Keynote Lecture: Innovation Process and Universities

Evolving concepts in Innovation and Academic Technology Transfer in the Vitreoretinal World: Lessons learned in Silicon Valley
Referent: Mark Blumenkranz (Stanford)
von Graefe Saal 11:30 – 12:00 26.09.2014

In biomedical innovation, every great advance starts and ends with the patient and an unmet need. In his keynote lecture, Professor Mark S. Blumenkranz will present a few general principles regarding innovation as well as some of the specific opportunities and also risks associated with the innovation process occurring within universities as distinct from other engines of other technological change such as industry and government. These include the concept that innovation is related to creativity, rather a systematic search for solutions and requires discipline. There are numerous obstacles to the diffusion of new technology including convention, fear and cost. On medical campuses, these issues are even larger because they involve the protection of patients’ rights.

Mark S. Blumenkranz, M.D., MMS, is HJ Smead Professor and Chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology at Stanford University. Dr. Blumenkranz was an early innovator in vitrectomy techniques to treat complex forms of retinal detachment. He was a member of the groups that first reported the herpetic etiology and successful acyclovir treatment of acute retinal necrosis, the use of bio-erodable polymers to deliver intraocular steroids for macular edema and published the first human safety study of ranibizumab (Lucentis).He has published more than one hundred and forty five papers in peer-reviewed journals and multiple book chapters, abstracts and patents in the field. Dr Blumenkranz has a longstanding interest and expertise in university corporate technology transfer and early stage biomedical company development having either founded or served on the Boards of Directors of a number of successful medical drug and device companies. He has been a Director of OIS, Midlabs and Oculex Pharmaceuticals.