Mitral regurgitation (MR) occurs when the mitral valve (MV) fails to close properly, causing blood to leak back into the left atrium.
MR is the most common valvular heart disease, affecting about 1.7% of the population1.
Risk increased with age: 0.5% in 18 – 44 years old patients to 9.3% (1 in 10) in ages 75 and over.
Untreated MR can lead to decreased cardiac output, increased pulmonary congestion and heart failure.
Severe MR without intervention has a 1-year fatality rate of up to 57%.
Otto, C. M., et al. 2020 ACC/AHA guideline for the management of patients with valvular heart disease… Circulation, 2021, 143(5), e72–e227.
Isa Rizk
Mr. Rizk is a serial entrepreneur in the cardiovascular medical device space with over 20 years of experience and is currently the Co-founder/CEO of Reflow Medical. He previously served as the Director of R&D, Aortic Heart Valve Division at Edwards Lifesciences. Mr. Rizk has been advising Sutra Medical on business development, fundraising strategies, and financial forecasting since 2013.
Andrew Tymkiw
Founder and Principal of Lifescience Business Solutions, brings over 35 years of leadership across the life sciences, including cardiovascular, structural heart, neuro-interventional, and aesthetics markets. Since 2017, he has advised numerous innovation-driven companies and private equity partners worldwide, guiding strategic planning, operational readiness, and clinical program advancement in regulated markets. His experience encompasses operationalizing complex clinical trials and scaling organizations to meet both regulatory requirements and investor expectations. Andrew’s career includes senior executive roles at Edwards Lifesciences, Mentor (Johnson & Johnson), and Marquest (GE Healthcare), with earlier leadership positions at Becton Dickinson and Meadox (Boston Scientific). Holding advanced degrees in Engineering and Finance from the New Jersey Institute of Technology and the Wharton School, Andrew is known for his results-driven leadership approach in bringing transformative medical technologies to market. He is also a passionate advocate for STEM education and healthcare advancement and serves on the Board of Directors for Special Olympics.
Dr. Caitlin Martin
Dr. Martin is the Vice President of R&D at Sutra Medical, Inc., with over 15 years of expertise in heart valve fatigue analysis, computational simulations of valve function, and prosthetic heart valve development.
At Sutra Medical, she leads the research, development, and regulatory strategy for Sutra Hemi Valve TMVR technologies. She has successfully guided Sutra’s First-in-Human (FIH) regulatory applications and secured OUS FIH approvals.
Dr. Martin earned her Ph.D. and completed postdoctoral training in Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech. With a deep commitment to advancing healthcare solutions, she continues to push the boundaries of medical device innovation, combining technical excellence with strategic leadership.
Dr. Thuy Pham
Dr. Pham is the Chief Technology Officer and Co-Founder of Sutra Medical, playing a pivotal role in advancing the company’s groundbreaking technologies.
With over 15 years of expertise in mitral valve mechanics and medical device development, she has served as the Principal Investigator on four NIH SBIR grants, securing over $4 million in funding to drive cutting-edge research and prosthetic device innovation in structural heart therapies.
As the primary inventor of Sutra’s core technologies, Dr. Pham leads the company’s preclinical and clinical studies, transforming novel concepts into life-saving solutions. Her multidisciplinary expertise—spanning engineering, translational science, and clinical validation—positions Sutra Medical at the forefront of next-generation mitral valve repair.
Dr. Wei Sun
Dr. Wei Sun is the CEO and Founder of Sutra Medical Inc. With over 25 years of experience in heart valve biomechanics, Dr. Sun has published over 100 scientific journal papers (h-index of 50) and delivered more than 200 presentations at international forums. His publication can be found here: Wei Sun, PhD – Google Scholar
Dr. Sun is internationally recognized as a leading expert in the field of heart valve biomechanics. As a member of the ISO committee, he contributed to the development of ISO cardiac valve standards (ISO 5840 and ISO 5910). Previously Dr. Sun was a tenured Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and a R&D Engineer at Edwards Lifesciences. He is a Fellow of the American Heart Association (AHA) and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME).
