A highlight of the 2006 CX Symposium at Imperial College, London, is that Sir Richard Sykes, Rector of Imperial has joined the faculty and speaks at peak time on Tuesday at the beginning of the plenary Innovation Showcase. This juxtaposition of industry and academia is tailor-made for Sir Richard, one-time chairman of GlaxoSmithKline. Professor Greenhalgh, the programme director of the Charing Cross Symposium since 1978, regards this session as “potentially the best ever in prospect.”
Returning for a third year, the CX Innovation Showcase focuses on the factors related to innovation and the development of new technologies. Building on the success of last year, this year’s Showcase is separated into two sessions, each providing a comprehensive overview of the obstacles and pitfalls on the road to successful product development. The sessions will highlight new technological developments and culminate in a series of talks from world-renowned innovators, inventors and entrepreneurs.
The one-day forum held on Tuesday 11th April, begins in the Pippard Lecture Theatre, Sherfield Building, Imperial College. Chaired by Stephen Greenhalgh, BIBA Medical, London, and Mr Nick Cheshire, London, UK, the Showcase will start with a discussion on the role that research plays in technology transfer, followed by a presentation from Rob Fenton, who will describe the role of the Cardiovascular Technology Network at Imperial College.
The session will then investigate the fundamental issues surrounding innovation, from the initial concept all the way through to commercialisation (including marketing, legal, regulatory and commercial issues). Presenters include: Stuart Rodger, director of clinical affairs for Vascutek Terumo; Peter Hinchcliffe, vice president of R&D at Datascope; Alan Edwards, former CEO of Credent; and Chas Taylor, Chairman of Veryan Medical.
The focus of the talks will cover new and innovative technologies. Spencer Sherwin, London, UK will analyse the future interface between high-end flow imaging and clinical practice. In addition, Tim McGloughlin, Limerick, Ireland, will showcase the Prolong vascular graft, developed by the University of Limerick. The graft is based on a novel approach to disease formation at the graft/artery junction beds. The university envisions that the invention be a platform technology from which other clinical applications will be developed. Following McGloughlin, Willie Loan, Belfast, UK, will present his experience with the Aorfix abdominal aortic aneurysm stent-graft. The presentation will include an overview of enhancements to the device and a clinical update.
In the afternoon, the Innovation Showcase will move into the Great Hall, Sherfield Building. This plenary session, chaired by professor Roger Greenhalgh, London, UK, will feature some of the key innovators in the medical device field over the past few decades. In particular, the audience can look forward to fascinating sessions from Sir Richard Sykes, London, UK, and John Abele, Founder of Boston Scientific, who will discuss the roles of academia and industry in driving innovation. In addition, presentations from two of the biggest names in endovascular innovation, Drs Thomas Fogarty, Stanford, and Juan Parodi, St Louis, USA, will assess the processes involved in invention and innovation. These presentations will be complemented by talks from industry professionals Stu Foster, corporate vice-president of Edwards Lifesciences, and John McDermott, president of Bard Peripheral Vascular, who will analyse the main success factors critical for physician-inventors and whether an idea needs become the standard of care, respectively.
For those interested in the latest medical developments and innovations, BIBA Publishing is proud to announce the launch of its first newsletter, Cardiovascular Innovations. This new, monthly, business-to-business publication will highlight the latest advances – from the lab bench to early commercialisation – reporting the pioneering ideas, technologies and devices that are at the forefront of innovation. To pick up your free copy of Cardiovascular Innovations, please visit the registration desk.
