A life dedicated to science
Until his death in 2014, Dr. Peter Geistlich led Geistlich Pharma as President of the Administrative Board. His foresight and values still shape the company today.
In the 1980s, Dr. Peter Geistlich had the vision to invest in regenerative biomaterials to enable natural bone and tissue regeneration.
Dr. Peter Geistlich, founder of the Osteology Foundation and President of the Board of Directors of Geistlich Pharma AG (left), and Prof. Christoph Hämmerle, Chairman of the Osteology Foundation.
The cooperation of Dr. Peter Geistlich (right) with international scientists, such as Prof. Dr. Philip J. Boyne, enabled the breakthrough in the development of Geistlich Bio-Oss®.
A developing network of expertise
Dr. Peter Geistlich created a new business area within the Geistlich Group and heralded a new era. His name still vouches for the quality of Geistlich products. There is no doubt that his philosophy and pioneering spirit still shape the company today. He did pioneering work in the area of bone regeneration in cooperation with international researchers, in particular Prof. Dr. Philip J. Boyne from Loma Linda University in California. One of his many achievements is to have been the first to free bone material from organic components, while preserving the natural microstructure and bone composition. In so doing, he laid the foundation stone for the development of the bone substitute Geistlich Bio-Oss®.
The pioneer
Dr. Peter Geistlich then developed the natural collagen membrane Geistlich Bio-Gide®, which enables a simple surgical procedure thanks to its good wound-healing properties and fundamentally changed bone regeneration treatment. Since the days of Dr. Peter Geistlich, the company has continued the approach of science-based development in cooperation with universities and clinical practitioners, for both existing products and all new developments.
Practice and science combined
In 2003, Dr. Peter Geistlich founded the Osteology Foundation together with Geistlich Pharma AG. This promoted teaching and research, and brought science and practice in the field of bone and soft tissue regeneration closer together. In 2013, Dr. Peter Geistlich and Geistlich Pharma launched the Osteo Science Foundation based in the US. Its declared goal is to support independent basic and applied research and enable new therapeutic approaches and clinical treatment methods in regenerative dentistry. The aim is to promote and share newly acquired knowledge. Quite within the spirit of Dr. Peter Geistlich, Geistlich Pharma founded the ON Foundation in 2017 in the area of orthoregeneration.
The three foundations which Geistlich Pharma helped found: