A Medical Device Daily

The Cleveland Clinic (Cleveland), in partnership with ASM International (American Society of Materials; Materials Park, Ohio), and the Nano-Network (also Cleveland) will host the Materials, Medicine, and Nanotechnology Summit as part of Nano-Week 2006, a five-day exploration of how nanotechnology is changing the world.

The anchor event will be held Oct. 2-5 at the InterContinental Hotel and MBNA Conference Center in Cleveland and will focus on nanotechnology advancements in materials and medicine. The event is comprised of the biennial Cleveland Clinic NanoMedicine Summit and ASM's annual Materials & Processes for Medical Devices (MPMD) Conference and Exposition.

“Holding our two successful and respected events as a blended event has resulted in a more comprehensive technical program,” said Shuvo Roy, PhD, co-director of the Clinic's BioMEMS Laboratory. “Materials, Medicine, and Nanotechnology” has evolved into a multidisciplinary scientific, applied research and networking summit for nanotechnology and MEMS researchers, biomechanical and materials scientists and engineers, surgeons and clinicians.”

The summit will feature what the clinic bills as “a world-class lineup of medical device engineers, nanotechnology researchers, and the leading medical practitioners in the fields of cardiology, neurology, oncology, and orthopedics.”

On Oct. 2, ASM will offer materials and process-related training courses for engineers and physicians who work with medical devices, with CME accreditation.

The following day will offer the first blended technical programming from the clinic and ASM, covering materials-related challenges and opportunities in medicine, from traditional materials to next generation and nanomaterials.

On Oct. 4 and 5 the summit will explore strategies for translating recent advances in nanotechnology research into clinical practice and biomedical investigation. A focus on clinical BioMEMS and nanotechnology will drive the presentations.

Exhibits will feature advances in materials and processes for medical devices, from the standpoint of both manufacturers and suppliers.

Stan Theobald, ASM managing director, said, “Clinicians will be exposed to materials and related issues, while materials producers and medical device manufacturers can begin to understand the materials and process challenges faced in medicine. Most important, all of us will share a vision of what the future holds for medicine, as achieved through advances in MEMS and nanotechnology.”

Since 2004, Cleveland's Nano-Network has sponsored Nano-Week, a week-long celebration of how nanotechnology is transforming medicine, materials and manufacturing.

The Nano-Network was formed by scientists, entrepreneurs and financiers to improve and expand nanotechnology research and commercialization activities and capacities in Northeast Ohio and throughout the nation.

“The Cleveland Clinic's Nano-Medicine Summit was the anchor event for Nano-Week 2004. Blending it with the ASM Materials and Processes for Medical Devices event certainly makes it the premier nanotechnology conference for medical applications worldwide,” said Chris Mather, executive director of the Nano-Network.