ARTCLINE appoints Dirk Hessel as Managing Director and Prepares the Market Entry for Innovative Septic Shock Treatment

• ARTCLINE is strengthening its management team with an experienced pharmaceutical leader to set up a sales force and accelerate strategic growth
• ARTICE^® is a therapy utilizing allogenic immune cells to strengthen the immunocompetence of patients with septic shock

Rostock, September 23, 2024 – ARTCLINE, a biomedical company focused on the development of new immune cell therapies for the treatment of septic shock, today announced the appointment of Dirk Hessel as additional Managing Director. With his extensive experience in sales and marketing of medical devices and biopharmaceutical products, he will lead the company together with the current management through its next phase of growth and drive the commercialization of the innovative ARTICE^® therapy.

The patented extracorporeal ARTICE^® therapy uses immune cells from healthy donors to disburden and reactivate the dysfunctional immune system of patients with septic shock. The purified granulocyte concentrates are administered as part of a directed manufacturing process under a GMP manufacturing authorization. The clinical benefit of ARTICE^® has been demonstrated in two scientific studies. In the randomized, controlled, clinical ReActIF-ICE study (), 142 patients are currently being enrolled at approximately 20 leading intensive care centers in Germany to comprehensively evaluate the ARTICE^® therapy.

The mortality rate for sepsis remains alarmingly high despite continuous research and development by the medical and scientific communities. According to the WHO, sepsis affects 48 million people a year, including 20 million children under 5 years of age. About 20% of global deaths are due to sepsis. The impairment of the immune system plays a crucial role in the progression of sepsis. Thanks to modern intensive care options, patients usually survive the first phase of septic shock but die later from secondary infections and/or organ failure.

“The appointment of Dirk Hessel, who has a very successful career in management positions in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry, is an important step for ARTCLINE,” said Dr. Jürgen Kulpe, spokesperson for the advisory board of ARTCLINE GmbH. “With his extensive experience in the commercialization of biopharmaceutical and medical products, he will significantly accelerate the market entry of our innovative therapy. With his experience and expertise, he will provide crucial impetus for optimizing our market positioning to fully exploit the potential of ARTICE^®.”

Dirk Hessel, new managing director of ARTCLINE, commented: “I have great respect for the impressive work of the founders, in particular Dr. Jens Altrichter and the entire ARTCLINE team. and I look forward to working with them. Sepsis is one of the leading causes of mortality worldwide – even ahead of cancer. There is a high unmet medical need for the treatment of septic shock. Treating this severe condition with immune cell therapy has tremendous potential to become a crucial medical treatment in the modern intensive care setting. I am convinced that ARTCLINE has developed a groundbreaking procedure that can save lives and fundamentally change the treatment of sepsis.”

Before joining ARTCLINE, Dirk Hessel held leading positions in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry. Most recently, he was CEO of a German biotech company which developed a liquid biopsy assay for the early detection and treatment monitoring of breast cancer patients. Prior to that, as CEO at CO.DON AG, he was responsible for the EMA approval of an advanced therapy medicinal product (ATMP) in cell and gene therapy. Before entering the biotech industry, Dirk Hessel spent more than 15 years of his professional career at Bayer AG and Grünenthal GmbH in strategic and international management positions.

About ARTCLINE GmbH

ARTCLINE GmbH was founded as a spin-off from the University of Rostock. The company is developing innovative diagnostic and therapeutic procedures for intensive care medicine. The focus is on a novel immune cell-based extracorporeal procedure for the treatment of septic shock – one of the major challenges for global health systems.

Developed by immunologists and dialysis specialists, the ARTICE^® therapy uses immune cells from healthy donors to temporarily take over some of the functions of the patient's impaired immune system and reactivate it.

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ARTCLINE GmbH
Dirk Hessel, Managing Director
     

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