Summary version of Fordcastle's report from TedMed 2011 event.

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Highlights from
TedMed 2011
San Diego, CA
25 – 28 October 2011
@fordcastle fordcastle.com

2. Image credit: http://herot.typepad.com/cherot/2011/11/tedmed-2011.html
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Dean Kamen showed how a ‘predicate’ device to his robot arm (pending FDA approval) that was already legal and on the
market was… a chainsaw. Juan Enriquez told a brilliant story about a FDA official who caused havoc by driving at the
55mph speed limit. He also pointed out that no FDA official would lose their job by NOT approving a drug. However, US
CTO’s office did a great job of highlighting efforts to open up data (www.data.gov/health, bluebuttondata.org/)

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Image: http://www.michaelgraves.com/design/project/stryker-medical.html
Charles Pell designs next generation surgical instruments at Physcient. These are hand-held robotics that sense and
respond to the environment as well as the patient, one example being a device for open heart surgery that spreads ribs,
rather than breaks them. Michael Graves redesigned hospital furniture. After being incarcerated in a hospital with badly
thought out equipment, he designed his own line (see above).

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Mega shift from reactive point-specific health to proactive, holistic health. Need to move beyond thinking of diseases, to
thinking about the whole body. And then, moving beyond the individual, to understanding the influence and interplay of
other factors such as environment, government policies, urban living etc. Paul Stamets thinks mushrooms can help boost
the human body’s immunity to cancer. Eric Schadt is using computer models to understand how biomedical networks
operate, with a view to seeing how changing a protein might affect the system as a whole. Image: GEN

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Image: ScienceRoll
David Agus and GE’s Ger Brophy talked about reclassifying cancer – moving away from a geographic definition, to one
that has a unique molecular signature, and personal to you. Molecular diagnostics means drugs and treatments are
emerging that are personalized to the patient. Yoav Medan is using MRI and focused ultrasound to deliver non-invasive
surgery; Quyen Nguyen is making tumors and nerves glow; Lee Stein developed a new imaging system in order to help
his son; Gabor Forgacs from Organovo can print vessels, and will soon be able to print organs.

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This event was less about life extension and more about life improvement. ‘Health span not life span’. Dan Buettner
provided an update on a Blue Zones pilot in a city in MN that saw life expectancy increase by 3 years and health care
costs fall 49% (for city employees). From a scientific perspective, Calvin Harley and ElissaEpel created the frequently
repeated theme that: Stress shorter telomeres  quicker death. [Cue ‘I can feel my telomeres shrinking’ by a number of
speakers].

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Image: KlickPharma
Joseph De Simone is being inspired by the size and shape of pathogens and cancer cells to create treatments. He’s using
roll-to-roll particle fabrication to deliver nanotechnology tools that can generate novel particles with unique size and
shape to improve delivery of drugs and vaccines. His new company raised $60m in venture funding.

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Image: TedMed
Quyen Nguyen from UCSD has developed a technique to make nerve endings and tumor cells grow, making it much
easier to perform surgery the affected parts. Up to 60% of men have complications after prostate cancer surgery due to
damage to nerves. This technique allows surgeons to avoid healthy tissue and nerves.

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Image: TedMed
Weight Watchers’ David Kirchhoff talked about the ‘obsesogenic’ environment, and the lack of ‘ROI’ for young people to
worry about obesity. The key is to generate patterns of behavior that become ingrained and unthinking. Cleveland Clinic
has provided healthy incentives, access to education materials, healthy environment etc – none of this is rocket science,
but it has helped them keep insurance premiums flat this year.

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Images:
Juan Enriquez: Juliana Rotich
Yoav Medan: Medgadget
Annesh Chopra: MinnPost
Diana Nyad: CSMonitor
As usual, all speakers were excellent. Here are a few that were even more so, and should be first to watch on video.
 Juan Enriquez – regulators and pharma companies – who are the black hats?
 Yoav Medan – using MRI and focused ultrasound for non-invasive surgery
 Aneesh Chopra &FarzadMostashari – US government efforts to be transparent about the data
 Diana Nyad – long distance swims in her 60; a personal journey against the odds

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Organization was even slicker this year, e.g. audience feedback gadgets were great
‘Grand Challenges’ – partnering with Robert Woods Johnson Foundation
Ramping up ambition levels: ‘taking on’ establishment. 1200 people (up from 600 in ‘10, 900 in ‘11)
Moving to Washington, DC - next event already in April 2012. Ticket cost rising to $5k
RELEVANCE TO ROCHE: Interest in getting more involved and ‘owning mindshare’ with this targeted group?