Our Experts

Discover the talented individuals behind our innovative heart valve solutions.
Prof Sir Magdi Yacoub

Founder & Chief Scientist

Leads the research and development of our heart valve programme.

Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, Founder and Director of Research at the Magdi Yacoub Institute at Harefield Heart Science Centre. 

Dr Najma Latif

Senior Research Fellow

Over the last 20 years she has been focusing on human valve biology and pathobiology. She has a deep understating of the cell types present in normal valves including the sinuses and the leaflets and how the cells remodel under pathological conditions

Dr Yuan-Tsan, Tseng

Research Fellow

PhD in material science from Oxford and offers ten years of experience in cardiac valve tissue engineering, specialising in the integration of cells, signalling molecules, biomaterials, and mechanical stimuli. His work focuses on developing biological and polymeric scaffolds through methods like freeze-drying and solution jet spraying.

Dr Rudolf Hellmuth

Research Fellow and Senior Engineer

MSc in mechanical engineering and PhD in biomedical engineering. Rudolf has 15 years of dedicated experience in preclinical development of biomedical devices, ranging from mechanical ventilators, inhalers, urological implants, nitinol stents, grafts, and polymeric heart valves.