Zytoprotec Appoints Joerg Vienken and Norbert Riedel to Supervisory Board

 Zytoprotec, an Austrian biotechnology company, announced today that it has appointed Prof. Dr. Joerg Vienken and Prof. Dr. Norbert Riedel to its Supervisory Board.

„We are pleased that with Profs. Vienken and Riedel Zytoprotec could win two executive level research managers with backgrounds in product development in international life sciences companies and with unique scientific networks”, commented Prof. (hon) Dr. Uwe Schlokat, Chairman of Zytoprotec's Supervisory Board. “With our lead product PD-protec® reaching a key milestone on its way to market approval within 2016, we highly welcome the extensive industrial expertise that Profs. Vienken and Riedel will bring to Zytoprotec.”

The most advanced product in Zytoprotec's development pipeline is PD-protec®, an innovative dialysis fluid with cytoprotective properties. The product, currently in a Phase II clinical trial, is designed to improve the treatment of millions of patients who suffer from end stage renal failure.

Prof. Dr. Joerg Vienken is recognized as an expert in medical devices, biomaterials and artificial organs. From 1996 to 2013, he was Vice President Biosciences at Fresenius Medical Care (FMC), a global leader in medical devices and dialysis services. He holds teaching assignments in the areas of Artificial Organs and Bioengineering at technical universities RWTH Aachen, TU Ilmenau, and THM Giessen, and is Member of the Scientific Board of the Berlin-Brandenburg Center for Regenerative Therapies, the Institute of Biocybernetics and Biomedical Engineering of the Polish Academy of Sciences and in several Working Groups of the Association of German Engineers VDI.

Prof. Dr. Norbert Riedel was head of research and development at Baxter, a medical devices and biopharmaceuticals company, for more than 10 years. Baxter is the global leader in products for peritoneal dialysis. Prof. Riedel is or has been involved as founder, consultant and CEO in international life sciences companies, including US-based companies ARIAD, Naurex (recently acquired by Allergan for USD 560 mio.), and Aptinyx, as well as Jazz Pharmaceuticals of Ireland, and MediGene of Germany.

About Zytoprotec
Zytoprotec is a biotechnology company based in Austria, Europe. Its lead product, PD-protec®, is being developed to improve the treatment of patients with end stage renal failure. Currently, treatment with peritoneal dialysis is limited as the fluids used in this treatment inherently damage the peritoneal tissue. PD-protec® includes a cytoprotective compound, discovered by one of Zytoprotec's founders, Prof. Dr. Christoph Aufricht. The compound is expected to protect peritoneal tissue and reduce the damage caused by exposure to the dialysate.
A Phase II clinical trial with PD-protec® has been initiated in mid-2014. The study is expected to be concluded by the end of 2016.

The sender takes full responsibility for the content of this news item. Content may include forward-looking statements which, at the time they were made, were based on expectations of future events. Readers are cautioned not to rely on these forward-looking statements.

As a life sciences organization based in Vienna, would you like us to promote your news and events? If so, please send your contributions to news(at)lisavienna.at.