Belgian medical device CRO picks Cleveland for U.S. headquarters

A Belgian clinical research organization that focuses on cardiovascular medical devices has established its U.S. headquarters in Cleveland.

Antwerp, Belgium-based genae is looking to build its U.S. business in managing clinical trials for both large and small medical device companies, said Dimitri Buytaert, president of genae Americas. Clinical research organizations (CROs) provide medical technology companies with outsourced clinical trial management services, such as site selection, data management, monitoring and regulatory compliance.

“For us as a startup CRO in the U.S., this is the best place for us to build up relationships with startups and established companies,” Buytaert said. “Being such a niche player, it’s important for us to be here because there’s a lot of innovation going on.”

For now, Buytaert is the sole employee holding down genae’s office at the Global Cardiovascular Innovation Center (GCIC) on Cleveland Clinic’s campus. He hopes to grow the Cleveland location to about a dozen employees within a few years.

While Cleveland is genae’s first U.S. location, the company is no stranger to the U.S. market. Buytaert estimated that about 70 percent of the CRO’s business in Europe comes from U.S.-based companies conducting overseas clinical trials. The company has about 40 employees in Europe, he said.

In addition to genae, several other medical service providers have set up offices at the GCIC, including Irish contract medical device designer Creganna-Tactx Medical and New Hampshire-based Farm, another device designer.