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PARTNERSHIP IN DRUG DELIVERY CONFERENCE – HIGHLIGHTS FROM BOSTON, 2012

10/9/12     What a phenomenal conference with several interesting topics of interest in drug delivery.   Dr. Bob Langer of M.I.T. led off the event and from my perspective his overview of the industry was loaded with micro components and assemblies, hitting delivery mechanisms such as:

  • Transdermal Delivery- Needles, Drug Arrays
  • Ocular Delivery- Nano particles through membrane
  • Vaginal Delivery- Nuva ring, EVA & Silicone, large molecule diffusion
  • Implantable- microspheres, stents, biopolymers decreasing delivery rates over time, degradable chips triggered remotely
  • Inhalation-3rd World country uses, inhaler in your pocket, Gates Foundation funding

Lisa Shafer of Medtronic was prominently introduced as the “pride of Medtronic” as well she should be.  Lisa was the first in Medtronic to patent an Antibody that will hopefully be used someday to cure (not treat) Alzheimer’s.  Lisa spoke on a panel about the need for pacing heart and pacing brain and performing neuromodulation using electrical and drug methods.

Another panelist spoke of Digital Medicine using “smart” pills targeting treatments through swallowing, providing real time data and after taking medicine, the physicians can get data how often the patient is taking the medicine and what effects they are/are not having on the body.

Keynote Speaker on Day 2 was Dr. Stephen Oesterle of Medtronic.  I was proud to see multiple devices/technologies that MES has or is working on in his presentation slides.  Again, the theme is Drug Delivery-Site Specific Devices and Combination Devices- both require micro components and assemblies.

 

Some examples of Dr. Oesterle’s presentation taken from start-up companies or others he appropriately mentioned owned the IP were:

  1. a.      100 psi balloons driving drugs into artery to get right at a tumor to shrink it.
  2. b.     Navigation devices
  3. c.      Wearable glucose sensor
  4. d.     Catheter and infusion pumps
  5. e.      Refillable intraocular pump holds 9 months of drug
  6. f.       Delivering drug to the brain via catheter (blood brain barrier issue)
  7. g.      Delivering drug through the sclera of the eye to the back of the eye for glaucoma
  8. h.     Cellular homing
  9. i.       Less drug and more effective site focus= no real reason to be in the body with a knife
  10. j.       Hot topic for the next 20 years as having a Neurological focus.

A truly phenomenal conference with several interesting topics of interest in drug delivery!  I am looking forward to next years’ event being held again in Boston.

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