JAN. 29, 2010

Stanford partners with Singapore to nurture next generation of Asian leaders in medical device innovation

BY TRACIE WHITE

The Stanford University Biodesign Program is partnering with the Agency for Science, Technology & Research, or A*STAR, and the Singapore Economic Development Board to establish a new training program called Singapore-Stanford Biodesign. This program seeks to train the next generation of Asian leaders who can develop innovative medical devices to address Asia’s growing healthcare needs.

“Stanford welcomes the opportunity to collaborate with scientists from Singapore in an effort to provide solutions to some of the biggest challenges in health care and medicine,” said Stanford University President John Hennessy, PhD, who was in Singapore today for the official launch of the program. “Through this partnership, we aim to foster innovations in medical technology in Singapore and Silicon Valley that will capitalize on the expertise that Stanford has pioneered in biodesign.”

The Singapore program will provide a fellowship for four Asian fellows to come to Stanford for six months of training in the biodesign process. These four fellows will come from different disciplines (engineering, medicine, business) that represent key segments of Stanford’s biodesign process to invent, develop and commercialize innovative medical devices. The fellows will then spend the remaining six months in Singapore where they will obtain firsthand experience determining medical needs in hospitals and clinics. They will subsequently develop solutions to address these clinical needs through new medical device technologies and bring concepts to the prototype or proof-of-concept stage.

“We are excited to enter this partnership with Stanford,” said Lim Chuan Poh, chairman of A*STAR. “I am confident that the opportunities presented for cross-cultural exposure and learning will do much to nurture the next generation of medtech leaders and innovators for Asia. By fostering multidisciplinary collaborations among the engineering, clinical, scientific and entrepreneurial communities, we are opening up the space for knowledge creation and innovation to further develop and raise the capabilities and talent in the medtech sector.”

“Singapore recognizes the industry’s need to train and develop multidisciplinary teams who can translate novel ideas into viable health-care solutions,” said Beh Swan Gin, MD, managing director of the Singapore Economic Development Board.” We are delighted to be collaborating with Stanford University and A*STAR to address this demand and nurture talent who will become well acquainted with the medtech innovation process, while being attuned to Asian clinical needs.”

Medical technology constitutes a key part of Singapore’s biomedical sciences sector, which comprises about 4 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product. About 600 researchers in 30 global medtech companies are helping to put Singapore at the forefront of advances in medtech innovation, as they seek to develop new products to address health-care needs in Asia and beyond.

“Singapore has a very mature high-tech manufacturing base and leads the region in medical research,” said Chris Shen, MD, the U.S.-based executive director of Singapore-Stanford Biodesign as well as a Stanford-trained physician and venture capitalist. “What we will offer at Singapore-Stanford Biodesign is a proven methodology in innovation that starts with identifying unmet clinical needs and leads to potential therapies through the application of technology. We firmly believe innovation is a trainable process.”

Singapore-Stanford Biodesign plans to launch a second part of the new program, which will bring Stanford graduate students to study for one quarter in Singapore in partnership with the National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University.

“We need to train our students in what it means to consider the Asian market,” said Christine Kurihara, the U.S.-based associate director of Singapore-Stanford Biodesign. “You can’t only look at the U.S. now.”

The transfer program will provide a broader education for students in terms of global regulatory policies, intellectual properties and an understanding of the economic drivers of medical technology innovations.

“Singapore will benefit from the 10 years of experience we have in training young engineers and physicians in the biodesign process — most importantly, by our direct mentoring of some of their most talented young innovators,” said Paul Yock, MD, director of Stanford’s Biodesign Program. “Stanford will gain a highly effective portal to the Asian medical technology scene. Emerging medtech innovators in the U.S. need to develop a global focus and expertise. Singapore is a terrific starting point for us in Asia.”

Stanford University Medical Center integrates research, medical education and patient care at its three institutions - Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford Hospital & Clinics and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital. For more information, please visit the Office of Communication & Public Affairs site at http://mednews.stanford.edu/.