Medical technology meets plastics innovation during Massachusetts Medtech Week

Massachusetts Medtech Week returns to Boston next month, when the BIOMEDevice Boston conference and expo, co-located with PLASTEC New England, Design & Manufacturing New England and the Embedded Systems Conference, brings together medtech engineers and innovators with hundreds of suppliers of products and services. Two conference tracks will explore medical device design and biomedical innovation in the company of industry experts, while Center Stage and Tech Theater hold court on the show floor hosting technology and product briefs. For the second year in a row, the Massachusetts Medical Device Industry Council (MassMEDIC), the largest regional medical device association in the country, is holding its annual conference in conjunction with the event.

Boston is one of the most important medtech innovation hubs in the country. Recognizing the vital role this industry plays in the metropolitan area and state, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker is scheduled to welcome visitors and exhibitors and take part in a Q&A starting at 11 AM at the Center Stage on opening day, April 13, of the two-day event. His speech will be followed by presentations throughout the day addressing such topics as the importance for brands to establish a clear messaging strategy and techniques for accelerating time to market. Of special significance to the PlasticsToday audience is a Plastics Innovation Tour scheduled for 1 PM on April 13. The specialist-led tour will meet at the Center Stage and allow show attendees to get up close and personal with exhibitors who are featuring uniquely innovative technologies.

A conference track on medtech design, chaired by Bryce Rutter, co-founder and CEO of Metaphase Design Group (St. Louis, MO), will focus on next-generation wearables and home-care products that empower patients to take control of their wellness and healthcare needs. Sessions also include pointers on how to achieve innovation under the constraints of a cost-sensitive environment. Speakers include Sean Priddy of Creation Technologies (Burnaby, BC, Canada), Craig Scherer of Insight Product Development (Chicago) and Bill Betten from Devicix (Eden Prairie, MN).

A second conference track will take attendees on a deep dive of biomedical innovation, from the uberication of medical technology to protecting patient privacy and data security in the cloud communication age. Chaired by Kevin Young, Senior Vice President at Continuum Innovation (Venice, CA), session speakers include Sridhar Iyengar, founder of Misfit Wearables and CEO of Elemental Machines (Cambridge, MA), and Michael McNeil from Philips Healthcare (Andover, MA). Also participating is Nirav Sheth, Head of Clinical and Strategic Marketing at MC10 (Lexington, MA). The company's Biostamp, a sensor-embedded bendable material that can be applied to the skin like a Band-Aid or temporary tattoo to monitor a number of vital signs, was featured in PlasticsToday.

On the show floor, in addition to hundreds of exhibitors featuring products and services including moldmaking, contract molding and extrusion and automation, attendees will be able to engage with professionals during ever-popular Speed Networking meetings as well as a Booth Pub Crawl and Networking Reception.

Held in conjunction with BIOMEDevice Boston, MassMEDIC's annual conference will feature a keynote from Deborah DiSanzo, General Manager of IBM's Watson Health, and a panel discussion with medical device industry executives and healthcare professionals on the role that medical technology plays in saving lives and improving patient outcomes.

BIOMEDevice Boston and PLASTEC New England will be held on April 13 and 14 at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center. For more information about attending, go to the BIOMEDevice Boston and PLASTEC New England websites.