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Space
Meets Medicine ESA and its partners from
industry will be present at MEDICA 2005 to inform European companies
about how the Health and Medical industry can profit from research
opportunities in space. From drug development to
telemedicine and diagnostics, the weightlessness environment offers
unique business opportunities. Space provides an extraordinary
laboratory for conducting research, which cannot be performed on ground.
By switching off the distortions of gravity, it is possible to develop
and test new products and innovative technologies. Far above the constraints of the
atmosphere, and free from the effects of gravity, the International
Space Station (ISS) is a one-of-a-kind tool for scientific research and
technological development. The ISS with its unique environment has
allowed scientists to understand the role of gravity in physical
processes such as astronaut’s bone and muscle loss and to cast light
on and contribute to the development of countermeasures against
widespread diseases like osteoporosis. Today, the ISS is open for
commercial utilisation. The facilities, resources and services available
onboard the Space Station provide unique tools which enable the
performance of groundbreaking scientific research, and offer companies
the opportunity to increase their competitive advantage by using the
space environment as a platform for activities such as applied R&D
and Technology Demonstration. Space-based
solutions "Often solutions found in
space are the seed of innovation on Earth, and ESA invites Industry to
make use of them" says Frank M. Salzgeber, Head of Commercial
Development at the European Space Agency. At MEDICA 2005, ESA and its
partners will present examples of research in space and space-derived
innovations, and will inform how medical companies can access business
opportunities on the International Space Station. The Erasmus User Centre, based
in Noordwijk, the Also part of ESA is the European
Space Incubator (ESI), which promotes the creation of start-up companies
using space-developed technologies and/or satellite systems in non-space
markets. ESI, the hub of the 35-member European Space Incubators Network
(ESINET), helps entrepreneurs to bridge the gap between a business idea
and a solid business plan. ESINET will be present at MEDICA to inform
companies how their business ideas can be supported by a business
incubator. Also, innovative projects will be presented which ESA
performs together with ESI incubatees, such as Mathcomp, a company
developing medical instrumentation to treat breast cancer using space
technology and HISTAR, a company that uses satellite and advanced ground
systems to recognise malaria outbreaks and help prevent its spread. In
addition, innovative space-based solutions will be demonstrated, such as
the O3 Ozonizer, the new Ozone sterilizer for medical instruments being
the latest example of a space technology spin-off. A
network of competent partners for supporting innovative business In order to present the vast
array of opportunities space can offer to the Medical Industry, and to
provide a complete range of services which support companies bridging
the gap between space and industrial needs on ground, ESA joins forces
with a number of specialist industrial partners. ISS Lab Ruhr GmbH is the service
provider that manages the network of commercial agents on behalf of ESA
offering access to research opportunities in microgravity conditions. MEDES, the French Institute for
Space Medicine and Physiology, is specialised in application of space
research to the health sector; its activities in bed rest studies aim at
developing countermeasures to prevent the adverse effects of
weightlessness and at investigating the physiological effects of
immobilisation. The Germany-based Enterprise
Management Technology Transfer (EMBLEM) is an affiliate and the
commercial arm of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL).
EMBLEM facilitates and accelerates the transfer of innovative technology
from basic research to industry in various fields such as: Biotech,
Pharma, Molecular Biology Solutions and Medical Devices. The PIN Project (Promotion of
Industrial Users of the International Space Station) of the German Space
Agency DLR aims at offering access to the utilisation of the
International Space Station for the industrial R&D sector in The Russian Institute of
Bio-medical Problems (IMBP) has over four decades pioneered innovative
methods to secure the health and safety of cosmonauts. Its activities
focus among others on developing effective measures to lessen
spaceflights' negative impact; IMBP will demonstrate at MEDICA its
cosmonaut’s rehabilitation suit. The joint booth can be found at
MEDICA in hall 11, booth H03. Scientists and specialists will be
available throughout the fair to discuss applied research opportunities
in weightlessness. About
ESA The European Space Agency (ESA)
is About
the Commercial Agent Network The Commercial Agent Network is
the exclusive partner of the European Space Agency for marketing and
selling the use of the European facilities and resources on board the
International Space Station to the biotechnology, health, food and
nutrition market sectors throughout |
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