LABORATORY OF BIOLOGICAL STRUCTURE MECHANICS

www.labsmech.polimi.it

Department of Structural Engineering

I FATTORI DI SUCCESSO DELTRASFERIMENTO DI TECNOLOGIA

R. Contro (roberto.contro@polimi.it)Ordinario di Bioingegneria Industriale

Politecnico di MilanoLaboratorio di Meccanica delle Strutture Biologichewww.labsmech.polimi.it

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Roberto Contro

Principale fattore di successo: gestire la complessità di un sistema multifattoriale: 1-una questione semantica e culturale modernizzazione e innovazione esempi di un valore relativo e di un valore assolutoPerché spesso sono termini considerati sinonimi?

-PER CONVENIENZA (facile percepibilità, minori rischi a breve, minori investimenti…)

-PER DIFETTO DI CONOSCENZA (quali sono le caratteristiche di una tecnologia avanzata oggi)

-PER MANCANZA DI LUNGIMIRANZA (la scienza di oggi sarà la tecnologia di domani, la tecnologia di oggi è la scienza di ieri)

-PER NON INFONDATA CONVINZIONE DI SUBORDINAZIONE DELL’INNOVAZIONE ALLA MODERNIZZAZIONE (non generalizzabili a tutti i campi della conoscenza che producono innovazione, in particolare alle scienze fondamentali)(…Creatività e innovazione tecnologica in Creatività e innovazione, P.Legrenzi, il Mulino)

OUTLINE

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Roberto Contro

2-una questione finanziaria/economica/politica(incluse le implicazioni sociali dei prodotti della ricerca, dei ricercatori,

degli imprenditori e degli addetti, nonché delle strutture per la formazione)-ALCUNI DATI E ALCUNE CONSIDERAZIONI

SUGLI INVESTIMENTISULLE STRUTTURE DI RICERCA E FORMAZIONESULLE ATTESESULLE STRATEGIE(many interactions, many loops, many chinese boxes)SULLE PROSPETTIVE

3- esempi significativi

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Roberto Contro

1-una questione semantica e culturale

modernizzazione e innovazione esempi di un valore relativo e di un valore assoluto

Perché spesso sono termini considerati sinonimi?

-per convenienza (facile percepibilità, minori rischi a breve, minori investimenti…)Una straordinaria congiuntura tra politica, finanza, imprenditoria e formazione, solo a parole interessate all’innovazione, in realtà inclini ad

aggiornamenti dei processi produttivi poco costosi rispetto a quelli richiesti dall’innovazione, con l’eccezioni di quelli ad alto reddito con rapido ritorno e a basso rischio;

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Roberto Contro

-per difetto di conoscenza (quali sono le caratteristiche di una tecnologia avanzata oggi)

Collins & Pinch: la tecnologia è una sorta do golem: né del tutto buona né del tutto cattiva, e più che latra basata su una somma di

competenze e di abilità fallibili, le imperfezioni della tecnologia sono correlate alle incertezze della scienza…man mano che ci avviciniamo al cuore di un dibattito scienza e tecnologia ci appaiono sempre meno predeterminate e più ricche di ingegno umano. (Il golem tecnologico, Ed. Comunità)

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Roberto Contro

STUDI RECENTI SU INNOVAZIONE, COMPETITIVITA’ E SVILUPPOAsia-Pacific Business Series

(ISSN: 1793-3137)Philippe Lasserre

Emeritus Professor of Strategy and Asian Business

The objective of the Asia-Pacific Business Series is to foster the knowledge of scholars and managers about specific managerial and business strategic issues that firms encounter in the Asia-Pacific region. For the past five decades, Asia has been rising as a major global economic center. Beginning with Japan in the early 1960s, economic growth and competitive challenge to the West has spread over to the four “tigers”: Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore. Despite the financial crisis of 1997, Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia have all successfully staged a comeback. Now, China and India with their massive population and sustained growth are considered to be the future global juggernauts. From one tenth in the 1960s, the region is currently contributing to nearly a third of the world's GDP. Both multinational and local firms have played a critical role in this development.

Managing and developing businesses in Asia calls for significantly different paradigms than the ones used in the Western world. The aim of this series is to understand and analyze these differences, and help managers and scholars find their ways around the business systems, managerial practices, competitiveness practices and cultural attributes that characterize Asian business.

Topics can belong to but not limited to the following business/management fields: • Business systems analysis

• Competitiveness analysis at the regional level or within key countries• Cases studies of firms• Consumer behavior• Managerial issues such as marketing, human resource or operations management• Socio-political related issues

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CHINA-ASEAN RELATIONSEconomic and Legal Dimensions

edited by John Wong, Zou Keyuan (National University of Singapore, Singapore) & Zeng Huaqun (Xiamen University, China)

With China’s dynamic economic growth, its relations with the Association ofSoutheast Asian Nations (ASEAN) states have expanded rapidly in recent years, culminating in the conclusion of the landmark China–ASEAN Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement in 2002. Beyond trade and economic activities, China–ASEAN cooperation has broadened to cover the environment, science and technology, non-traditional security areas and related legal issues. China’s relations with ASEAN have reached a new era where the two sides have established an economic, legal and political framework for their comprehensive cooperation.

…a comprehensive overview of China–ASEAN relations from economic, legal and political perspectives and examines various important topics related to non-traditional security issues, free trade zone and regional economic integration, border trade and environmental issues, and maritime security.

