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Wednesday, April 18th
| 7:00 PM -
10:00 PM |
Pre-conference
Workshop: What do incontinence pad users want from their products?
During 2007 the Continence & Skin Technology Group at University
College London and the University of Southampton will publish the
most comprehensive multi-center user evaluation of adult
incontinence pad designs ever conducted and this workshop will
provide a preview of the findings. The work aimed not to determine
whether one company's product worked better than another's but
rather to identify the strengths and limitations of the different
generic designs (inserts, briefs, pull ups etc) and to understand
better the groups of people who make different product choices. The
work comprised three major strands, each focusing on a different
market sector and each involving 80-100 subjects. The first strand
focused on community-dwelling women with light incontinence. Each
woman evaluated three products of each of the four main designs
available: disposable inserts; disposable sanitary towels; washable
pants with integral pad; and washable inserts (12 products in
total). The second strand addressed community-dwelling adults with
moderate/heavy incontinence, with each subject evaluating three
products of each of the five main designs available: disposable
inserts; disposable briefs; disposable pull-ups; disposable T-shaped
products; and washable bodyworn products (15 products in total). The
third strand looked at adults with moderate/heavy incontinence
living in hospitals and nursing homes. Each subject evaluated one
carefully chosen product from each of the designs used in the second
strand, apart from the washable body worn products. Data were
gathered using self-fill questionnaires and interviews. In addition
the severity of leakage from individual used pads was noted and they
were weighed yielding data on the leakage performance of products
and the amount of urine they are required to hold. Together with a
similar recently published study on products for men with light
incontinence (disposable pouches; disposable leafs; disposable
inserts; and washable pants with integral pad), these studies
provide an over-view of all the major market sectors, providing
robust data and insights for marketing and product development. Alan
Cottenden will present all four studies. He will also include a
brief presentation on the wider incontinence technology work of his
research group. |
Thursday, April 19th
| 8:00 AM -
11:30 AM |
Pre-conference
Workshop: The Science of Creativity
This pre-conference workshop invites real people to work on real
problems using processes that generate unique ideas from people
who say they aren't creative. Ms. MacDonald's background includes
a variety of projects as an executive with Johnson & Johnson
for two decades. She was the driving force behind the breakthrough
incontinence product, Serenity. Beth currently heads a consulting
firm based in Manila. |
| |
| 1:00 PM -
1:15 PM |
Welcome/Introductions/Statement
of Purpose
Cheryle Gartley, President and Founder, Simon Foundation
Alan Cottenden, Ph.D. Conference Chairman |
| |
| 1:15 PM -
1:45 PM |
Will All Incontinence
Be Cured Anytime Soon? by Christopher Payne, M.D.
All people with incontinence would like to be cured if possible,
rather than just managing their symptoms, how ever effectively.
Drawing on his experience of heading the team that compiled the
chapter on worldwide incontinence research for the third
International Consultation on Incontinence, Chris Payne will
review new and imminent cure approaches in surgery, pharmacology,
tissue engineering, etc. and assess their likely impact on future
needs for incontinence management options. Dr. Payne is Associate
Professor of Urology at Stanford University and an
internationally-recognized expert in urinary incontinence. |
| |
| 1:45 PM -
2:00 PM |
Discussion |
| |
| 2:00 PM -
3:00 PM |
Lessons from
Living with Incontinence Patient Panel
A key step in successful engineering design is to establish a
clear understanding of what the consumers want; what matters to
them; what are their perspectives and priorities. In this session
we will hear from a panel of people, each having many years
experience of managing their urinary incontinence. We will ask
them to describe how their bladders behave; how they currently
manage (including describing the strengths and limitations of
their products); what their bladder stops them from doing (easily)
that they would like to do; and finally to describe their perfect
product (in functional terms: what would they want it to do?). |
| |
| 3:00 PM -
3:30 PM |
Break |
| |
| 3:30 PM -
4:10 PM |
Incontinence: The
View from Space by Professor Ian A. Sutherland BSc, PhD, FIMechE,
FIPEM
One of the challenges of life aboard space ships is handling
liquids in the (near) absence of gravity. Drawing on his
experiences working for NASA and the European Space Agency, Ian
Sutherland will review lessons from space which may be applied to
the equally challenging liquid handling problems that need to be
addressed to create effective products for managing incontinence.
