Minimal-invasive and image-guided radiation therapy products - How important is affordable and intuitive as value proposition?

International Conference on Nuclear Medicine & Radiation Therapy

July 14-15, 2016 Cologne, Germany

Michael Friebe

Otto-von-Guericke-University, Germany

Scientific Tracks Abstracts: J Nucl Med Radiat Ther

Abstract :

Innovative university based medical technology product development is largely dependent on the availability of external research funding from industry or public/private non-profit institutions. Research by definition is highly speculative and comes with a great risk of failure, which makes it largely unattractive for industry. Government and other non-profit funding agencies require that uncertainty and the reviewers of the programs also like to see a high-tech component and a great amount of scientific complexity. So, there is a clear focus on expensive complexity in current research funding. Especially in the medical technology segment there is a need for innovative tools and devices however, that also enable new minimal invasive radiation therapy therapies. Medical doctors as the users of that technology do appreciate easy to use devices with a low error margin as the final use of the product is on a sensitive living patient. Additionally, the healthcare system has yearly decreasing funds available, developing countries cannot afford the systems made for the developed world, and complexity also requires dedicated support and application staff. The talk will highlight some of the attributes and value propositions that to be developed medical technology devices should have. These may not always be considered scientifically �cool� from a funding perspective, but that are faster applicable, and more widely useable than the complex and expensive high-tech devices that are often proposed. These features could open new market segments and increase the speed acceptance of new therapies.

Biography :

Michael Friebe has been involved in diagnostic imaging and image guided therapeutic products and services, as founder /innovator / CEO investor and scientist. He is currently a Board Member of two startup R&D companies, as well as investment partner of a medical technology startup-fund. He is an affiliated Professor with the chair for Computer Aided Medical Procedures (CAMP) at TU München and full professor of Image Guided Therapies at the Otto-von-Guericke-University in Magdeburg, Germany. He is listed inventor of more than 60 patent applications and the author of numerous papers.

Email: friebe@in.tum.de