By Cheryl Long
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T
he gains of scientific research
came full circle for interventional
cardiologist Dr. Guy Leclerc when
the new cardiac valve that his company,
AccelLAB, tested in preclinical studies
was finally approved for use in a human
patient. And as it turned out, one of Dr.
Leclerc’s colleagues, Dr. Jeannot Potvin,
the cardiologist who performed the pre-
clinical study of the cardiac valve in a swine
model at AccelLAB, was also the one who
successfully implanted the new valve in
the first North American patient at the
CHUM (Centre Hospitalier de l’Université
de Montreal).
That’s the ultimate success for Leclerc and
Accel LAB — helping to prove through re-
search that a new implant or device has
the potential to improve the quality of life
for human patients worldwide.
That research takes place at AccelLAB,
located in Boisbriand, Quebec, a suburb
30 minutes north of downtown Montreal.
Leclerc is CEO and founder of the compa-
ny that is contracted to conduct the early
stages of research in the field of medical
devices and biotechnology. Whether it’s
cardiology, orthopedics or regenerative
medicine, AccelLAB takes new inven-
tions created by manufacturers around the
world and tests their safety and efficacy in
animals, collecting data that can be used
to prove the device’s suitability for use in
human patients. Once proven, the device
may then be approved for clinical trials in
humans and eventually enter the health
care market.
Previously the owner of a biotechnology
company, Leclerc founded AccelLAB in
2004 and soon identified a group of nine
people equipped with the skills and knowl-
edge to join him in his new venture. The
solidity of the company and its mission
MARCH 2016
H
business elite canada
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