OK, so it’s not the NEJM but who can resist a list? USA Today is celebrating its 25th anniversary and, to mark this milestone, it will be releasing 25 lists, one each week. The 17th list issued focuses on the top 25 medical developments since 1982. AIDS, the decline in cigarette smoking and the ‘obesity epidemic’ make the top three.
For more, see:
“Big dose of medical change”
The new age of ignorance
Are we living in a profound science culture or have these ideas not trickled down, and, if anything, does scientific thought seem to be on the retreat? Is the old divide between arts and sciences deeper than ever?
Read this fantastic article in The Guardian: “The new age of ignorance”
Then check out how a celebrity panel fared when asked some basic scientific questions.
On the same theme, Easternblot posted about The Scream, Toronto’s yearly literary festival (July 3-9). This year, their theme was “Science and Poetry� and was moderated by science writer Clive Thompson. Lisa Betts, a postdoc in the neuorscience of vision at York University, suggested at least one way that creativity can help the sciences: “poetry can make scientists think about different ways to communicate an idea.�
Read more on this topic:
BCE Place: one of the reasons why Toronto
is considered “Fast”. photo by Michael Clesle
According to latest issue of the business and technology magazine Fast Company, “fast” cities are defined by their opportunity, their innovation and their energy. They’re incubators for a culture that values engagement and entrepreneurship, generates and enables technology, and attracts and retains creative citizens.
Throw these criteria into a blender and out comes the magazine’s 2007 “Fast Cityâ€? list: 30 cities scattered across the globe, including Toronto. Yep, good ol’ Hogtown is listed as a “Global Village,â€? along with Johannesburg, South Africa and Berlin, Germany.
So why Toronto? Start with a mosaic population that encompasses over 100 nationalities, with 44% of inhabitants foreign-born. Then mix in an active cultural community anchored by 29 (!) film festivals and a skyline dotted by works by I.M. Pei, Frank Gehry, Daniel Liebskind and Santiago Calatrava (my personal fave — check out the shot of his stunning atrium at BCE Place). Read the rest of this entry »
The July/August issue of the online Ivey Business Journal includes an article on the importance of ‘purpose’ in the innovation process. The author argues that an “innovator’s purpose drives innovators to see beyond current convention, counters the natural risk aversion that large companies have to innovation, and mobilizes employees to accomplish their goal.â€? Move over innovator’s dilemma…
Read the article:
“Using Purpose to Drive Innovation”
Stem cell Scientific American by Abraxa3d
Last month, it was reported that scientists have discovered a new stem cell type which may be the missing link between animal and human stem cells.
Called “epiblast stem cells,” these stem cells resemble human embryonic stem cells on a more molecular level than mouse embryonic stem cells. Considering that they are taken from a mouse embryo at a later stage of development, this is a significant finding. Usually embryonic cells are taken during the blastocyst stage, four days after conception, but these cells were taken during the epiblast stage, sever days after conception, when they are capable of implantation.
Since many countries, including the US, ban federal funding for human embryonic stem cell research due to ethical considerations, these epiblast stem cells offer a great alternative to using human cells while still holding the promise of differentiating into all cell types. This discovery will accelerate the development of treatments and cures for all types of conditions from diabetes to Alzheimer’s. Read the rest of this entry »
Innovation requires questions.
Photo by stringberd
Complacency can mean death for a company in today’s aggressive marketplace. Companies cannot accept a design or a process “because that is the way it’s always beenâ€?. It is no mystery that technology and innovation are Canada’s ticket to prolonged prosperity, but all too often, Canadian businesses often have difficulty in transforming their culture into one that fosters innovation. Often it is because management doesn’t know where to start.
A simple suggestion: begin by asking “why-sâ€? questions. WHY does our company manufacture products the way we do? WHY is our design the way it is? WHY do we use the materials we do? WHY do we use the processes that we do? WHY is our plant organized the way it is? WHY do our clients buy our product/service? Read the rest of this entry »
The Value Captor’s Process
We all know about the high failure rate for new business ventures. This article from the Harvard Business Review explains that the reason for it has to do with how we assess and manage these ventures: that we tend to either take them as-is or leave them. Instead, they say that a range of alternatives could be considered:
Ontario Institute for Cancer Research
Published this week in Nature Genetics, a global team of scientists led by MaRS tenant the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research as well as Cancer Care Ontario reported that they found the first genetic predictor for colorectal cancer, the second leading cause of cancer in Canada. This is good news especially for those living in Ontario, which has one of the highest incidences for colorectal cancer in the world. Read the rest of this entry »
ITWorldCanada has just released its list of the top network inventors of all time. For a look at the folks behind the Ethernet, routing and SMTP, see:
The marketing bridge: in disrepair when
it comes to Medtech. Photo by timsamoff
The MaRS Venture Group works with technology companies from different sectors: biotech, devices, software, energy etc. Our portfolio is approximately 50% health care, 30% ICT and 20% advanced materials and energy. One common thread among the diverse needs of MaRS’ clients is the requirement to develop an effective go-to-market strategy for their innovative products.
I often muse at the striking difference in the development pace between Medtech and other technology sectors. Obviously, to create a new medical product, an innovator needs to generate a lot of data demonstrating safety and efficacy. As a result most start-up teams doggedly focus on generating data demonstrating superiority over an established product. Read the rest of this entry »
Veronika Litinski coordinates the MaRS venture services programs delivered to entrepreneurs, investors and high-growth companies. She also provides advisory services to entrepreneurs and high growth companies, with a special focus on life sciences markets, specializing in corporate finance and business development.
