Bringing innovative companies and products under MEDICA's powerful international spotlight
At MEDICA 2008 - the world's biggest medical trade fair - Life Science Austria (LISA) placed 16 companies and institutions firmly under the international spotlight. At the Austrian stand visitors examined their impressive range of innovations, which included medical implants and instruments, neurological rehabilitation equipment, video communications systems for healthcare, such as e-health systems using NFC and other innovative IT solutions, bio-safety and clean-room technology, mechatronics and precision engineering. Along with these were inspiring presentations of research projects carried out at the Medical University Graz
Product innovations in neurological rehabilitation and traumatology
tyromotion GmbH presented a truly sensational and innovative neurological rehabilitation device, named PABLO. Developed with the help of top physicians and therapists, the device measures hand and arm functioning and has an additional sensor system to provide interactive training programmes.
PABLO is simply plugged in to the USB interface on a patient’s PC or laptop and then the tailor-made software provides the appropriate therapy.
The core competence of tyromotion GmbH and its extensive network is in its combination of mechanics, electronics and software, which promises all-in-one product development in medical technology.
www.tyromotion.com
A full service provider in traumatology, I.T.S. GmbH, specialises in medical implants and instruments made of titanium. The firm’s research and development department has worked with Austrian doctors to make existing plates even more advanced and user-friendly, so that patients can particularly benefit from the reduced intervention times.
A good example is the new, narrower I.T.S. plate for the head of the humerus, which ensures a surgeon’s intervention can be minimally invasive. This reduces operating times, which saves costs and benefits patients, because they can return to their normal way of life more quickly.
www.its-implant.com
IT-solutions and tele-monitoring
Other Austrian companies focus on hospital equipment and IT-solutions. For example, the Graz-based e-nnovation team focuses on the development, introduction and integration of highly innovative, comprehensive IT solutions for healthcare industry and its service providers, together with complex e-government applications and their integration with local authorities and existing healthcare structures. At Medica 2008, the company’s presentation focused on the development of mobile solutions based on the Apple iPhone as an all-in-one end device for doctors and healthcare staff, and on the introduction of RFID components in the healthcare industry. There was a live demonstration of a support application for logistical and clinical processes in healthcare based on intelligent RFID systems.
www.e-nnovation.at
By using the Near Field Communication (NFC) standard eHealth systems provide an out-of-the-box solution for easy-to-use and wireless home-, health- and tele-monitoring applications. The eHealth systems research unit is part of the Biomedical Engineering division of the Austrian Research Centres GmbH – ARC, developing and evaluating IT-solutions and services, for example to facilitate personalised therapy management of chronic diseases such as diabetes mellitus, heart failure, hypertension, obesity and others.
www.arcsmed.at
Life Science Austria (LISA) is a focal programme acting as a centre for people from all over the world who are interested in the life sciences in Austria. With its associates in the Austrian regions, ecoplus/Technopols Lower Austria, Human Technology Styria, the LISA Vienna Region, the Tyrolean Future Foundation and the Upper Austrian Technology & Marketing Company TMG including the Health Cluster, LISA is the first point of contact in Austria for anyone with questions about scientific collaboration, setting up an operation, or funding and sponsoring projects and businesses in this country.
Austria Wirtschaftsservice GesmbH (aws) is responsible for running the programme for the Austrian Federal Ministry of Economics and Labour. LISA forms the gateway to the Austrian life sciences scene – lively and creative, and with enormous potential for innovation.
LISA – Life Science Austria
Ungargasse 37, 1030 Vienna
E-mail: lisa@awsg.at www.lifescienceaustria.at
20.12.2008
