Tag Archives: commercialization

Natural technology evolution vs. failed innovation

I loved David Rotman’s recent Technology Review article “Shoveling Water” on why the commercialization of microfluidics has been so slow. (I wrote about it here.) Later I realized it reminded me of an article I read earlier this year by Michael Mandel of Business Week on “The Failed Promise of Innovation in the US.”  [...]
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Technology Review investigates the slow process of microfluidics commercialization

Today Technology Review came out with a great article speculating why the commercialization of microfluidics has been so slow. In “Shoveling Water: Why does it take so long to commercialize new technologies?” David Rotman uses Fluidigm as a case study and adds a twist by applying ideas from W. Brian Arthur’s The Nature of Technology, [...]
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Dec 1st CIMIT Forum: Life Science Innovation

I’ve posted about the CIMIT forum before — it’s a terrific series of talks on the integration of technology and medicine.  This week there’s an especially cool program on investing in life science innovation, including speakers Juan Enriquez of Excel Medical Ventures and Biotechonomy and Luis Barros of the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center. In [...]
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Global microfluidics map

I’ve continued adding to the list of microfluidics/lab-on-a-chip companies and wanted to get a sense of where these efforts are located (similar to the Nanotechnology Map). To do this, I’ve created a Google Map to help visualize commercial microfluidics activity worldwide:
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Listing of microfluidics and lab-on-a-chip companies

To get a better handle on what’s happening in commercial microfluidics / lab-on-a-chip / BioMEMS, I’ve started putting together a list of companies worldwide specializing in those areas. Sometimes the definition of lab-on-a-chip can be fuzzy; some companies also work on nanotech and not just micro, some companies are working on medical sensors but not [...]
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Why the boom in cancer nanotechnology?

In the last decade, a ton of work has been done in cancer nanotechnology, with over 2500 articles published since the 80s, entire conferences devoted to the topic, and products already launched, such as the nanoparticle paclitaxel drug Abraxane. Of the 74 nanoparticle clinical trials currently on record in the US, 65 of them are [...]
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Microfluidics standardization: when will devices talk to each other?

Prototype microfluidics are costly, time-consuming to build, and difficult to use It can take a lot of time to design, build, and test a custom microfluidic device from scratch. Not only does the chip itself need to be created, but packaging, controllers, pumps, and optical detection systems must often be incorporated to run the device. Unlike [...]
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Recent clinical trials on microneedle drug delivery

Microneedles have been in development since the late 80s, but only recently have they begun appearing in clinical trials. Microneedles are micron-scaled needles that are so small, they are able to painlessly penetrate the skin. Current microneedle designs look like miniaturized beds of nails, fabricated from stainless steel, titanium, and even plastic. Although recent clinical [...]
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Microfluidics and the hunt for the killer app

In microfluidics, the search for a killer app has been on since the early 90s. Although some microfluidic products have successfully appeared on the market (e.g. inkjet printheads), microfluidics hasn’t taken the world by storm as fast as people thought it might. Over the years, leaders in the field have speculated about a potential killer [...]
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How commercializable is microfluidics research?

In grad school I often secretly wondered about the commercial potential of our microfluidics research. I’ve touched on this issue before, and Derek Lowe recently discussed what makes a technology useful in lab (many microfluidic devices are platform technologies designed for use in lab). In the June 21st issue of Lab on a Chip, Holger [...]
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