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Roberto Contro

Series on Innovation and Knowledge Management - Vol. 4

MANAGING EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES AND ORGANIZATIONAL TRANSFORMATION IN ASIAA Casebook

edited by Pan Shan Ling (National University of Singapore, Singapore)

This book provides organizational and managerial views on adopting emerging technologies for organizational transformation. The variety of issues and technologies covered in this book includes Radio Frequency Identification Technology (RFID); Enterprise Systems and Inter-Organizational Systems (IOS); Knowledge Management (KM); E-Business and E-Government initiatives. Eleven in-depth case studies documenting experiences and lessons learned in organizations and government agencies from the Asia Pacific region such as China, India, Malaysia, and Singapore are presented. Contents:

RFID and Organizational Transformation in the National Library Board of Singapore (P R Devadoss) Enterprise Systems Planning Projects in China (G Pan & A J W Chen) Enterprise Resource Planning Project Failure in Maxima Inc. (S W Lee) Organizational Identities and Knowledge Management in India Inc. (R S Mayasandra) Enterprise System Use in Talam Corporation, Malaysia (S Y Teoh) Interorganizational Project Management in JTC (M Bhandar) The Role of Feedback Unit (FBU) in E-Government (C M L Chan & P H Ang) Interorganizational Project Management in XL.com (M Bhandar) E-Business in Hardware Zone.com (C C Tan) Crisis Management of SARS in Singapore (P R Devadoss) Alignment in Organizational IT Interventions in KM-Com (R S Mayasandra)

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Series on Contemporary China - Vol. 4

POLITICAL CIVILIZATION AND MODERNIZATION IN CHINAThe Political Context of China's Transformation

edited by Yang Zhong (University of Tennessee, USA) & Shiping Hua (University of Louisville, USA)

This volume is the first comprehensive study of China’s “political civilization” since the term was introduced by then Party Secretary Jiang Zemin in 2002. Selected among about 200 papers delivered at an international conference in Beijing in 2004, this collection of ten essays discusses the relations between “political civilization” and political reform in China from the different perspectives of institution building, political culture, political theory, intra-party democracy, political participation, judiciary reform, legislative reform, and media reform. While the contributors are aware of the enormous difficulties China faces in reforming its political system and political culture, most are optimistic about the prospect of reform. Through theoretical discussions, the institutional analysis and other empirical methods in the book contribute to our understanding of Chinese politics in unique ways. Contents:

The Essence of Promoting “Political Civilization” in China: Institution Building (W Chen) Corruption and Institution-Building in Transitional China (Y Hao) From Conflicts to Convergence: Modernity and the Changing Chinese Political Culture (B Guo) Democratic Values among Chinese Peasantry: An Empirical Study (Y Zhong) Democracy and the Governing Party: A Theoretical Perspective (B Womack) Self-Reform within Authoritarian Regimes: Reallocations of Power in Contemporary China (S Richardson) Political and Practical Obstacles to Reform of the Judiciary and the Establishment of a Rule of Law in China (J-P

Cabestan) Public Participation and the Democratization of Chinese Governance (J P Horsley) Rights Consciousness, Economic Interests, and the 2003 District-Level People's Congress Elections in China: Middle-

Class Motivations and Democratic Implications (X Wang) The Role of Media in Democratization: Origins, Characteristics, and Implications of China’s Public Forum TV Programs (J

Hong)

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CHINA UNDER HU JINTAOOpportunities, Dangers, and Dilemmas

edited by Tun-jen Cheng (College of William and Mary, USA), Jacques deLisle (University of Pennsylvania, USA)& Deborah Brown (Seton Hall University, USA)

The fourth generation of leaders of the People's Republic of China, while benefiting from the prestige of China's entry into the World Trade Organization and the honor of hosting the 2008 Olympic Games, also needs to contemplate the sobering side-effects of a rapid and internationally-interdependent economy and a troubled and only partly reformed political system.

This important book approaches the study of the PRC under Hu Jintao in a two-fold manner: by examining the new political parameters within which the party-state functions and by analyzing the prominent issues — at home and abroad — that are commanding the attention of China’s new leaders. The book tackles a comprehensive range of topics, including elites, institutions and state–society relations, politics and the political implications of economic change, domestic politics and foreign relations.

Contents: China under Hu Jintao: Introduction (T-j Cheng et al.) Political Succession: Changing Guards and Changing Rules (J Fewsmith) Is the Chinese State Apparatus Being Revamped? (Y Huang) Who Does the Party Represent?: From “Three Revolutionary Classes” to “Three Represents” (B J Dickson) Jiang Zemin’s Successors and China’s Growing Rich–Poor Gap (E Friedman) Information Technology in China: A Double-Edged Sword (T-j Cheng) The Future of SOEs: From Shortage Economics to “Enron–omics”? (X Hu) The Evolution of Elections in China (A E Gadsden) What Does Buyun Township Mean in the Context of China’s Political Reform? (Y Liu) China and the WTO: Evolving Agendas of Economic Openness, Domestic Reform, and International Status, and

Challenges of the Post-Accession Era (J deLisle) China’s Accession into the WTO and China’s Financial Markets (K T Liaw) China–ASEAN Relations: The Significance of an ASEAN–China Free Trade Area (A D Ba) New Leadership Team, New Approaches toward Taiwan? (C-c Lo) China’s Relations with the United States and Japan: Status and Outlook (R Sutter)

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IAMOT 200615th International Conference on Management of Technology"East Meets West: Challenges and Opportunities in the Era of Globalization"Official Conference of the International Association for Management of TechnologyOrganized by Tsinghua UniversityMay 22 - 26, 2006Beijing, P.R. ChinaThe 2006

Conference will focus on managerial, economic, social and cultural aspects in technology management and their influence on innovation and the creation of economic growth and prosperity. Special attention will be give to the comparison of the West and the East countries, regions and companies for successfully managing R&D, innovation, and technology. Papers, presentations and learningswill focus on best practices of each side in technology creation, development and utilization.

