as a structural interventionist, in innovation and in the rigors of clinical trials, to assist in achieving great success with this technology.“
Prof. Martin Rothman, previous CMO, will continue to support the company’s medical strategy as a special advisor and board member. “I am glad to hand over the leadership of the medical strategy to Stephen. His significant contributions to the interventional cardiology field will undoubtedly guide the company towards success.”
Georg Börtlein, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of HighLife, said, “We are thankful to Prof. Rothman who enabled us to set up and navigate through this challenging clinical feasibility phase of our technology. We are also honored to welcome Prof. Stephen Brecker to the team. He has a proven track record in the cardiology field and brings a strong expertise to the CMO role. His leadership and experience will further enhance our clinical strategy as we work to bring our unique solution to the market.”