This Biomedical and Life Sciences Innovation Showcase is co-hosted by Trinity College Dublin and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland to promote examples of the next wave of Biomedical and Life Sciences research being undertaken within both institutions and profile examples of and opportunities for Knowledge Transfer and Industry collaboration.

Trinity and RCSI are consortium partners under Enterprise Ireland's Technology Transfer Strengthening Initiative Phase 2 (TTSI2), a programme which combines the efforts of both partners in presenting a cohesive opportunity for industry to engage with researchers, clinicians and resources in both institutions.

Agenda

08:30 - Registration & Tea/Coffee

09:00 - Welcome

09:15 - Knowledge Transfer Case Studies:

• From lab bench to a CE Marked Medical Device - Dr. John Gleeson, CEO SurgaColl SurgaColl Technologies is a venture capital-backed EI High Potential Start Up Company spun out of RCSI to commercialise a portfolio of implantable orthopeadic products. In November 2015, the company’s lead product HydroxyColl received CE Mark market approval which marked the culmination of over a decade of world class tissue regeneration research in Ireland funded by SFI, HRB and EI. John’s talk will focus on sharing his learning of this journey.
• Using the INCA device to access new market opportunities: Vitalograph – Mr. Frank Keane, General Manager The INCA device addressed the significant issue of patient non-compliance with prescribed medication. Under the leadership of Professor Richard Costello (RCSI) and Professor Richard Reilly (TCD), a team of clinicians and engineers at RCSI and TCD have been working together for more than 10 years to develop technical solutions to enable better healthcare outcomes for patients suffering from respiratory illness such as asthma and COPD. The associated IP was licenced to Vitalograph in 2011. Vitalograph have obtained a CE mark for the INCA technology and commercialization of the device is underway. Frank’s talk will outline some of the opportunities and challenges associated with engaging with academic institutions to access new technology.
• Collaborating through campus company foundation to exit and onwards: Genable – Prof. Jane Farrar, Co-founder and CSO Prof. Jane Farrar, a leading researcher in treating blindness, will highlight the value in academic-commercial collaborations towards developing novel therapeutics. Through leading a research group at Trinity School of Genetics, Prof. Farrar is a co-founder of Trinity spin-out Genable Therapeutics which was acquired by Spark Therapeutics for €16M in 2016. Prof. Farrar is now leading a major a collaborative research programme involving Trinity and Spark towards developing novel gene therapies for inherited retinal diseases. This talk will focus on the mutual benefits of academic industry relationships.

10:00 - Industry Engagement at Trinity & RCSI:

• Dr. Chris Keely (Senior Business Development Manager, TCD) and Dr. Seamus Browne (Industry Liaison Manger, RCSI) Dr. Chris Keely (Senior Business Development Manager, TCD) and Dr. Seamus Browne (Industry Liaison Manger, RCSI) will describe the benefits to Industry of engaging with Trinity and RCSI, the funding mechanisms available to support this engagement and how the TCD:RCSI Knowledge Transfer Consortium has streamlined industry engagements involving both Institutions.

10:15 - Next Wave Technologies in Biomedical / Life Sciences Research

• Immunology-based therapeutics - Prof. Kingston Mills, Trinity Prof. Kingston Mills is a leading expert in immunology, in particular the interface between the innate and adaptive immune systems and its role in protecting against infection and cancer, and when uncontrolled, how immune responses can cause chronic inflammatory diseases. The world class research is focusing on the development of new or improved vaccines against infectious diseases, active immunotherapeutics against cancer and anti-inflammatory therapeutics against autoimmune diseases. Kingston’s talk will explore the current status of immunotherapeutics in the pharmaceutical and biotech industry, unmet medical needs, challenges within the field and future horizons.

• How a longitudinal study can change the research landscape - Prof. Rose Anne Kenny, Professor of Medical Gerontology, Trinity College Dublin. Rose Anne is the founding Principal Investigator of The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (www.tilda.ie), where she leads a team of multidisciplinary researchers focusing on psychology, nursing, medicine, physiotherapy, economics, bio-engineering social sciences and health economics as aspects of the ageing process in Ireland. Rose Anne is also the Director of Trinity EngAGE - the Centre for Research in Ageing at Trinity College, Mercer's Institute for Successful Ageing (MISA) and the Falls and Blackout Unit at St. James's Hospital. Rose Anne will talk about an initiative to set up a National Ageing Partnership to deliver a holistic approach for ageing research, combining health, financial security and wellbeing in the brain, body and environment, supported by platforms for biomarkers, big data and enabling technologies to develop new systems, innovations, technologies and models of predictors for healthy and successful ageing.

• Next generation therapeutics and personalised care for Epilepsy - Prof. David Henshall, Professor of Molecular Physiology and Neuroscience RCSI Ireland has developed the world’s first electronic patient record populated with deep clinical phenotyping of epilepsy patients, providing a unique opportunity for innovative clinical trials and disease-monitoring devices. David’s talk will explore the potential to manage diseases such as epilepsy by delivering novel treatments that are informed by genome interrogation as well as medical devices that monitor response to treatment in real-time.

11:00 - Panel Discussion

11:30 – Intellectual Property and Collaborative Research Capabilities Showcase with Coffee/Networking

12:00 - Event Ends