Scientists will be converging in Dublin later this month for an international medical device conference called BioInterface at University College Dublin (UCD) to explore topics such as biomaterials, wound healing and drug-delivery systems.
The conference for the US-based Surfaces in Biomaterials Foundation has been held annually since 1990 and this will be the first time that the conference is held outside of the US.
It is anticipated that more than 200 people will attend the conference, including academic and industry speakers from around the globe.
The aim of the three-day event will be to get representatives from industrial, academic, clinical and regulatory spheres together to discuss recent advances in biomaterials research and innovation that can improve the performance of medical devices.
Topics up for discussion will include plasma medicine, the surface modification of devices, biomaterials, wound healing, drug-delivery systems and regulatory issues.
Dan Hook from Bausch & Lomb and president of the Surfaces in Biomaterials Foundation, said Ireland was chosen to host the conference as a result of the large concentration of medical device companies in the country.
“Ireland, for example, boasts the highest per capita medical-technology personnel in Europe with nine of the top 10 global companies having manufacturing plants in Ireland,” said Hook.
Representatives from companies such as DePuy, Medtronic, EnBio, Bausch & Lomb SurModics, BASF and Boston Scientific will be attending or presenting at the conference.
In the academic space, researchers from universities such as University of Utah, University of Sydney, Utrecht University, University of Washington, University of Liverpool, Nanyang Technological University along with researchers from UCD, University College Cork and NUI Galway will be presenting their latest findings.
During the conference, the Excellence in Surface Science Award will be presented to either a researcher for having made significant contributions to surface science at the biointerface or to an entrepreneur for his or her practical application of surface science in the development of medical devices.
In addition, a student award will be presented to recognise excellence in student research.
The BioInterface conference will take place in the O’Reilly Hall at UCD from 23-25 October.
Health tech image via Shutterstock
Siliconrepublic.com is hosting Med Tech Focus, an initiative which over coming months will cover news, reports, interviews and videos documenting Ireland’s leading role in one of the hottest sectors in technology.
