Announcement of the winners of the 1st Patient Innovation Awards

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Announcement of the winners of the 1st Patient Innovation Awards

A statement from the Patient Innovation Advisory Board

Patient Innovation (PI) launched the 1st PI Awards with the objective of honoring all patients, caregivers and collaborators who have developed innovative solutions to cope with the challenges of their health condition, to assist others they care about, or in some cases, to help people they don't even know. The PI team did an initial screening of the more than 200 innovations that were considered eligible (and were submitted by October 22) and selected a short list of 10 innovations per category. The Advisory Board then looked at those innovations and selected the winners.The first thing to say is that this was an extremely difficult task as all the innovations are very good and inspiring. Every person that submitted an innovation should be proud of what they have achieved and how this innovation helped themselves as well as many others. These amazing innovators will definitely contribute to increase the general awarness of this Patient Innovation phenomena and we thank you for that. In fact, these innovations were outstanding and the Advisory Board could not restrict themselves to one winner per category and selected a total of 6 winners.
Warm congratulations to all those who participated.

The Patient Innovation Advisory Board

Prof. Aaron Ciechanover

Technion-Israel Institute of Technology (Nobel Laureate in Chemistry 2004)

Prof. Eric von Hippel

MIT

Prof. Katherine Strandburg

New York University

Prof. Lee Fleming

University of California, Berkeley

Sir Richard Roberts

New England Biolabs
(Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine 1993)

Prof. Robert Langer

MIT

And the Winners are...

Patient Innovation Award Category

  • Patient/Nominee:
    Louis Plante (Canada)

  • Innovation:
    The Frequencer™

  • Condition:
    Cystic Fybrosis

Louis Plante’s cystic fibrosis increases the risk of lung infections due deficient clearing of the mucus. He used to spend 4 hours per day doing kinesiotherapy (chest clapping) to alleviate this problem, until he noticed during a concert that the vibration of the speakers had the same positive effect. Using his background in electronics, Louis developed the Frequencer, a device that uses sound waves to help clear the lungs. After four years of R&D and clinical trials, the Frequencer is the first device to deliver low-energy resonant (acoustic) vibrations, reducing mucus viscosity and promoting mucus flow in patients with cystic fibrosis.

For more information, please consult the following link:

  • Patient/Nominee:
    Lisa Crites (USA)

  • Innovation:
    The SHOWER SHIRT™

  • Condition:
    Mastectomy for Breast Cancer

Lisa Crites was diagnosed with breast cancer. Following a mastectomy, she was advised to avoid showering in order to prevent infection through the drain sites. She then created a water-resistant garment, the Shower Shirt, to enable patients in a similar situation to shower normally and navigate these difficult moments with dignity. The Shower Shirt has obtained FDA approval and already crossed geographic borders to reach 36 countries.

For more information, please consult the following link:

  • Patient/Nominee:
    Tal Golesworthy (UK)

  • Innovation:
    ExoVasc®

  • Condition:
    Marfan syndrome

Tal Golesworthy needed open cardiac surgery followed by anticoagulation drug for life due to Marfan Syndrome. He applied his engineering background and knowledge in piping and plumbing to work with his doctor address his own aortic problem with the Personalized External Aortic Root Support (PEARS). Since PEARS was first installed on Tal’s heart 10 years ago, the device has been implemented in more than 45 patients to prevent aorta rupture.

For more information, please consult the following link:

Caregiver Innovation Award Category

  • Patient/Nominee:
    Debby Elnatan (Israel)

  • Innovation:
    Upsee™

  • Condition:
    Cerebral Palsy

Debby Elnatan’s youngest son was born with cerebral palsy. Although he could not move or participate in family walks, Debby did not give up. She tried different ways to “link him” to her through straps, leading to Upsee. With Upsee, her son is now able to “walk” like other children and can participate in family activities. Upsee helps children with similar conditions to participate “in their own way” in social gatherings.

For more information, please consult the following link:

  • Patient/Nominee:
    Joaquina Teixeira (Portugal)

  • Innovation:
    Helium balloons

  • Condition:
    Angelman Syndrome

Joaquina Teixeira’s son, Gonçalo, has Angelman Syndrome, which is characterized by developmental delay, lack of speech, seizures, and psychomotor problems. Although 6 years old and able to walk, Gonçalo refused to stand. One day Joaquina noticed that the helium balloons at a party attracted her son’s attention and made him want to reach them. That very day, she placed helium balloons all over her own house and watched Gonçalo jump and walk to reach the balloons.

For more information, please consult the following link:

Collaborator Innovation Award Category

  • Patient/Nominee:
    Ivan Owen (USA)

  • Innovation:
    3D Printed Prosthetic Hand

  • Condition:
    Amputees

Ivan Owen, an artist and prop maker, posted one of the “mechanical hands” he created on YouTube. A carpenter from South Africa that had lost fingers in a sawing accident contacted Ivan and asked him for help in designing and building a low-cost prosthetic hand. Ivan accepted the challenge and also developed low-cost 3D-printed prosthetic hands for children. He later shared the digital files used to produce the parts in a 3D printer. His work inspired a large and growing network of volunteers and “makers” committed to making a difference (e.g., e-NABLE).

For more information, please consult the following link:

The Pi Awards ceremony

July 10, 2015

Patient Innovation (PI) is a nonprofit, international, multilingual, free venue for patients and caregivers of any disease to share their innovations. PI is an initiative by Católica Lisbon School of Business and Economics in collaboration with Instituto de Medicina Molecular (IMM).

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