WAVRE, Belgium — 6 February 2023: iSTAR Medical, a medtech company delivering breakthrough eye care solutions to patients, today announced that it has expanded its leadership team with the appointment of Sabine Glibert as Vice President Quality and Geneviève Diet as Vice President Human Resources (HR). Dr Stefan Uhrlandt, previously Vice President Research and Development (R&D), has been promoted to Vice President Operations and R&D.
Stefan has been a key figure in driving the Research & Development of the current and upcoming generations of MINIject®. In this broader role, he will now also be instrumental in overseeing the structured scale up of the Operations function to ensure iSTAR Medical continues to deliver on its goals.
Sabine’s appointment will ensure that iSTAR Medical’s patient-first focus on quality and safety will be maintained in the face of growing demand for MINIject®. Geneviève’s role will be to further refine iSTAR Medical’s people strategy, so that it can continue to retain, attract and develop exceptional global talent in support of the Company’s ambition to serve patients and surgeons with MINIject®.
Michel Vanbrabant, CEO of iSTAR Medical, commented:
As part of our commitment to deliver breakthrough eye care solutions to patients globally, we have strengthened our leadership team to keep up with the rapid growth of the company and to support the hiring of high-quality talent. We look forward to working with Geneviève and Sabine, and we extend our warm congratulations to Stefan on his well-deserved expanded role.
Dr Stefan Uhrlandt, VP Operations and R&D
Stefan joined the iSTAR Medical team as Vice President R&D in April 2019 with over 25 years of experience in R&D, Process Management and Marketing. Having overseen the development of the current and upcoming generations of MINIject®, Stefan was best positioned to ensure that iSTAR Medical delivers on its goals, through the ramping up of production and scaling up of operations. Stefan’s experience includes senior global leadership positions in industrial and medical device companies both in Germany and in the US, including Evonik (Specialty Chemicals), Ethicon (Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices), and Alcon.
Sabine Glibert, VP Quality
Sabine joins the iSTAR Medical team with 24 years of experience in Quality Assurance (QA) and Operations in the Life Science industry. Sabine’s experience includes various senior positions in biotech and large pharma companies as well as in Contract Research Operations (CROs), and most recently as Chief Quality Officer. Sabine is a highly accomplished QA professional with a bio-engineering background that enables her to approach QA as a key aspect of scientific innovation and operational excellence.
Geneviève Diet, VP Human Resources
Geneviève has over 20 years of experience in HR, in an array of different industries including pharmaceuticals. Geneviève’s experience includes various positions in talent management, leadership development, organizational development and recently as HR Business Partner. Geneviève brings along strategic thinking and a pragmatic execution of initiatives that place the human factor at the heart of the business agenda.
About iSTAR Medical
iSTAR Medical is committed to delivering breakthrough eye care solutions. Our most advanced product, MINIject®, is approved in Europe for the treatment of open-angle glaucoma – the leading cause of irreversible blindness – and we are aiming to seek market approval in the US. We believe MINIject®’s distinctive tissue-integrating capabilities unlock a safer, and more effective option for patients. We are building an exceptional team and pipeline of potentially leading products such as MINIject® to establish new treatment paradigms in eye care conditions with the highest patient needs.
About MINIject®
MINIject® is iSTAR Medical’s innovative MIGS device for patients with primary open-angle glaucoma. MINIject® combines the distinctive porous structure of its proprietary STAR material with the power offered by the supraciliary space. As a result, it is designed to enhance natural fluid outflow, reducing intraocular pressure (IOP) and the need for medication, while bio-integrating with surrounding tissue, limiting inflammation, fibrosis and subsequent complications.
About Glaucoma
Glaucoma is a progressive disease affecting over 100 million people globally, of which primary open-angle glaucoma is the most common form.[2,3] IOP reduction, through medication or surgery, helps delay disease progression.[1] Medication is generally the first line treatment, but the progressive addition of multiple drops can burden patients with side effects, compliance challenges and costs.[1,3] Invasive surgery can present risks with irreversible complications and often requires long-term patient management.[1,3] MIGS is the most promising and fastest-growing glaucoma therapy due to its enhanced safety profile.[1] We believe MINIject® may become a leading MIGS device with its promising long-term efficacy and safety.
[1] Market Scope, “2021 Glaucoma Surgical Device Market Report”, July 2021. https://www.market-scope.com/pages/reports/267/2021-glaucoma-surgical-device-market-report
[2] Jonas JB, Aung T, Bourne RR et al. “Glaucoma”. Lancet 2017; 390: 2083–9
[3] European Glaucoma Society Terminology and Guidelines for Glaucoma, 5th Edition. British Journal of Ophthalmology 2021;105:1-169. https://bjo.bmj.com/content/105/Suppl_1/1
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