seminar at 4:00, Allen 101X Peter Krulevitch J&J

[Roger T. Howe]

Innovation Within a Large Medical Device Company:
a Journey from Microtechnology R&D to User Needs Driven Design
Dr. Peter Krulevitch
Research Fellow, Janssen R&D

*Abstract: *

Over the past ten years, the R&D environment inside large medical device 
companies has changed considerably, making it increasingly challenging 
to develop innovative products from within. Spending on early 
development projects has declined, including an end to funding for 
projects not directly tied to product launches. At the same time, the 
allowable time before R&D innovations must impact sales has decreased. 
As a result, the model for driving internal innovation has evolved. This 
presentation will cover one engineer's R&D experience at Johnson & 
Johnson over a period of nearly ten years. Initial efforts focused on 
the application of microtechnology to medical devices, including Nitinol 
thin films aimed at cardiovascular applications and electrokinetic patch 
pumps for drug delivery.Mid-term projects applied low risk 
microtechnology with increased attention to user needs, emphasis on 
industrial design as well as technology, and focus and accountability 
for near term results. Projects included insulin infusion sets and 
subcutaneous sensor inserters with flexible etched Nitinol/polymer 
hybrid needles, injection molded micropumps with etched valves for drug 
delivery, and drug delivery management systems. Recently, efforts have 
drifted away from technology-based innovation in favor of 
patient-centric design-based innovation, focusing on simple, intuitive 
to use devices. An example of a self-administration device for 
subcutaneous injections will be presented.

*Short Bio: *

Peter Krulevitch is a Research Fellow at Janssen R&D, the pharmaceutical 
development organization within Johnson & Johnson, where he leads a 
small team responsible for early development of devices for 
subcutaneous, intramuscular, intravenous, intranasal, and pulmonary 
delivery of large and small molecule drugs. He joined Janssen from J&J's 
device sector, where he led a group focused on applying microtechnology 
to medical devices, and worked with LifeScan and Animas on devices for 
the treatment of diabetes. Prior to J&J, he was a Research Engineer at 
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's Center for Microtechnology, 
where he worked on microfluidic systems for cell-based diagnostics and 
flexible electrode arrays for retinal implants, among other projects. He 
received his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from UC Berkeley (1994), 
where he studied the mechanical properties of polycrystalline silicon at 
the Berkeley Sensor & Actuator Center with Professors Roger Howe and 
George Johnson. Dr. Krulevitch is co-inventor on approximately 50 issued 
patents.

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