Global

Japan Biodesign

a Program Development Partner with Stanford Biodesign

Overview of Japan Biodesign:   

  • The mission of Japan Biodesign is to help train the next generation of leaders in biomedical technology innovation for Japan and the global healthcare community.
  • The program will be launched as a collaboration between Osaka University, Tohoku University, the University of Tokyo, the Japan Federation of Medical Devices Associations (JFMDA) and the Program in Biodesign at Stanford University
  • Faculty from these institutions will work together to create new, interdisciplinary training structures and methodologies based on the Biodesign Process developed at Stanford.   
  • Training of the core faculty for Japan Biodesign has already begun at Stanford.
  • Leaders from Stanford Biodesign will provide active mentoring for colleagues and trainees in Japan.   Core leadership for this partnership from Stanford includes:
    • Paul Yock MD, Founder, Director, Biodesign
    • Gordon Saul, Executive Director, Biodesign
    • Dan Azagury MD, Assistant Professor, Surgery and Assistant Director, Biodesign Specialty Fellowship
    • Fumiaki Ikeno MD, Research Associate and Japan Biodesign Program Development  Partner Liaison
    • Christine Kurihara, Senior Associate Director for Global and Communication, Biodesign

This Japan Biodesign program involves a novel ”All Japan” government:academia:industry partnership with support from Japan’s Ministry of Education.    

Background on Stanford Biodesign

  • Founded in 2001 as a unit within Stanford University's interdisciplinary "Bio-X" initiative
  • Pioneered a new training methodology (the "biodesign process") in which interdisciplinary teams of engineers and physicians go through a disciplined process of identifying and carefully characterizing unsolved clinical needs before jumping to technology solutions.   The program "mantra" is:   a well-characterized need is the DNA of a great invention
  • Biodesign trainees start from "scratch" in a new clinical area each year, identify clinical needs and attempt to create biomedical technologies to address the most important of these needs.
  • Since inception, trainees in the program have invented technologies that have directly resulted in the formation of 38 companies.    To date over 350,000 patients have been treated by technologies created within the program, a number that is now increasing rapidly.
  • The program has trained over 140 fellows, roughly a third of whom lead companies that they have started;  a third have taken faculty positions or are in further training as clinician or engineer inventors;  and a third are in miscellaneous leadership roles in the biomedical technology industry. 
  • The Stanford textbook Biodesign: the Process of Innovating Medical Technologies has become a standard in the field and is being translated into Japanese (and Chinese).  The Stanford group has also produced an extensive, open-source Biodesign Video Library with 300 teaching videos.
  • Ongoing global initiatives include joint programs in India and Singapore;  and a Biodesign Affiliate program in Ireland.