Professor Ian A. Sutherland BSc, PhD, FIMechE, FIPEM is Director
of the Brunel Institute for Bioengineering, a leading European
institute, at Brunel University in Uxbridge, UK. |
| |
| 4:10 PM -
4:50 PM |
Surface
Technologies: Impact on Incontinence by Jay Goldberg, Ph.D.
Incontinence products are used in a hostile service environment.
They must be easily used to control the flow of urine
without blockage, leakage, or migration.
They must not damage surrounding tissues nor cause
infection. This
lecture will define the major engineering challenges in developing
incontinence products and discuss the use of surface modifications
and other applicable technologies to meet these challenges. Dr. Goldberg is Director of the Healthcare
Technologies Management Program and Assistant Professor of
Biomedical Engineering at Marquette University in Milwaukee,
Wisconsin. Dr. Goldberg also has had previous experience in
industry as an executive with Surgitek prior to joining Marquette,
so brings an valuable and unique perspective to the conference. |
| |
| 4:50 PM -
5:10 PM |
Discussion |
| |
| 5:10 PM -
5:40 PM |
The "Smart
Chip" Approach for the Treatment of Incontinence by Jordan
Dimitrakov M.D., Ph.D.
Incontinence presents unique diagnostic and treatment challenges
for practicing clinicians. The classification and categorization
of different types of incontinence are in constant flux and
reflect the current gaps in our understanding of the underlying
mechanisms and biology of incontinence. Our group is interested in
creating hybrid biosensor and drug delivery devices for both
diagnosing and treating incontinence. These devices function much
like a "smart chip" which delivers the required
medication at the appropriate time. |
|
|
| 5:40 PM -
6:10 PM |
Sensor Technology
for Diagnosing and Managing Incontinence by Margot S. Damaser, PhD
Objective diagnosis of urinary incontinence is presently made
by Urodynamics, a clinical exam that is often unable to reproduce
symptoms reported by patients. Inspired by techniques presently
used in diagnosis and management of Cardiac dysfunctions,
development of an ambulatory wireless catheter-free Holter monitor
for the bladder can be envisioned. This device could potentially
be useful for management of incontinence as well as for diagnosis.
Margot Damaser will present recent relevant biomedical engineering
advances and how these can be applied to improve the technology
available for diagnosing and managing incontinence. Dr. Damaser is
Assistant Professor in the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of
Medicine and has been conducting research on the biomechanics of
incontinence for over 10 years. |
| |
| 6:10 PM -
6:30 PM |
Discussion |
|
|
| 6:30 PM -
7:45 PM |
Cocktails |
| |
| 7:45 PM -
10:00 PM |
Dinner
Dinner will include a short presentation by Ray Laborie, honorary
President of Meeting. |
Friday, April 20th
| 7:00 AM -
8:00 AM |
Breakfast |
| |
| 8:00 AM -
8:30 AM |
Incontinence for
Engineers by Catherine DuBeau, M.D.
