Team

Click on a picture to read someone’s biography.

Gerrit Melles, MD, PhD

Corneal Surgeon BIG 49032942501 - Founder of NIIOS

Jacqueline van der Wees, PhD

Head of Eye Banks & Tissue Services

Anita Sajet, BASc

Allround Eyebank Executive

Hans Frank, PhD

External Advisor

NIIOS R&D

Gerrit Melles, MD, PhD

Corneal Surgeon BIG 49032942501 - Founder of NIIOS

ENG: Gerrit Melles is a cornea specialist and founder of the Netherlands Institute for Innovative Ocular Surgery (NIIOS), the Melles Cornea Clinic Rotterdam, and Amnitrans EyeBank Rotterdam. His clinical work focuses on the management of corneal disorders and he is actively involved in research and development of ophthalmic surgical techniques and has invented several advanced lamellar keratoplasty techniques among others Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK) and Bowman layer transplantation. Furthermore, he has developed instruments and medical devices required for the invented techniques, pioneered the use of staining solutions such as VisionBlue®, MembraneBlue® for ophthalmic surgeries and developed the Surgicube® for performing ophthalmic surgeries under sterile conditions in any clinical setting.
Dr Melles has received several awards in recognition of his contribution to ophthalmology. Among others, Dr Melles is the 2017 Helen Keller Award Laureate, and received the 2015 Dastgheib Pioneer Award in Ocular Innovation at the Duke University Eye Center, and an American Academy of Ophthalmology Achievement Award in 2009 and 2005.
Dr Melles has authored almost 300 peer-reviewed scientific publications and book chapters.

NL: Dr. Gerrit Melles is corneaspecialist en oprichter van het NIIOS, de Melles Hoornvlieskliniek en Amnitrans EyeBank. Hij studeerde Geneeskunde in Leiden en behaalde zijn specialisatie Oogheelkunde in Nijmegen. Zijn promotieonderzoek verrichtte hij zowel in het Sharp Cabrillo Hospital, San Diego, VS, als aan de Universiteit van Nijmegen. Zijn klinische werkzaamheden focussen op hoornvliesaandoeningen en hij is baanbrekend in onderzoek en ontwikkeling van oogheelkundige chirurgische technieken (zoals DMEK). Hij ontwikkelde medische instrumenten en apparatuur en was pionier in het vereenvoudigen van oogoperaties door middel van kleuroplossingen. Ook is hij de uitvinder van de Surgicube®, een mobiele steriele operatiekamer. Hij heeft meerdere prijzen ontvangen voor zijn bijdragen aan de oogheelkunde. In 2017 kreeg hij nog de Helen Keller Award in de VS, in 2019 de Tilanusmedaille. Dr. Melles heeft meer dan 300 wetenschappelijke publicaties op zijn naam. Zijn missie is om minimaal invasief en met behoud van de natuurlijke anatomie oogheelkundige problemen te lijf te gaan.

NIIOS R&D

Jacqueline van der Wees, PhD

Head of Eye Banks & Tissue Services

Jacqueline van der Wees is the head and the Responsible Person of Amnitrans EyeBank Rotterdam and Amnitrans EyeBank International. Dr. Van der Wees has a background in medical molecular biology and her current research interest focuses on the optimization of donor tissue utilization and on improving donor tissue quality. From the very start she has been involved in the development and evaluation of DMEK and Bowman layer graft preparation techniques and she has contributed to numerous peer-reviewed scientific publications on (new developments in) cornea transplantation and donor tissue preparation. She is currently a committee member of the European Eye Bank Association (EEBA).

NIIOS R&D

Anita Sajet, BASc

Allround Eyebank Executive

NIIOS R&D

Hans Frank, PhD

External Advisor