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Roberto Contro

-per mancanza di lungimiranza (la scienza di oggi sarà la tecnologia di domani, la tecnologia di oggi è la scienza di ieri), conseguenza di un difetto di

conoscenza, ma non soloAlcune caratteristiche significative della tecnologia, in Dentro la scatola nera- tecnologia ed

economia, N. Rosenberg, il Mulino:-le interindipendenze tecnologiche dell’economia americana-gli effetti delle caratteristiche delle varie fonti energetiche sulla

tecnologia e sulla crescita economica-le aspettative tecnologiche-learning by using….….it does work!!!….it does stop never: today is already yesterday for technology appealing….it requires long-term investmentsIl trasferimento tecnologico ha provocato grandi cambiamenti anche in passato (es. la

stampa. La polvere da sparo. La bussola)…affrancandosi dal dominio puramente settoriale degli ingegneri, i fatti

tecnologici sono entrati a far parte dell’analisi economica…Scelta appropriata di indicatori a secondo che l’obiettivo sia di natura comparativa o assoluta e a secondo che l’analisi riguardi lo sviluppo tecnologico o l’impegno economico

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Roberto Contro

-per non infondata convinzione di subordinazione dell’ innovazione alla modernizzazione (non generalizzabili a tutti i campi della conoscenza che producono innovazione, in particolare alle scienze fondamentali), ancora conseguenza di un difetto di conoscenza

rapporto tra natura e complessità dell’innovazione e analisi di mercato, strutture e tradizioni produttive, ricerca scientifica e tecnologicaanalisi costruttive (Per una nuova cultura industriale, Laterza)o tranquillizzanti (Moda e innovazione tecnologica, C.Nencini, Franco Angeli) per chi vuole essere incoraggiato o rassicurato

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Roberto Contro

2-una questione finanziaria/economica/politica (incluse le implicazioni sociali dei prodotti della ricerca, dei ricercatori, degli imprenditori e degli addetti, nonché delle strutture per la formazione)

-Alcuni dati e alcune considerazioni sugli investimenti

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Roberto Contro

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sulle strutture di ricerca e formazione

Università in California

• Antioch University-Los Angeles

• Art Center College of Design

• Azusa Pacific University

• Bethany College

• Biola University

• California Coast University

• California College for Health Sciences

• California Institute of Technology

• California Institute of the Arts

• California Lutheran University

• California Maritime Academy

• California Polytechnic State University, San Luis

• California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

• California State University System

• California State University, Bakersfield

• California State University, Chico

• California State University, Dominguez Hills

• California State University, Fresno

•

• California State University, Fresno

• California State University, Fullerton

• California State University, Hayward

• California State University, Long Beach

• California State University, Los Angeles

• California State University, Monterey Bay

• California State University, Northridge

• California State University, Sacramento

• California State University, San Bernardino

• California State University, San Jose

• California State University, San Marcos

• California State University, Stanislaus

• Chapman University

• Claremont McKenna College

• Concordia University at Irvine

• Diablo Valley College

• Fullerton College

• Harvey Mudd College

• Haverford College

• Humboldt State University

•

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Roberto Contro

sulle strutture di ricerca e formazione

• La Sierra University • Los Angeles College of Chiropractic• Loyola Marymount University • Monterey Institute of International Studies• National University • Naval Postgraduate School• New College of California • Newport University • Obispo• Occidental College • Pepperdine University • Pitzer College • Point Loma Nazarene College • Pomona College • San Diego State University • San Francisco State University • San Jose State University • Santa Clara University • Sonoma State University • Stanford University •

The Claremont Graduate School• The University of Judaism, California • United States International University • University of California, Berkeley• University of California, Davis• University of California, Irvine• University of California, Los Angeles• University of California, Riverside• University of California, San Diego • University of California, San Francisco • University of California, Santa Barbara • University of California, Santa Cruz• University of La Verne• University of Redlands• University of San Diego • University of San Francisco • University of Southern California • University of the Pacific• Webster University • West Coast University • Westmont College • Whittier College

LABORATORY OF BIOLOGICAL STRUCTURE MECHANICS

www.labsmech.polimi.it

Department of Structural Engineering

LABORATORY OF BIOLOGICAL STRUCTURE MECHANICS

www.labsmech.polimi.it

Department of Structural Engineering

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Roberto Contro

Agency for Science Agency for Science Technology & Research Technology & Research

(A*STAR)(A*STAR)

ORGANISATION STRUCTURE ORGANISATION STRUCTURE OF A*STAROF A*STAR

Biomedical Research Council (BMRC)

Science & Engineering Research Council

(SERC)

Institute of Molecular & Cell Biology (IMCB)Institute of Bioengineering & Nanotechnology (IBN)Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS)Bioprocessing Technology Institute (BTI)Bioinformatics Institute (BII)

