Introduction by the Milica Popovic, Chair of IEEE WIE Montreal Chapter with observations on roles of women in engineering, followed by a technical presentation and discussion by Dr Emily Porter and Dr Adam Santorelli.

The development of medical technologies and the challenges posed by bringing these devices to market are of key interest for modern academic and commercial researchers. Up to 75% of all medtech start-ups fail in the first five years; for those that do succeed, the average cost of bringing a medical device to the market is in the region of $9 million. In such a challenging and competitive environment, successful medtech development must consider not just the technology, but also the validity and universality of the clinical need, the competitive and intellectual property landscape, the market size and reimbursement model, and the clinical burden of proof required to show safety and efficacy. 

Medical devices are increasingly investigated in the academic sector with the same rigor present in a commercial setting, thus ensuring that any technology developed has a realistic chance of moving from “research bench to patient bedside” and making a positive impact on patient care.  Within the context of an aging population and an exponential growth in healthcare costs, electromagnetic (EM) therapeutics and diagnostic technologies provide an attractive solution, since they are low cost, non-ionising, and largely non-invasive. Underpinning the development of these technologies is the need for good knowledge of the underlying electrical properties of human tissue. While the dielectric properties of biological tissue have been examined for decades, the majority of the studies have been very narrow in focus, and several studies have resulted in data that are in direct conflict with each other.

This talk will discuss the Translational Medical Device Lab (TMD-Lab) at NUI Galway, and its strategy to develop technologies that are both “close to patient and close to market”. The talk will also describe a large dielectric study of the animal and human tissue at NUI Galway, funded by the European Research Council. The talk will conclude with a brief description of a number of needs-driven medical devices in development at the TMD-Lab.

These technologies tackle a number of clinical conditions with large burdens of care (including Stroke and Breast cancer), and therefore have the potential to make very significant societal and economic impacts.

Prof. Milica Popović received her PhD at Norwestern University (EE, 2001). Since 2001, she has been with the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at McGill University, where she currently holds associate professorship. She teaches courses on electromagnetic fields, electrical measurements and antennas and propagation. Her research revolves, in large part, around biomedical applications of electromagnetic theory. In particular, she and her team are striving to develop a novel breast tissue monitor based on low-power microwave emissions. The goal of this exciting work is to provide an affordable, safe and comfortable tool, which can complement current technologies used for breast cancer detection. Prof. Popović’s other interests include: antenna design for wearable devices and microwave tissue properties and high-field MRI. Prof. Popović is a Fellow of the World Innovation Foundation, a Senior Member of the IEEE and a member of the Professional Engineers of Ontario.  Since January 2017, she is serving as the Chair of IEEE Women in Engineering (WIE), Montreal Chapter.

Dr. Emily Porter is a Marie-Curie ASSISTID Fellow at the National University of Ireland Galway. She received her B.Eng., M.Eng., and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from McGill University, Montreal, Canada, in 2009, 2010, and 2015 respectively. Since 2015, she has been a postdoctoral researcher with the Translational Medical Device Laboratory at the National University of Ireland Galway. Her current research interests include the measurement of dielectric properties of biological tissues and the development of novel technologies for therapeutic and diagnostic applications of electromagnetic waves. Dr. Porter is the recipient of several prestigious national and international awards, including the URSI Young Scientist Award, the IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society Doctoral Research Award, the Irish Research Council (IRC) “New Foundations” Grant, and the Royal Irish Academy (RIA) Charlemont Grant.

Dr. Adam Santorelli is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the National University of Ireland Galway. He completed his B.Eng., M.Eng., and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering in 2010, 2012, and 2017, respectively, at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. Adam’s research interests are focused on biomedical applications with the primary goal of increasing the accessibility to technology in order to improve diagnosis, including the optimization and miniaturization of off-the-shelf components to design and fabricate custom-built low-cost microwave systems. Adam has recently received a James M. Flaherty Scholarship from the Ireland-Canada University Foundation and a Best Student Paper Award at the IEEE Sensors Application Symposium.

Speaker(s): , , ,

Agenda:

13:30 – 14:00             Welcome and Introduction

Prof. Milica Popović

Chair of IEEE Women in Engineering Montreal Section

McGill University

14:00 – 15:00            Close to the Patient and Close to Market: Development of Medical Technologies at NUI Galway

Dr. Emily Porter (PhD McGill 2015) 

Dr. Adam Santorelli (PhD McGill 2017)

National University of Ireland, Galway

15:00 – 15:30             Discussion and Concluding Remarks

Refreshments will be served.

The event is free, but places are limited! Please register through the event!

Location:
Room: MD 267
Bldg: McDonald Engineering Building
817 Sherbrooke Str. West
Montreal, Quebec
H3A 0C3