In the field of groundbreaking regenerative medicine, StemSight’s aim to cure blindness takes a major leap forward with the strategic appointment of Dr Ross Macdonald as Chief Commercial Officer.
Tampere, Finland, 21.11.23 — StemSight Oy, the leading deep tech company dedicated to eliminating corneal blindness through stem cell technology, proudly announces the appointment of Dr Ross Macdonald to advance the Company’s commercial strategy. With over three decades of pharmaceutical and biopharma industry expertise, Macdonald’s inclusion in StemSight’s team brings a new breadth of experience to the Company.
During his career, Dr Macdonald has played a key role in developing and bringing to market more than 15 pharmaceutical products, showcasing exceptional leadership skills. For the last 10 years, he has been the CEO and Managing Director of Cynata Therapeutics Ltd, a true industry trailblazer and the first company in the world to successfully complete a clinical trial with an iPS derived cell therapy product.
Putting Nobel-prize Winning Technologies to Work for Sight Restoration
At the intersection of revolutionary science and profound compassion, StemSight’s goal is to restore vision by developing off-the-shelf corneal tissue replacements derived from induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells. StemSight is pioneering applications of the Nobel Prize-winning iPS cell technology, where adult cells are reprogrammed to enable them to produce any cell type of the body. StemSight’s proprietary technology involves utilizing healthy-donor iPS cells to manufacture different corneal cells in a scalable and cost-effective manner and to provide patients with specific cells lost to ocular afflictions. In the broader realm of iPS cell-therapy companies, StemSight distinguishes itself by focusing on a unique combination of corneal cells and biomaterials.
“I am excited to join StemSight at a time when the Company is rapidly advancing its promising product development pipeline, founded on world-leading technology in the production of iPS- derived corneal cells. StemSight aims to address the major challenge in treating patients with corneal disorders, being the chronic scarcity of donor-derived tissue, through its unique and robust manufacturing platform. As one of the leading companies in advancing cell therapies for eye conditions, I am very pleased to be involved in the next stage of the Company’s growth ” remarks Ross Macdonald. His decision to embark on this journey stems from a confluence of shared values and an alignment of visions, solidified by the catalyzing support from Business Finland’s grant funding.
Investor Support
In a statement, Kalle Öhman, Venture partner at Voima Ventures, expresses enthusiasm for StemSight’s strategic move. “We believe in the transformative potential of StemSight’s work in curing blindness through innovative stem cell technology. Ross Macdonald’s addition to their leadership team is a significant step, and we look forward to witnessing the impact of this collaboration on the future of regenerative therapies.”