Data Storage Institute (DSI)Institute for Infocomm Research (I2R)Institute of Chemical & Engineering Sciences (ICES)Institute of High Performance Computing (IHPC)Institute of Materials Research & Engineering (IMRE)Institute of Microelectronics (IME)Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology (SIMTech)

Ministry of Ministry of Trade & IndustryTrade & Industry

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Roberto Contro

Research Collaborations with

Universities & Hospitals

A*STARA*STAR’’S 9 KEY TASKSS 9 KEY TASKS

IntellectualCapital

Development

IndustrialCapital

Development

A*STAR HQ

BMRC SERC

Collaborating in R&D

with Industry

SharingHuman Capitalwith Industry

ET

Training Graduates and Postdocs

Training RSEs

HumanCapital

Development

Science Outreach to Schools

Sharing R&DResources

with Industry

CommercialisingIntellectualProperty

Creating IntellectualProperty

LABORATORY OF BIOLOGICAL STRUCTURE MECHANICS

www.labsmech.polimi.it

Department of Structural Engineering

…

…

THE ROLE OF ADVANCED MATERIALS IN REGENERATIVE MEDICINEProfessor D.F.WilliamsProfessor of Tissue Engineering Director of the UK Centre for Tissue EngineeringThe University of Liverpool, UK

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Roberto Contro

SULLE ATTESE

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Roberto Contro

The growing importance of industrial biotechnology can already be seen today in threeareas as outlined below.

1. Fossil oil and natural gas are being replaced by carbohydrates from renewableresources as low-cost, renewable feedstock. In particular, the development of technology to convert cellulosic biomass from agricultural waste or energy crops intofermentable sugars offers the perspective of producing ethanol and other bulk organicchemicals at low cost. The cost of biomass-based ethanol produced on a commercial scale, for example, is expected to undercut the cost of gasoline with oil at $30 per barrel. A first semi-commercial ethanol plant using straw is being operated by Iogenand Shell in Canada. More companies have started their own endeavors in this field, including DuPont, John Deere, Genencor, Novozymes, and Abengoa. 2.

Fermentation and biocatalysis are increasing in importance. Already five percent of allchemical product sales use these modern production technologies today, and more products will soon switch from chemical synthesis to biotech. Chemical companies suchas DSM, BASF, Degussa and Dow are investing in new bio-routes for vitamins, amino acids, pharmaceutical intermediates, anti-infectives and bulk organic chemicals such asacetic acid or ethylene glycol. 3.

Entirely new bio-based products are competing against conventional products on the basisof a superior cost/performance ratio, or are even fulfilling unmet market needs. Enzymes, for example, are fast-growing bio-products that make washing powder more effective, allow softer processing of textiles and pulp and paper, and reduce nitrogenemissions from animal farming. Other examples are biopolymers. Cargill Dow's PLA (polylactide) offers a green alternative to PLA at similar cost and performance - twolarge-scale plants for further new bio-polymers are under construction - DuPont's Sorona and Metabolix's PHAs (polyhydroxyalkanoate).

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Overcoming ChallengesOn the basis of this outlook, chemical companies have invested several billion dollarsover the past years to explore the opportunities. However, it turns out that the path frompromise to profit for companies engaged in biotech is a long and arduous one (Figure 1, above). Major projects have been terminated after years of funding and severaltechnology companies have gone bankrupt. On the other hand, some good business ideas are only pursued half-heartedly.

The challenges faced by companies, and the questions that they must answer if they are tocapture the potential of industrial biotechnology vary according to the stage of biotechdevelopment and the business model they use. The three cases described below show different ways in which companies can capture value from industrial biotech, dependingon where they stand with respect to these dimensions.

Case 1: Building a biotech strategy: After years of internal discussions and smallerinvestments that showed promising results, the board of a global chemical company decided to take a major step in industrial biotech. There were many potential entry points and business opportunities, some of which had internal champions and othersthat did not appear worth pursuing. However, none had a clear rationale, and there wasno clear direction. The company approached the challenge from two sides (Figure 2, below). It determined its distinctive skills and assets through a benchmarking process. At the same time, it assessed the relevant opportunities and threats - both competitors'recent or announced moves, but also the potential for competitors if the company chose not to enter a specific area. It was essential to think long-term and broadly, toaddress the needs of the industry and consider its structure 10 years hence.

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This produced a list of strategic options: a combination of areas that appeared mostattractive for the client to enter and different business models and value chain positionsthat would match these areas. The next step was to assess these different strategicoptions against a set of criteria that included economic value, feasibility, risk, investments, fit with overall strategy and portfolio of initiatives. To ascertain the economic viability of individual products, specific businesses were pressure tested. The final decision was made after extensive discussions and more than 80 expertinterviews, covering leading academics, government agencies, CEOs of technologycompanies, product developers and purchasers from downstream value chainparticipants, executives from retail companies and even competitors. While theseinterviews are essential, it is also important to remain skeptical and to avoid the ‘common wisdom' trap. It is too early to determine the financial success, but the company has already achieved alignment between the overall strategy, the level of investment and the organizational set-up. It is now ready to focus its full attention on advancing in the right strategic direction, rather than conducting endless internaldebates.

