Ajax Health has announced the appointments of two cardiovascular professionals to Cordis-X, an independent accelerator created to drive innovation and growth to Cordis.
“Since the acquisition of Cordis almost a year ago, we have made substantial investments in R&D, M&A, and strategic partnerships,” said Duke Rohlen, executive chairman of Cordis and CEO of Ajax Health and Cordis-X. “Recruiting Dr John Simpson and Dr Jeremy Durack, two of the greatest minds in cardiovascular science, will help us forge a bold new vision for Cordis.”
Simpson, a cardiologist, is credited with inventing and commercialising the first over-the-wire balloon catheter used for percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) and is known for pioneering interventional cardiology as it exists today, an Ajax Health press release details. As senior advisor to Cordis-X, Simpson brings decades of scientific and commercial experience. He has founded and successfully transacted multiple MedTech companies, including ACS and DVI (both acquired by Eli Lilly), CVIS (acquired by Boston Scientific), Perclose (acquired by Abbott), Lumend (acquired by Cordis), and Fox Hollow (acquired by ev3, which is now part of Medtronic).
Simpson received his PhD in biomedical sciences from the University of Texas, his MD from Duke University, and completed his fellowship in interventional cardiology at Stanford University. A member of the American College of Physicians and fellow of the American College of Cardiology, Simpson has published on a wide variety of medical subjects and lectured extensively throughout the world.
Jeremy Durack, an interventional radiologist and former vice-chair of Radiology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, will serve as chief clinical officer for Cordis-X. He is renowned for his work in vascular and interventional radiology, with expertise in a wide range of minimally invasive procedures and particular interest in the treatment of genitourinary cancers and venous thrombosis, the press release communicates.
Durack received his MD from Stanford University School of Medicine and completed his residency and fellowship at UCSF School of Medicine. He has been a leader in the Society of Interventional Radiology and brings a wealth of international research experience to the team.
“The collective capabilities of Ajax Health, Cordis-X, and Cordis are creating a tractor beam for the best and brightest,” said Durack. “It is not just recruiting engineers and physicians motivated to improve how we prevent and treat cardiovascular disease, but also to develop new ways of thinking about fields such as interventional oncology as well as how we can address global health disparities.”
The appointments of Simpson and Durack signal an aggressive effort by Cordis-X to recruit some of the most successful industry innovators to its team.
“I have great admiration for Cordis,” said Simpson. “They created the first catheter I ever used for diagnostic angiography in humans. Cordis products were state of the art, ahead of everyone else. I look forward to helping the organisation push the edges of innovation and create new products we will be talking about decades from now.”
