Innovation Center to Accelerate Company Mission of Making Healing Possible; New Organization Will Fuel Product Development and Commercialization
SAN ANTONIO, Tuesday, July 13th 2010 [ME NewsWire]:
(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Kinetic Concepts, Inc. (NYSE: KCI) announced today the creation of an Advanced Research and Technology (ART) center that will lead the company’s efforts to develop revolutionary new wound healing, regenerative medicine, and therapeutic support system technologies and treatments.
The KCI ART will serve as an innovation center that investigates emerging medical therapies and technologies to fuel product development and commercialization. It will support the company’s mission of restoring patients to healthy lives while helping providers reduce their overall cost of care.
“The history of human achievement shows us that the greatest innovations occur in an environment that promotes collaboration, creativity and intellectual curiosity,” said Cathy Burzik, KCI’s president and CEO. “That is KCI’s culture, and that is our vision for this center.”
The ART, made up of leading researchers and engineers, will focus on:
* Conducting applied research to develop new clinical applications that leverage KCI’s existing portfolio of proprietary technologies
* Combining elements of KCI’s current platform technologies to create new therapies that address unmet clinical needs
* Investigating emerging trends and medical technologies that show significant potential to advance the science of wound healing and tissue regeneration
* Developing collaborative relationships with leading universities around the world to identify future technologies of relevance to KCI’s mission
Specific priorities include developing more mobile and compact wound healing technologies for home care settings, and identifying new clinical applications for KCI’s regenerative medicine business beyond the repair of soft-tissue defects.
David J. McQuillan, Ph.D., has been appointed senior vice president, Advanced Research and Technology and will lead the center. McQuillan is a 10-year veteran of KCI and most recently served as the vice president of research and development for the company’s LifeCell business unit, where he led the development of innovative regenerative medicine products including the Strattice® Reconstructive Tissue Matrix. He is a leading expert in the fields of biochemistry and tissue regeneration.
“KCI has an enviable history of developing products that offer differentiation and deliver great patient outcomes. That also defines our future,” said McQuillan. “The Advanced Research and Technology center will ensure we have the right technologies to sustain robust product offerings and maintain our industry leadership.”
Prior to joining KCI, McQuillan was a faculty member at the Institute of Biosciences and Technology, Texas A&M Health Science Center in Houston and senior research officer at the University of Melbourne in Australia.
He holds a doctorate in biochemistry from Monash University in Australia.
About KCI
Kinetic Concepts, Inc. (NYSE:KCI) is a leading global medical technology company devoted to the discovery, development, manufacture and marketing of innovative, high-technology therapies and products for the wound care, tissue regeneration and therapeutic support system markets. Headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, KCI's success spans more than three decades and can be traced to a history deeply rooted in innovation and a passion for significantly improving the healing and the lives of patients around the world.
The company employs 6,800 people and markets its products in 20 countries. For more information about KCI, and how its products are changing the practice of medicine, visit www.KCI1.com.
All trademarks designated herein are proprietary to KCI Licensing, Inc., its affiliates and/or licensors.
For media enquiries, please contact:
Kinetic Concepts, Inc.
Media:
Kevin Belgrade
Wireless: 210-216-1236
kevin.belgrade@kci1.com
Investors:
Todd Wyatt
Office: 210-255-6157
Wireless: 210-347-3540
todd.wyatt@kci1.com
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