Case 2: Identifying the right opportunities: Another chemical company already had a clearbiotech strategy in place and had built the capabilities, assets and networks required toimplement it. Execution was already successfully under way in several business units, and new bio-based products and processes had started to generate healthy profits. However, the company was wondering how best to apply biotechnology to a recentlyacquired business. In particular, it was seeking ways to change the old chemicalproduction processes to new, more competitive synthesis routes (Figure. 3, above).

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Roberto Contro

The project scope expanded into a complete review of the company's core productstrategies, which included a detailed assessment of competitor's cost positions, anticipated moves and market trends. This was important because a new biotechprocess can easily take five years or more to develop, so it is critical to understandwhether it will result in a distinctive cost position after that time. Since China was anemerging threat, a team in Shanghai focused on collecting Chinese competitorintelligence data for several months. Regulations and customer sensitivities alsochange - would there be a ‘bio-based' premium or a ‘genetically modified' discount for a product produced by fermentation?

The scope was also extended on the technology side. While one team investigated the potential for new biotech routes, a competing team tried to optimize the existingprocess, including analyzing different locations, and a third team searched for the best alternative chemical routes. In the end, biotech was just one of the solutions. Eachpotential solution was assessed, and the one was chosen with the best risk/rewardratio.

Of the 15 products under investigation, biotech was the best solution for four of them; in three cases a new chemical processes was found; two products were moved to China; two were stopped completely and will be bought instead from a low-cost producer, and the others will benefit from incremental improvements to the existing process and assets. So even though the impetus for the project was to see how biotech might havean impact on the company's processes, the outcome was an improvement of everyprocess in a variety of ways. By 2010 it is predicted that costs will have fallen by anaverage of 60 percent for these 15 processes.

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Roberto Contro

Case 3: Preparing the launch and market development: This company was on the final step of the staircase towards profitability in industrial biotech. It had a strategy, a highly capable organization, an innovative product, and a new production facility. Its problem was that the potential market applications for its new bio-product were so numerous that it was impossible to pursue them allsimultaneously with its limited resources. It was also becoming clear that the product was notequally suited to all applications and that each market required a different product positioning. The company was looking for a go-to-market strategy for its new blockbuster-to-be (Figure 4, below).

The full list of potential applications and addressable market segments were assessed against (a) the relative strength of the new product's value proposition to the customer in terms of price and performance compared to existing offerings; (b) the size and attractiveness of the addressablemarket; and (c) the ease of capturing the value, i.e., the time and effort it would take to develop the product applications and markets and the hurdles for adoption of the product along the value chain. The last point required a lot of attention because consumers had already expressed considerableinterest in some of the applications and the economics looked attractive. However, interviews withcompanies along the value chain and supporting analyses showed that the investment of intermediaries in the value chain made adoption very unlikely. In other market segments, retailerswere concerned about the brand risk and were not willing to proceed without a further demonstrationof fitness-for-use and safety. These segments were therefore put on the back burner, but will bereignited once results from other segments support this market case.

In the end, a handful of segments were chosen as top-priority targets for immediate focus and specifictargets, marketing strategies and implementation plans were put in place. In some other market segments and geographies partnering was the preferred strategy, mostly because partners hadbetter customer access or application technologies than the company. The company has changedits strategy and its underlying assumptions fundamentally in the course of the project. For example, it has learned that consumers are not willing to pay a premium for its green product. It also learnedthat it needs to price the product on the basis of long-term positioning rather than current cost, that itneeds to build another plant in a low-cost environment, that it needs to provide value chainintermediaries with an incentive to adopt its product, and that it is sometimes necessary to work withsmaller ‘attackers' as initial commercialization partners to demonstrate proof of principle, create market pull and get the ‘big fish' to adopt a new product. On a more tangible level, the increasedfocus, clear product positioning and partnering has already resulted in a number of major market introductions over the past year.

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Roberto Contro

Finding the Right AnswerFinding the answer to the problems companies face in biotechnology is not a miracle, nor is it a trivial matter. Often, the answer flies in the face not only of the core beliefs of the companies concerned, but also of the received wisdomof the experts. Due to the novelty of biotechnology and the uncertaintiesinvolved, classical project approaches that rely on fact-based analyses alone are just as inadequate as management decisions based on gut feelings. The best results are achieved when visionary thinking is combined with critical, fact-based assessment, business judgement with sophisticated analyses suchas Monte Carlo simulations, internal expertise with challenging external views. A dedicated effort with senior management attention can be a catalyst in getting to the right answer in a timely manner - too many companies stay engaged in the same debates for years, and waste valuable resources and productive time. This is a time of change and opportunities - companies that‘wait and see' run the risk of missing out, while overly enthusiastic pioneersmay end up sinking big sums into the wrong investments. A deliberate approach that considers all aspects of the available potential is needed to findthe best way for each company to turn the promise of industrial biotechnologyinto profits.

Jens Riese is an associate principal with McKinsey's Frankfurt office. RolfBachmann is a partner in McKinsey's Zürich office.

