Originally Published EMDM September 2002
MEDTEC IRELAND 2002
Conference to Address Tissue Engineering |
| A tissue-engineered scaffold that was developed by Abhay Pandit and his colleagues has found applications in burn units. |
MEDTEC Ireland visitors looking to catch up on developments in tissue engineering will benefit from a conference presentation titled "Tissue Engineering and Its Application to Cardiovascular Devices." The conference will be presented by Abhay Pandit, a statutory lecturer in biomedical engineering in the department of mechanical engineering at the National University of Ireland, Galway. Pandit—whose research focusses on biomimicry and the immobilization of biomolecules on patterned substrates—explains that his presentation will include an introduction to the principles of tissue engineering, as well as a discussion of the technology's applications in cardiovascular medicine. Pandit also plans to discuss activities in tissue engineering research in Ireland.
"There is a tremendous potential for the field of tissue engineering to offer dramatic improvements in medical care for millions of patients annually, and equally dramatic reductions in medical costs," says Pandit. "Organ transplants alone present many opportunities because of the significant shortage of donor organs. More than 10,000 people have died in the past five years while awaiting an organ transplant," he notes, adding that outcome studies indicate that the survival rates for organ transplants are poor despite high costs. "Tissue engineering research will provide technology platforms for building replacement organs that will potentially address this crisis in the future at much lower costs," he says.
According to Pandit, governmental support and a strong base of academic and research institutions have combined to make Ireland a successful location for the biomedical industry. "There's a good intellectual base here," he adds. Pandit, who plans to train students for an evolving research base in Ireland, says he is excited to attend MEDTEC Ireland for the first time. "I'm looking forward to interfacing with the medical device community and understanding its needs in the Irish context," he says.
Copyright ©2002 European Medical Device Manufacturer
