Two paediatric medical device innovators, Velano Vascular and REBIScan, were selected from eight finalists to each receive a US$50,000 award in a competition held by the Sheikh Zayed Institute for Paediatric Surgical Innovation at the Children's National Medical Centre in Washinton, DC, as part of its second annual symposium focused on paediatric surgical innovation.
"Currently, the development of paediatric surgical and medical devices lags significantly behind the development of adult devices," said Peter Kim, MD, CM, Ph.D., Vice President of the Sheikh Zayed Institute for Paediatric Surgical Innovation, adding, "The purpose of the symposium and competition is to focus attention and discussion on the challenges facing paediatric medical device development and how we can work together to meet these challenges for the benefit of children." Sharing their device for the first time in a public forum, the team from Velano Vascular, of Philadelphia and San Francisco, presented a novel innovation that enables safe, effective needle-free blood draws for hospitalised children. Eric M. Stone, company co-founder, recalled for the judges his own painful memories of childhood hospitalisation and the psychological impact of seemingly endless use of needles.
Reflecting on the result, he said, "The competition's esteemed judges and the calibre of fellow presenters makes winning this prize even more validating as we make this technology a reality for our children." Award-winner REBIScan, of Cambridge, Mass., presented a handheld vision scanner for the eradication of amblyopia ("lazy eye"). "Each year, over one million children worldwide lose their vision because of the lack of early detection from eye conditions such as amblyopia," said presenter Justin G. Shaka, CEO and co-founder.
"This prize has a deep impact because it will enable us to transition from the regulatory phase into manufacturing so that we can get our device into the hands of clinicians." A total of 56 submissions from five countries were received for the competition. The finalists each made five-minute presentations to the symposium audience and then responded to judges' questions.
With the second annual symposium, the Sheikh Zayed Institute for Paediatric Surgical Innovation brought together key leaders from the National Institutes of Health, the Food and Drug Administration, medical device industry, law firms, paediatric societies and advocacy groups, along with scientists, engineers, clinicians and policy makers.
The symposium's keynote address was delivered by Margaret A. Hamburg, MD, commissioner of the FDA who described the Sheikh Zayed Institute and Children's National as "a model to emulate" in recognising that, in addition to bringing together a critical mass of talented experts, significant healthcare advances require creative connections with patients and families, clinical, academic, government and corporate partners in Washington, the nation and the world.
The event drew more than 220 attendees and was held at The Newseum in Washington, D.C. The programme also included panel discussions on the clinical and regulatory pathways for paediatric devices, lessons to be learned from paediatric drug development, growth capital for paediatric innovation and coverage reimbursement from the payer's perspective.
"For many of the United Arab Emirates delegations visiting the United States, the highlight of their visit is the tour of the Sheikh Zayed Campus and the Sheikh Zayed Institute at Children's National. It is inspiring to see new ideas come to life in the laboratory space and to know that new solutions will quickly reach patients in need. The advances the physicians, scientists and researchers are making benefit children right here in DC, across this country, and around the globe – including children in the United Arab Emirates. For that, we are grateful," said Saeed Almheiri, Counsellor, Head of Consular Section, Embassy of the United Arab Emirates, Washington, DC.
"Through this symposium, the Sheikh Zayed Institute is fostering concrete, achievable action to improve the health of children," said Kurt Newman, MD, president and CEO of Children's National Medical Centre.
"Their metabolism and overall response to biologics, medical devices and surgical procedures differs from adults, making it essential to find efficient and effective ways to develop regulated and well-researched devices and therapies tailored to their needs." Founded in 2010 through a US$150 million gift from the government of Abu Dhabi, the mission of the Sheikh Zayed Institute for Paediatric Surgical Innovation is to make paediatric surgery more precise, less invasive and pain free.
The institute is comprised of multi-disciplinary teams that apply rigorous process management from conception to marketed product through creative partnerships in academia and industry.