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Roberto Contro

POSSIBILI STRUTTURE STRATEGICHE COME CONDIZIONE PER UN’INNOVAZIONE DI SUCCESSO Innovazione, strumenti e organizzazione per… Contenuto Sviluppo Ricaduta

- Tipologie Gestionale/amministrativa locale locale* locale* Informazione/comunicazione non locale locale e non locale e non Tecnologica non locale non locale non locale e locale e locale e locale non locale come prodotto della ricerca di interesse commerciale

Innovazione tecnologica:

- competitività globale (diffusione delle conoscenze e comunicazione) - rapida evoluzione e rapida obsolescenza

- funzionalità di sistema ed efficienza tecnologica verificabile dal mercato, con possibilità di recupero di credibilità nulle o molto limitate

- ingenti risorse finanziarie, strumentali e umane, interdipendenti non gerarchicamente (programmazione di sistema) Ritardo recuperabile o inevitabile declino? Nel mondo si riconoscono 2 tipi fondamentali di strutture strategiche delle competenze e degli enti che le detengono (competenze intese come conoscenze e/o pertinenze) A) Struttura costituita da intersezione unitaria per tempo e luogo di

competenze/pertinenze, che produce innovazione come risultato di strette interazioni all’interno della stessa struttura

B) Struttura costituita da interazione di competenze/pertinenze autonome, agenti in tempi e luoghi diversi, che produce innovazione come risultato

di interazioni con sequenze ben coordinate e guidate dal perseguimento lucido e determinato degli obiettivi

Struttura costituita da intersezione unitaria per tempo e luogo di competenze/pertinenze, che produce innovazione come risultato di strette interazioni all’interno della stessa struttura

COMPETENZE COMPETENZE SCIENTIFICHE POLITICHE TECNOLOGICHE DI IDENTIFICAZIONE E SELEZIONE DEGLI OBIETTIVI, DI PROGRAMMAZIONE DGLI INVESTIMENTI SPECIFICITÀ DELLA INNOVAZIONE CONTENUTI OBIETTIVI (R&D, IMPRESA, ALTRI SVILUPPI…) COMPETENZE COMPETENZE FINANZIARIE GIURIDICHE IMPRENDITORIALI ECONOMICHE SOCIOLOGICHE PAESI DI ANTICA E NOBILE TRADIZIONE DI RICERCA SCIENTIFICA E TECNOLOGICA, STRUTTURA PRODUTTIVA COMPOSTA DA GRANDI INDUSTRIE, MERCATO INTERNO E/O ESTERNO ESTESO,

INVESTIMENTI INGENTI E DITRIBUITI IN MOLTI DECENNI, FORTE SVILUPPO DI COMPETENZE FONDATE SUL DOMINIO DI CONOSCENZE IN CONTINUA EVOLUZIONE Struttura costituita da interazione di competenze/pertinenze sviluppatesi e operanti autonomamente, che produce innovazione per effetto di una stretta interazione con sequenze ben coordinate e guidate dal perseguimento lucido e determinato degli obiettivi COMPETENZE POLITICHE DI IDENTIFICAZIONE E SELEZIONE DEGLI OBIETTIVI, DI PROGRAMMAZIONE DEGLI INVESTIMENTI IN BASE AD UN’ANALISI DELLE RISORSE DISPONIBILI E DI QUELLE DA ACQUISIRE PER FRONTEGGIARE UN MERCATO GLOBALE COMPETENZE SCIENTIFICHE TECNOLOGICHE COMPETENZE G I U R I D I C H E ECONOMICHE SOCIOLOGICHE COMPETENZE FINANZIARIE IMPRENDITORIALI SPECIFICITÀ DELL’INNOVAZIONE CONTENUTI R&D OBIETTIVI IMPRESA ALTRI SVILUPPI

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PAESI DI RECENTE SVILUPPO TECNOLOGICO, CON DEBOLE STRUTTURA PRODUTTIVA, ANTICO PATRIMONIO CULTURALE, SCARSE RISORSE, FORTE CONVINZIONE DELLO SVILUPPO TECNOLOGICO COME MOTORE DI SVILUPPO E LUCIDA DETERMINAZIONE A FAVORIRE INVESTIMENTI MIRATI

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Roberto Contro

SULLE PROSPETTIVE

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State of the University Address 2005 by Professor Shih Choon Fong

President, National University of Singapore 10:30 a.m., 11 November 2005, University Cultural Centre

A DYNAMIC KNOWLEDGE ENTERPRISE: GROWING OUR FOREST OF TALENTS

Pro-Chancellors Dr Cheong Siew Keong, Dr Andrew Chew and Mr Ngiam Tong Dow

Deputy Chairman, NUS Council Mr Wong Ah Long

Council Members

NUS Society (NUSS) President Mr Chandra Mohan

NUSSU President Mr Danny Quek

Friends, alumni, students and colleagues Good morning. I am privileged to be making this Centennial State of the University Address as we celebrate our hundredth birthday together. Let us recognize our community’s efforts, contributions and support that have made our Centennial celebrations memorable. NUS at 100 As we embark on our second centennial, let us visit our past. One hundred years ago, Singapore was very different. Living conditions were abject and infectious diseases were rife. Moved by a dire need for better health care, a group of residents led by Mr Tan Jiak Kim petitioned the colonial government for a medical school in Singapore. Challenged by Governor John Anderson to raise $71,000, the group went beyond expectations and raised $87,000. In 1905, the medical school began life with 23 students in an abandoned women’s mental asylum. Fast forward to the present. Singapore has gone from Third World to First. It is now a modern metropolis, a major hub for economic and financial activities. The humble medical school has grown into NUS – a university of international stature offering a full range of disciplines. We now have 30,000 students, 6,000 faculty and staff, and 150,000 alumni. We are establishing a second medical school in partnership with Duke University, to pioneer US-style graduate medical education in Asia. In my Inaugural Address in 2000, I articulated a vision of NUS as a global knowledge enterprise – a global research-intensive university embracing an entrepreneurial dimension. NUS has taken bold steps. In line with global best

