Andy Wyen is a Board Certified Principal Toxicologist at NAMSA. He has over 19 years of medical device industry experience at NAMSA. Throughout his long tenure at NAMSA, he has held positions in various divisions including Research and Development, Chemistry, Study Director, and Biocompatibility Consulting, which contributes to his well-rounded knowledge in his current position. Andy’s expertise includes In Vitro methods, In Vivo methods, analytical chemistry, chemical characterization, GLP regulation, ISO 10993 standards, biocompatibility, and toxicology.

Andy has experience with hundreds of different types of medical devices with a variety of applications that include the most invasive types of devices to the most innocuous. He has interacted on behalf of the client through meetings or written responses to regulatory agencies such as the United States FDA, European Union notified bodies, Japan PMDA, Korean MFDS, United Kingdom MHRA, and China FDA in regards to biocompatibility inquires of medical devices.

Andy obtained his Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Pharmacology/Toxicology from the University of Toledo (Ohio, U.S.). In 2012, he received his Laboratory Animal Technical (LAT) Certification through the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS). In 2019, he received his Diplomate of the American Board of Toxicology (DABT) certification. Andy is an active member of the Society of Toxicology and is a non-voting member of AAMI working group 11 and 14.

CORE COMPETENCIES

• Prepares risk assessments, evaluation plans and reports in compliance with ISO 10993-1, ISO 10993-17 and ISO 14971 for FDA submissions and other regulatory agencies
• Working knowledge of FDA, EU MDR and other global medical device regulations, as well as biologic regulations, the ISO 10993 series and 14971
• Develops of biological evaluation plans and biological risk assessments for the evaluation of the biological safety of medical devices. Plans and assessments take into account the safety of the materials of construction, clinical use, type and duration of patient contact, biocompatibility/ chemical testing performed, clinical history, patient population, regulatory guidance and safety thresholds of extractable chemicals
• Plans toxicological risk assessments of extractable chemicals observed during analytical analysis through toxicological literature searches, calculated tolerable intake/exposure of chemicals and subsequent margin of safety determinations as they relate to patient exposure
• Prepares gap analysis documents to ensure previously performed biocompatibility studies comply with most the recent regulatory requirements and provides biological significance of differences that may be observed
• Advises Clients on technical issues related to biocompatibility and material characterization, in addition to determining biological relevance of unexpected results
• As a study director, was responsible for all aspects of GLP compliance of preclinical biocompatibility studies (ISO-10993 series, MHLW, USP, EP) and provides interpretation of results, observations and impact of unexpected circumstances
• Developed and coordinated special toxicology/efficacy studies, as well as routine biocompatibility studies according to GLP and Non-GLP regulations for various models. Studies included: cytotoxicity, local tissue implantation, irritation, hemocompatibility, sensitization, systemic toxicity, pyrogenicity, ocular toxicity, genotoxicity, bone regeneration, dura repair, hemostasis, and wound healing
• As a chemist, served as primary analyst of semi-volatile compounds using Gas Chromatography Mass Spectroscopy (GC-MS), trace metal quantification using Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES) and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC)
• Performed routine and complex United States, British, European and Japanese Pharmacopoeia testing utilizing wet chemical techniques
• Assisted in various other analytical techniques such as osmolality, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Gas Chromatography Flame Ionization Detector (GC-FID) and Liquids Chromatography Ultra-Violet (LC-UV)

RECENT PROJECTS

• Orthopedic implants and instruments
• Wound care dressings
• Ocular instruments
• Tumour suppression/treatment
• Hemostatic devices
• Intravascular catheters
• Implantable Pulse Generators (IPG)