Push for Innovation in Pediatric Medical Devices

A new institute for pediatric medical devices is pushing for progress and innovation in this frequently overlooked market. The Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation (affiliated with the Children’s National Health System) was opened in April 2011, thanks to a $150 million gift from the government of Abu Dhabi.
According to an article on MedCityNews:

[The institute] has funding available to help startups jumpstart their pediatric medical device ideas – and is supporting about 40 at present.
That’s because the so-called “valley of death” in startup formation is hard to traverse for pediatric medical device companies in particular. This is because venture capitalists are reluctant to support upstarts if their products haven’t yet been derisked. And, frankly, the pediatric device market is so niche that it’s risky from the get-go.
So the Institute serves as a device-derisking incubator, with aims to help entrepreneurs with business planning, regulatory support, clinical trials, prototyping and preclinical work. Because the Institute is directly affiliated with a children’s hospital, the innovators have ready access to field experts and patient populations.

Click here to read the full article on MedCityNews.