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practices, we changed the way we compete, recruit and retain talent. Performance-based compensation, a tenure clock, and promotion involving review by global peers are now the norm. Our annual University Awards was established to honor members of our community who have excelled in education, research and service. These changes have begun to bear fruit. NUS is now Singapore’s global university and stands respected among universities worldwide. We are competing globally for talent. We are a partner of choice for top overseas universities seeking a foothold in Asia. It is noteworthy that NUS has sustained its standing in the ranking of the world’s top universities by The Times Higher Education Supplement, first done in 2004. We continue to enjoy our position in the top quarter of the world’s best 100 universities and our standing among the top three in Asia. The booklet in your hands outlines achievements and developments this year. Let me highlight a few. Our Centennial Everest Team put NUS on top of the world. We hosted an unprecedented Presidents Roundtable, bringing together 53 presidents from universities in the Association of American Universities, the Association of Indian Universities and the Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU). We have taken a leading role in three global initiatives with partners such as Yale, Berkeley, ETH Zurich, Stanford, Tokyo, Peking, UIUC and MIT. These three initiatives – the International Alliance of Research Universities (IARU), the APRU World Institute, and the Global Enterprise in Micro-Mechanics and Molecular Medicine – will address scientific, socio-cultural and policy issues of global significance. A Shared Aspiration for the Second Centennial Now, back to the future. When our second centennial is celebrated, where will NUS be? I am not a fortune-teller, but I will try gazing 20 years into the future. Will we have realized our vision of a global knowledge enterprise, impacting lives and addressing challenges of global importance? Will a culture of excellence permeate every level of our community? Will NUS graduates, imbued with a strong spirit of enterprise, be highly sought-after worldwide? As we strive to deliver on these areas, I am confident that NUS will stand among the world’s top 10 universities in 20 years. NUS will be distinguished by a vibrant and supportive environment. It will attract and retain top talents, bringing out the best in our people.

Threats and Opportunities in a Flat World

In this endeavor, what are some of the threats we must overcome? What opportunities can we seize?

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In the 21st century, globalization is a powerful driver of relentless change – the world economy will become more dynamic and more competitive. In his recent bestseller, Thomas Friedman describes his eye-opening visits to China, India, and Japan. A keen observer of global trends, Friedman writes of an unnerving realization. He had slept through a period of revolutionary change. He awoke to the realization that “The world is flat.” Friedman describes how the global playing field has been leveled by leaps in information technology and the Internet. The world is now connected and intertwined in ways never imagined. Time and space have shrunk. Today’s knowledge-based economies are shaped by flows of talent, ideas and innovation across physical and political boundaries. Countries like Singapore are no longer limited by size, location, or population. In a flattening world, size matters less – agility matters more. Think about Finland. This small country at the edge of the Arctic has two key resources – trees and people. Yet, it has been named by the World Economic Forum as the world’s most competitive country in four of the last five years. The higher education landscape worldwide is also becoming flatter and more competitive. Two weeks ago, the New York Times reported that China is rushing to build world-class universities. China is moving at a breakneck pace. India is not far behind. While the flattening world brings competition to our doorstep, it also opens up oceans of opportunity. Status quo is not an option. Standing still will only mean falling over the edge. We need to move to where the action is and seize opportunities. Let me share with you a way for NUS to move to the center of action. Growing our Forest of Talents More than a thousand years ago, China recognized the importance of bringing together talented scholars from all over the country to address economic and

societal challenges. China established the Hanlin Academy (翰林院). While it is often thought of as a community of scholars, “Hanlin”, loosely translated, means ‘forest of talents’. A forest is a rich habitat of diverse plants and animals living in interdependent relationships. Sunshine, rain and soil contribute to a fertile environment that sustains their vitality. I see “forest of talents” as another way to describe our people working synergistically, within a supportive environment, to create, impart and apply knowledge. Collectively, our forest of talents defines our knowledge enterprise.

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Nokia: From the Edge to the Center of Action

Finland, the small country I mentioned earlier, has another claim to fame – Nokia.

Nokia offers an inspiring story of an organization that turned adversity into opportunity. More than 100 years ago, Nokia began life as a wood-processing company, harnessing forests of trees. In the early 1990’s, Nokia suffered huge losses in its consumer electronics business, made worse by the collapse of the Soviet economy on which Finland was highly dependent.

Taking advantage of the flattening world, Nokia re-invented itself to move from the edge of demise and take center stage in the global mobile communications industry within a decade. Nokia enjoyed success. However, to sustain its leading position in the intensely competitive and rapidly innovating global environment, Nokia has to continue harnessing its forest of talents. To avoid being overtaken, even Nokia has to run faster. Nokia’s success has in part been due to the Finnish spirit of ‘sisu’. Don’t you think ‘sisu’ sounds a bit like ‘kiasu’? They could not be more different. ‘Sisu’ in Finnish means ‘guts’ and ‘resilience’. ‘Kiasu’ in Singlish needs no elaboration.

The ‘sisu’ spirit encourages risk-taking and openness to people and new ideas. At the same time, it encourages tolerance of mistakes that naturally occur in value creation.

To stand among the very best, we must grow our forest of talents. We must provide the right environment and nurture our people.

