Posted: May 19, 2008

Conference: 21st Century Medicine - Breakthroughs and Challenges

(Nanowerk News) Some of the most exciting research in the world is being undertaken in the field of medicine. Many challenges exist in identifying disease at the earliest possible stage and preventing and treating cancer, congenital, degenerative and infectious diseases and increasingly, lifestyle induced diseases such as diabetes. Even greater challenges exist in bringing affordable, safe medicines to a wide population, and in enabling the elderly to remain active and maintain their faculties for as long as possible.
Soaring drug development costs, complex patent regime management programmes and competition from generic manufacturers are redefining the shape of the medical industry. While emerging markets provides tremendous opportunities for revenue growth, it also brings huge challenges as companies involved have to deal with different Governmental rules, intellectual property laws, procurement and licensing laws, and regional disparities in addition to the competition from domestic players.
The conference, ‘21st Century Medicine – Breakthroughs and Challenges’ organised by Institute of Nanotechnology, a global leader in nanotechnology information services and MANCEF, a leader in commercialising emerging technologies looks at the current and future breakthroughs as well as the challenges they will provide to practitioners, companies, investors and Governments in the near future.  
Innovations in nanotechnology are already enhancing the value of existing products and the availability of visualisation, measurement, fabrication and simulation tools has enabled scientists to better understand biological systems and their behaviours. Armed with this information, scientists are developing novel devices and new structures which are finding applications in diagnostics, medical devices, tissue engineering as well as drug design, discovery and delivery. Advanced knowledge in DNA manipulation and developments in array technology, combined with increased simulation capabilities, are also creating opportunities for new alternative methods to animal testing. 
International experts who will be presenting the latest innovations and discussing the greatest medical challenges on the 26-27 November 2008 at The Royal Institute of British Architects, London includes:
Dr. Mostafa Analoui, Senior Director, Pfizer; Prof. Dame Julia Polak, Director, Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine Centre, Imperial College London; Prof. Anja Boisen, Winner of The Villum Kann Rasmussen Annual Award for Technical and Scientific Research 2008, Technical University of Denmark; Prof. Andreas Jordan, Founder, Magforce Nanotechnologies; Dr. Stephen Willard, CEO, Flammel Technologies; Dr. Vladimir Kozharnovich, Programme Manager, Investment and Technology Promotion unit, UNIDO; Prof. Jöns Hilborn, President-Tissue Engineering International and Regenerative Medicine Society; Dr. David Farrar, Technology Manager, Biomaterials, Smith & Nephew; Dr. Robert Mehalso, President of Microtec Associates and Dr. Franklin Schuling, Sector Head, Molecular & Nuclear Medicine, Philips Research.
Further details are available at: http://nano.org.uk/conferences/nanomed2008/overview.htm  or alternatively contact Carrie Smith at [email protected], +44 (0)141 303 8444.
Source: Institute of Nanotechnology