Next Generation Medical Products, Systems and Services

Developing and commercializing medical products and systems, an arena in which Israel might hope to excel, is becoming an increasing challenge. Enormous changes in knowledge and practice, and new science-driven and “game-changing” technologies are emerging. Medical products and systems are no longer and will never again be as before. Facing consumer and political pressures for “total solutions”, services as well as integrated hardware and software are becoming critical; and, “sustainable” products, operations and innovations with broad definitions of markets, planning horizons, social contexts and stakeholder impacts needed. Firms are seeking new structures and alliances in diverse geographic and industry sectors, and developing new strategies and practices. Core competencies are being redefined and new planning and analytic tools and methodologies adopted. Existing practices are inadequate to exploit emerging commercial innovation opportunities with the needed focus and speed. 

            With powerful science, technology and entrepreneurial spirit Israel has already demonstrated leadership and can bring more to evolving medical products and systems. Properly focused and managed, it can accelerate the transfer of new Israeli and globally-developed knowledge into practical applications. Well-conceived and well-designed product systems serving an enlarging social and geographic spectrum will be vital. Israel can also create and deliver significant and more rapid commercial values to developers and investors, to medical practitioners and patients, and to the nation at large. But, much remains to be done to improve the speed and sustainability of success.

            Addressed at this conference are new and growing user domains and markets and, particularly, steps to ensure Israeli players become globally effective as innovation-driving partners, suppliers, marketers and inward and outward investors. In turn, the wider world can expect to derive deeper benefits from working with well informed, trained and structured Israeli academic, industry and government communities. This discussion-intensive conference and especially the planned follow-up program deal with these issues head on and innovatively, with active involvement from practitioners, leading and new generation academic researchers at Technion and students working in teams assembled from Israel and abroad. The conference stresses practice-centered clinical discussion of actual Israeli and Global firm cases. 

            Working with the new generation Technion researchers and with support from an experienced mentor, globally constructed students teams will develop applied project proposals. These will be presented in initial form at the Conference and then pursued virtually and, as possible face-to-face, to accelerate sustainable application and commercialization. Funding to support this component of the program and especially the follow-on work (including the award of prizes for student-faculty teams delivering outstanding high value results) is being collected. 

Major Conference Themes: Achieving sustained growth and performance; creating and capturing value; responding to health and technology change and trends; what Israel can contribute; achieving sustained innovation; expanding market horizons; new customers and regions; and, the potential impact of emerging new knowledge will be the central themes – with all to be put in context from a patient-centric perspective.

 

Day 1: December 19, 2007 (8:00 Registration – 17:30 close)

9:00-9:30

• Welcome: – view video
• Yitzhak Apeloig, President Technion
• Nadav Liron, Director SNI, Technion
• Michael Radnor, Chairman GATIC International, Kellogg School Northwestern University

9:30-10:00

• Keynote Address: – view video
  Ensuring Israel Focus and its Relative Advantages in Healthcare Research and Business,
• Uzia Galil, Chairman Uzia Initiatives & Management Ltd.; Founder Galil Center for Medical Informatics & Telemedicine at Technion

10:00-12:00

Unit 1: Trends and Opportunities in the New Medical System Worlds of Technology – view video

• Moderator: Dr. Ora Dar, Chief Scientist’s Office (Biotechnology) – presentation

Change and Trends in the Global Medical Sector,

• Joel Shalowitz, Director Northwestern University Kellogg School Health Industry Management Program – presentation

How to Convert “Golden Eggs” into Industry “Golden Nuggets”

• Dan Vilenski, Entrepreneur – presentation

Next Generation developments at the Nano-bio interface, Young Technion Faculty

• Hossam Haick, Chemical Engineering – presentation
• Marcelle Machluf, Biotechnology & Food Engineering – presentation
• Dror Seliktar, Biomedical Engineering – presentation
• Open Discussion

12:15-13:30

Unit 2: Accelerated Technology Application – Case Lessons to be Learned – view video

• Moderator: Alec McMillan, Director Standards & Trade, Rockwell Automation Israel-based cases
  Given Imaging – Developments in Biophotonics,
• Elisha Rabinowitz, Given Imaging and Chairman of Magnet’s Bio Medical Photonics and NEMO (European Capsule Endoscopy related) Consortia – presentation
• Medical Devices KarmelSonix ltd. – The Home Medical Toolbox
  – from Thermometers to Wheezometers, and all that is in-between,
• Noam Gavriely – presentation

14:15-16:00

Unit 2 (continued) The Global Scene – view video

• Intel Research Israel, Ilan Levy, BeChip Research Project
• Capitalizing on Globalization, Susan Gaud, Industrial Research Institute
  The Global Perspective on “Service” – a Key Partner to Health
• Hardware/software Systems, Uzi de Haan, Technion – presentation
• General Discussion

16:15-17:30

• A Summary Perspective – view video
• Moderator: Prof. Shlomo Maital, Technion & Technion Institute of Management

It’s a New Day for Health Products, Systems and Service in and
between Israel and the World: We must be Ready and Responsive,

• Rafael Beyar, Director, Rambam Health Care Campus – presentation

Implications for Israel: General Discussion

• Day1 Wrap-up and Plans for Day2: Michael Radnor

 

 

Day 2: December 20, 2007 (8:30 – 17:30)

9:00-11:00

Unit 3: Expanding Horizons: new markets, applications & processes – view video

• Affordable Products, Systems & Services, Gad Ariav, Tel Aviv University – presentation
• Addressing the Growing “Silver” Market, Ron Nabarro, CEO, Senior Touch – presentation
• Next Generation Rehabilitation, Shmuel Shany, CEO, NESS
• Designing E-health Systems for Chronic Disease Management, Noemi Bitterman, Director, Technion – presentation
• Industrial Design program
• Discussion

11:15-12:45

Unit 3 (continued) New International Challenges and Opportunities – view video

• Introduction: Alec McMillan
• A View from Africa, Jeffrey Fine – presentation
• IBM’s Global Health Systems Programs, Pnina Vortman, Senior Manager & IBM Academy of Technology Member, IBM Research Haifa – presentation
• General Unit Discussion

13:30-14:45

Unit 4: A Future Perspectives Panel: Seeing and Responding to Early Signals – view video

• Neuron on a Chip Micha Spira, Hebrew University & Yissum
• Developing opportunities from Stem Cell research Martin Grumet, Rutgers University – presentation
• General Discussion

15:00-17:00

Unit 5: Summary Words and Perspectives – view video

• Responding to Patient-centric Needs – Narrowing the Gap
  between Knowledge & Technology
• Eddy Karnieli, Director Galil Health Center and Faculty of Medicine at Technion, and member of medical staff at Rambam Hospital – presentation
• Comparing Israel & Global Perspectives and Experiences:
• Shlomo Maital – presentation
• Alec McMillan
• Young Faculty-Global Student Collaborative Project Reports & Continuation Plans – presentation
• Moderator-mentor: Prof. Ofer Bina, Rappaport Institute
• Where From Here: Follow-up Plans:
• Closing discussion led by: Uzia Galil and Michael Radnor