THE INTERVIEW
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Professor Dr Jörg Vienken is Vice President BioSciences, Department of International Marketing and Medicine, Fresenius Medical Care |
Q If I wasn’t talking to you right now, what would you be doing?
A I am currently preparing contracts and working permissions for two post doctorate students, who will participate in Fresenius Medical Care’s international exchange programme for young scientists, called nephrocore. This programme is now in its eighth year and has already involved 15 young scientists from 11 countries. Students stay for a one-year sabbatical that allows them to actively work on problems and questions concerning materials and therapies used by the medical device industry.
Q How did you get into the industry?
A After having received a diploma in Chemical Engineering and a doctoral degree in Biophysics, I wanted to continue my career in an area that combined both disciplines. I applied for a position at ENKA, a company producing membranes for blood purification. Since then, medical devices have absorbed my curiosity and interest.
Q What is the best thing about your work?
A Working on medical devices requires activities involving most of the scientific disciplines as well as managerial skills. This permanent challenge is further fostered by the new megatrend: health care in which patient needs have to be inline with modern materials and efficient therapies.
Q What do you think is the most important medical device invention ever?
A I believe that the development of artificial organs is one of the most important inventions in recent years. Currently, approximately 1.4 million people owe their lives to an artificial kidney. Artificial support systems for the heart and the liver further contribute to successful patient recoveries. The critical need for artificial organs is evident from a look at the web page of the US United Network for Organ Sharing (www.unos.org). Here, 100 000 patients are listed as waiting for organ transplantations. This demand is not being met by an adequate number of organ donors. Regenerative medicine may improve the situation by contributing to the development of functionalised biomaterials, updated cell culture techniques and a deeper understanding of physiological mechanisms. Medical device technology can be considered to be still at its dawn.
Q What should people give attention to?
A Materials and devices should be tested as close as possible to clinical application and reflect the individual pathological situation of a patient.
Q What is the most exciting development on the horizon?
A I am really impressed by the development of modern neuro-prostheses. Mobilising paralysed limbs through electrostimulation or moving a cursor on a computer screen simply by thoughts are developments that may offer help to many handicapped people. This interdisciplinary field of medical device technology, which comprises material science, nanotechnology and human physiology, is an enormous challenge for an engineer.
Q What do you want from your suppliers?A I prefer suppliers who work in partnership, that is, not only as pure suppliers, but also as partners in activities and efforts on quality management, approval procedures and development of innovative therapy concepts for the ever ageing population.
Professor Dr Jörg Vienken is Vice President BioSciences, Department of International Marketing and Medicine, Fresenius Medical Care, Else Kroenerstrasse 1, D-61342 Bad Homburg, Germany, tel. +49 6172 609 2463, e-mail: joerg.vienken@fmc-ag.com, www.fmc-ag.com.
