SRI International, Stanford University School of Medicine establish MISTRAL Collaborative

Jun 30 2010

SRI International and the Stanford University School of Medicine announced today that they have established the MISTRAL (Multidisciplinary Initiative for Surgical Technology Research Advanced Laboratory) Collaborative, a program to accelerate the innovation of medical devices and bring them to market faster. A key objective of this program is the effective and safe transformation of innovative medical device ideas into products that will improve the quality and reduce the cost of healthcare in several key areas, such as pediatric medical products, trauma care, telemedicine, and endoscopy.

Research efforts will focus on underserved medical needs, particularly where market factors and regulatory concerns may prevent medical device companies from investing in high risk innovations. Projects already underway include improved surgical devices for newborns, enhanced surgical endoscopic tools with increased dexterity, and a viable alternative to sutures using robotic instruments.

MISTRAL is led by co-founders Pablo Garcia and Sanjeev Dutta, MD. Garcia also leads research in medical systems and medical product development, telemedicine and robotic surgery at SRI International. Dutta is a nationally recognized leader in minimal-access surgery and defined the area of stealth surgery, a "scarless" approach to pediatric operations. He is associate professor of surgery and of pediatrics at the Stanford University School of Medicine and attending surgeon at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford.

"There is a growing need for innovation in the medical device industry, especially for underserved groups such as newborns and children," said Dutta. "The MISTRAL Collaborative, through the broad clinical, engineering, and commercialization resources of our member institutions, hopes to catalyze breakthrough device development by performing the initial R&D, partnering with industry, and identifying paths to market for badly-needed pediatric medical devices."

"Through close collaboration with surgeons, engineers, and other key stakeholders, we hope to create a sustainable program that will improve patient care through innovative and cost effective technologies," said Pablo Garcia, an SRI principal engineer. "SRI's proven approach to technology innovation, biosciences research, and commercialization, combined with Stanford's renowned clinical care research, particularly through the strong emphasis on pediatric medical care at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford, will foster hands-on development of products addressing important market needs."

The MISTRAL Collaborative is organized in working groups comprised of technical staff from SRI, physicians and medical staff from Stanford and Packard Children's, consultants, and industry professionals brought together to address a specialty area. Interdisciplinary collaboration between engineers and surgeons will help develop needed devices and accelerate the bench-to-bedside translational process.

The business development function will play a key role in defining the market approach for each device and will create initial business plans during the early stages of development. Once a plan is defined, the team will explore opportunities for financial viability and support. The consortium will maintain an active network of venture capitalists and investors with a record and interest in medical devices. A key feature will be the formation of a Pediatric Device Fund, a venture-philanthropic approach to support the development of products that do not have sufficient market pull, but that would provide significant clinical benefits if brought to the market.

SOURCE SRI International