How is the bladder supposed to work? What can go wrong and what
are the consequences? How much urine do people with incontinence
leak, how often, and under what circumstances? How do women's
bladders differ from men's - and young from old? Catherine DuBeau
will provide an introduction to incontinence for engineers
outlining the data that they will need to create sound design
specifications on which to base improved products. Dr. DuBeau is
Associate Professor in Geriatrics in the Department of Medicine at
the University of Chicago. Her research and clinical expertise is
incontinence of the elderly. |
| |
| 8:30 AM -
8:40 AM |
Discussion |
| |
| 8:40 AM -
9:40 AM |
Lessons from Life:
Caregiver's Perspective
Many people with incontinence depend on the assistance of
caregivers to manage their incontinence. This panel will comprise
caregivers with a rich range of experiences from professional
nurses through to those with experience of caring for family
members. We will ask them to recount their experiences, explaining
the product limitations they have encountered and describing
problems they would like solved. This panel of caregivers will
include, among others: Carol Ostro, husband's caregiver, designed
own product; Jeff Albaugh, RN, primary interest post-radical
prostatectomy; Mary Ann Anichini, Nurse Practitioner in Long-term
care; and Joe Minetola, engineer and caregiver. |
| |
| 9:40 AM -
10:10 AM |
Urinary Catheters
in the Present Day by Marcus Drake, M.D.
The Foley catheter was invented in the 1940s and yet its basic
design is unchanged 60 years later. In this lecture, Marcus Drake
will describe the range of catheter designs and materials
available, highlighting their strengths and limitations. He will
also review recent and current work to overcome the limitations
and highlight research priorities for future work. Dr. Drake is
consultant urologic surgeon at the Bristol Urologic Institute in
Bristol, UK. His clinical and research focus is on female and
reconstructive surgery and neurourology. |
| |
| 10:10 AM -
10:30 AM |
Discussion |
| |
| 10:30 AM -
11:15 AM |
Break |
| |
| 11:15 AM -
12:15 PM |
Panel on Funding
The panelists will describe funding opportunities in the field,
including grants, contracts, small business opportunities, venture
capital and technology transfer. Among the panelists confirmed are
Dr. Liebert and Dr. Thor. Dr. Liebert is Professor of Urology at
the University of Michigan, and has served as Program Officer at
the National Institutes of Health and at the Department of
Defense. Dr. Thor is an internationally-recognized expert in
neurourology, and is Adjunct Research Associate Professor at Duke
University as well as Vice-President for Research at Urogenix, a
Division of Astellas Pharma. |
| |
| 12:15 PM -
1:15 PM |
The Holy Grail: A
Wearable Female Urine Collection Device that Works by Eboo Versi,
M.D., PhD
There have been numerous attempts to develop a wearable female
urine collection device but none to date has achieved clinical
effectiveness or commercial success. Drawing on his experiences as
a urogynecologist in clinical practice, research and more recently
the drug and device industry, Eboo Versi will moderate a
discussion aimed at stimulating fresh thinking for those seeking
to do better. The debate will be fed by reviews of some designs
taken from the clinical and patent literature and will seek to
identify the key requirements for success. |
| |
| 1:15 PM -
2:00 PM |
Lunch |
| |
| 2:00 PM -
2:30 PM |
Lessons from Odor
Science by Charles J. Wysocki, Ph.D. in Psychobiology, Member,
Monell Chemical Senses Center
Numerous studies to identify what people with incontinence look
for in the "perfect product" have revealed that freedom
from the fear of smelling is a high priority. This lecture will
draw on the author's experience in measuring and understanding
odor to provoke fresh insights in how to tackle the problem of
smell and incontinence products. |
| |
| 2:35 PM -
3:25 PM |
Lessons from Smart
Textiles by and Fernando Tovia, Ph.D., School of
Engineering and Textiles, Philadelphia University and John D.
Pierce, Jr., Ph.D. Associate Professor of
Psychology, Philadelphia University
Smart textiles sense heat, moisture, chemicals, light, pressure
and body functions and log the information or, cleverer still,
respond by changing their properties to deliver desired effects.
In theory, they might keep you warm, dry, moisturized and free of
bacteria, odor and stains while measuring your heart rate. This
lecture will explore what smart textiles might bring to
incontinence management. |
| |
| 3:25 PM -
4:00 PM |
Summary |
| |
| 4:00 PM -
5:30 PM |
Wine and Cheese
Party |
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