Next generation Biomaterials for Healthcare

Next generation Biomaterials for Healthcare

There have been significant advances in recent years  into the development of innovative biomaterials, but have they reached the patient? In this forum we discuss the latest developments in biomaterials research, their benefits for the patient and the challenges associated with their commercialisation. 

View recording here.

Moderator: Claire O'Brien

Claire has over 20 years experience in both the medical device industry and academia. She is currently a Director of Engineering, Science and Technology at DePuy Synthes, with responsibility for the Advanced Technology Development group – based at the Innovation Centre in Cork. The team is responsible for developing differentiated technologies for next generation orthopaedic applications, in areas such as materials science, 3D Printing, personalised medicine and advanced manufacturing technologies.

Claire’s team members are responsible for many important links to Irish universities via co-op programs, sponsorship of PhD/Post Doc projects and SFI Fellowships, with partners such as the AMBER Centre, UL, TCD, UCC, MTU and UCD, as well as other university partnerships in Europe and the US.

Claire strives to create a culture of curiosity and innovation through an ambidextrous leadership approach. She holds a PhD in Metallurgy from University of Limerick, is a Six Sigma Black Belt and a Design Thinking Facilitator and is an active STEM advocate.  

Panelists

Professor Daniel Kelly

Professor Daniel Kelly holds the Chair of Tissue Engineering at Trinity College Dublin. He is the lead Principle Investigator on a €4M SFI co-funded Spoke project TRANSITION with Johnson and Johnson Services Inc. The overall goal of this the five-year project funded under SFI’s Spokes programme, is to develop a new class of 3D-printed biological implants that will regenerate, rather than replace, diseased joints. TRANSITION aims to develop a hybrid device consisting of a titanium core (providing mechanical integrity) overlaid by a layer of functional tissue (engineered bone and articular cartilage), which will be particularly suited to hip and knee implants.

Professor Sally-Ann Cryan

Prof. Sally-Ann Cryan is a Pharmacist and Professor of Drug Delivery & Pharmacoengineering in the School of Pharmacy & Biomolecular Sciences in the RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences. Her Drug Delivery & Advanced Materials team's work includes the development of specialised drug delivery platforms and tools for drug development. They have a particular focus on three areas: (i) delivery of biotherapeutics including gene therapies (ii) bioengineering of advanced medical materials and integration with medical devices and (iii) respiratory drug delivery. These drug delivery platforms are being developed for application in tuberculosis, cystic fibrosis and acute lung injury, inflammatory disease and cancer as well as in regenerative medicine. 

Colm McGarvey

Colm is a Pharmacist with over 25 years commercial experience, national and international within the medical device, healthcare and pharmacy sectors, in new business start-ups, fundraising, corporate development, medical device innovation and commercialisation.  

Following the 2015 Bioinnovate program, Colm cofounded Selio Medical with his teammate Garrett Ryan, and are developing a novel medical device to prevent a life-threatening complication associated with lung biopsy. Utilising the Enterprise Ireland Commercialisation Fund to achieve substantial seed and Series A funding, Colm has accelerated the route to market for this novel technology. As CEO, Colm has leveraged several prestigious international incubators including the National Science Foundation i-corps Program in Georgia Tech, Atlanta and the industry leading Medtech Innovator Accelerator in San Francisco. Selio Medical spun out of Trinity College Dublin in 2019 locating to a new facility in the Guinness Enterprise Centre and has grown the team to over 10 employees. 

Professor Fergal J. O’Brien

Professor Fergal J. O'Brien is Deputy Vice Chancellor for Research & Innovation, Professor of Bioengineering & Regenerative Medicine and heads the Tissue Engineering Research Group in the RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences. He is a leading innovator in the development of advanced biomaterials for the repair of bone, cartilage, skin, respiratory, neural and other tissues. His research has seen numerous patent filings, formation of an RCSI spin-out company and translation of technologies for bone and cartilage repair to the clinic. His spin-out company, TympanoColl, is developing a groundbreaking regenerative device to repair the eardrum.