JenaValve Hires Medtronic Exec Ed Sarnowski as Chief Technology Officer

JenaValve, maker of the Trilogy transcatheter heart valve (THV) system, has appointed Edward (Ed) Sarnowski as its new chief technology officer.

Sarnowski will head the company’s R&D organization and drive the next innovation phase as it progresses its transcatheter aortic valve programs following the recent U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of the Trilogy THV system for symptomatic, severe aortic regurgitation (ssAR).

He boasts over two decades of medical device R&D leadership experience with comprehensive expertise in structural heart and transcatheter valve technologies, JenaValve said. The company believes he will be instrumental in advancing the company’s key innovation initiatives and expanding the Trilogy platform’s capabilities.

“Ed’s appointment marks an important step in the evolution of JenaValve as a company,” said John Kilcoyne, CEO of JenaValve. “With FDA approval now behind us and the U.S. commercial launch underway, we are entering a new phase of growth that demands R&D leadership of the highest caliber. Ed’s deep experience building and scaling global R&D organizations, delivering complex transcatheter programs from concept to commercialization, and navigating the regulatory rigor required in structural heart makes him exactly the right person to lead our technology organization. I am confident that under his leadership, we will continue to advance the science of TAVR for AR.”

Sarnowski was most recently VP of R&D for TAVR and Congenital and subsequently VP of R&D, Mitral & Tricuspid at Medtronic Structural Heart. There, he led a global R&D organization accountable for establishing transcatheter valve replacement therapies spanning R&D execution, clinical investigation, and portfolio strategy.

Before Medtronic, he spent ten years at St. Jude Medical (acquired by Abbott) in senior R&D and business development leadership positions. There, he drove FDA PMA submissions and built early-stage partnership in cardiac and heart failure programs.

“I am honored to join JenaValve at such a transformative moment,” said Sarnowski. “The Trilogy System represents a remarkable achievement—a purpose-built, first-of-its-kind transcatheter therapy that addresses a true unmet need in the structural heart space. I look forward to working alongside this exceptional team to build on the foundation that has been established, driving the meaningful innovation required to deliver life-changing solutions to cardiovascular patients worldwide.”