Quasar Medical buys Medres Nitinol Design and Development Center

Quasar Medical said it has purchased the Medres Nitinol Design and Development Center near San Diego, California.

Medres established the 10,000-square-foot Carlsbad site in 2024 and expanded it in 2025. It has dedicated nitinol operations, engineering talent and manufacturing capabilities.

Quasar Medical is a contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) that specializes in minimally invasive devices. Nitinol is a nickel-titanium alloy that’s uniquely useful for minimally invasive medical devices thanks to its superelastic and shape-memory properties.

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Medres International will continue operating its remaining business independently, while Quasar takes on the nitinol business and its customers. 

Quasar said the facility’s customers will gain access to expanded technical expertise, accelerated product development and a path from concept through commercial manufacturing at Quasar’s Tecate, Mexico facility, a one-hour drive from San Diego.

“The acquisition of the San Diego Nitinol Design and Development Center represents a step change as part of Quasar’s long-term growth strategy,” Quasar CEO Alex Wallstein said in a news release. “Nitinol is a foundational technology for many of today’s most advanced devices, both in minimally invasive disposables and implantables.

“Leading the integration of the new San Diego site with our other development centers in Israel and Galway will be no other than Christine Trepanier, our senior vice president of technology and a recognized leader in surface technology,” he continued. “In addition, we are adding visionary talent, including Tom Duerig, senior advisor, who introduced nitinol to medical devices as founder of NDC. This is a significant upgrade of Quasar to a whole new level of expertise.” 

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Trepanier joined Quasar Medical in May 2026. She was previously chief operating officer at Medres and chief technology officer at Confluent Medical Technologies before that.

The center “significantly strengthens Quasar’s global technology organization,” Trepanier said.

“By bringing together world-class nitinol expertise with our existing design, development, and manufacturing capabilities, we can support customers earlier in the product lifecycle and provide a seamless path from concept through commercialization,” she continued. “This investment expands our ability to solve complex engineering challenges while accelerating innovation for the next generation of minimally invasive medical devices.”

Selling the site allows Medres to focus on the growth of its headquarters in Hungary, said Medres International CEO and Chair Chris Cheng, who also said Medres will fully support Quasar in the transition.

“We are excited about the future of the Nitinol Center we built within Medres, Cheng said in the news release. “We are confident that under the stewardship of Quasar, the Nitinol Center in San Diego will thrive with dramatically increased resources and customer reach to achieve its full potential.”

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