Since it was established 11 years ago, the Stanford Biodesign Innovation Program has led to more than 200 patents and 24 start-up companies, including Spiracur, the company behind the SNaP Wound Care System (featured in the January issue of Medical Design Briefs). This intensive one-year program helps educate and guide doctors, engineers, and students to identify a medical need, develop an invention to address that need, navigate the hurdles of the regulatory process, and create a business plan that can be presented to venture capitalists for funding.
Perhaps as a follow-up to its "Blueprint to Drive Biomedical Innovation," released last October , the FDA is now collaborating with the folks behind Stanford's Biodesign Innovation program. According to Stanford School of Medicine's Scope blog , the plan is to "collaborate on a number of initiatives, including educational outreach, cross-training of scientific personnel, and the development of new biostatistical methods for more accurately evaluating the safety of emerging medical technologies."