Let me first address the environment.

Growing our Forest of Talents: Environment Next year, NUS will become an autonomous university. Corporatization will provide the platform and the means to enable us to respond more nimbly to the threats and opportunities ahead. In my State of the University Address in 2002, I spoke of the need to re-make NUS and foster a new organizational culture – saying “no” to walls that constrain us and limit our growth and aspirations. Our “no-walls” culture has begun to take root. This culture must grow deeper and stronger roots. Talent flourishes in an open environment without walls or restraints. NUS’ quest for excellence should be a collective endeavor. Management has responsibility to provide an environment that enables individuals to pursue excellence. Management has responsibility to remove walls that divide and stunt the growth of our people. Each of us also has a responsibility to remove walls in our minds. With a deeply-rooted “no-walls” culture, we will say “yes” to partnerships and create winning teams that build synergies. Let us say “no” to ‘kiasu’ and “yes” to ‘sisu’.

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Today, much of groundbreaking research occurs at the intersections of disciplines. Building inter-disciplinary collaboration will enable our community to make the greatest impact. For example, Singapore has a strategic location in Asia and enjoys easy access to diverse peoples and distinct cultures. This gives us the edge for inter-disciplinary research linking the biomedical, behavioral, social and managerial sciences.

To stimulate and fund ideas that help NUS excel, we are refining our internal resource allocation. From Financial Year 2006, Faculties and Schools will receive a rolling three-year budget. Each Faculty will receive a core annual budget. In addition, they can compete for more funding for initiatives and programs that advance the University in strategic directions. We are setting aside $30 million a year to fund deserving proposals. Many of these are likely to be multi-disciplinary in nature, combining strengths and realizing new synergies between Faculties.

Let us now turn to our people. Growing our Forest of Talents: People Faculty and Staff May I begin with our faculty and staff. I spoke earlier of our high global standing, as indicated by the Times’ ranking. NUS slipped in two categories and gained ground in two others. For NUS to stand among the world’s very best universities, individual Faculties and Schools must perform well. Each Faculty must find and build on its strength to distinguish itself at the highest levels. Faculty members must engage in research of high impact and produce publications that will make a difference. NUS will not reward publishing for publishing’s sake. We must also encourage and recognize teamwork based on a division of responsibility, focusing on our collective goal to stand among the very best universities. Our community comprises a broad spectrum of individuals with distinctive strengths and interests. Just as trees in forests grow to various heights, shapes and sizes, members of our community achieve success in their own distinctive ways.

We achieve collective excellence and uplift our University when members contribute in their areas of strength and focus on where they can make a real difference. For example, educators who inspire students and excite their sense of discovery make valuable contributions. So do researchers who advance the frontiers of knowledge.

Ours is a dynamic knowledge community – individuals can embrace different roles over the course of their careers at NUS. For instance, early-career academics are expected to focus on building up strong research activities as well as developing a solid teaching portfolio. Tenured faculty are in a better position to engage in more

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risky research, with potentially high impact. Established academics should undertake greater service responsibilities to our University and the wider community. In this way, they contribute to elevating the University’s standing, nationally and internationally. Naturally, senior colleagues have a greater weight to pull. Our non-academic colleagues also have a critical role in supporting our enterprise of creating, imparting and applying knowledge. We must step up efforts to deliver student-centric and client-oriented service and implement processes that are benchmarked against international best practices. By going the extra mile and devising innovative solutions to problems, staff members contribute to breaking down walls that limit us. Students Let me now move on to our students. We must continue to attract the best students in Singapore, the region and beyond. The Global Merit and Lee Kong Chian Undergraduate Scholarships aim to draw top undergraduates. The Lee Kong Chian Graduate Scholarships, NGS Scholarships, and President's Graduate Fellowships fund top graduate students. In tandem, we are enhancing our admissions process to recruit more students with different talents, e.g. in leadership, sports, culture and community service. As Singapore’s national university, we enrol a broad spectrum of students. We must not lose sight of this public mission. We will offer each student an educational experience that fosters a spirit of inquiry and enterprise, as well as nurtures life skills and global perspectives. We must strive to bring out the best in each student. In a flattening world, we must help our students hone their competitive edge for the global marketplace. We will increase the global dimension of our learning and living environment. When a second year Engineering student was interviewed about international students posing stiff competition, he said: “There’s no running away from competition ... If we don’t meet foreign competitors in school, we’ll meet them in the working world.” We can’t agree more. Before our students go out into the world, we bring the world to them – in the learning room as well as in the living room. This morning, I would like to announce a major development in this direction. Extending our Forest to “Warren” – Residential Colleges NUS is embarking on an initiative to develop residential colleges that will enhance the campus learning and living experience in a global setting. With eight residential colleges and graduate housing to accommodate 6,000 students, a university town will begin to take shape next year at the former Warren golf course site. By 2009, there will be this additional option for campus living, complementing our halls of

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residence and Prince George’s Park Residences. We will be working with all our stakeholders on this development. The residential colleges will provide a seamless learning and living experience. Complementing our Faculties and Schools, these colleges will offer curriculum-based teaching as well as activities to enhance students’ learning. Students will also have entrepreneurial opportunities to start up and manage services and facilities for college residents. Moving beyond lecture theaters and libraries, our students will learn from peers coming from around the world in a “no-walls” residential setting. The diversity of disciplines, nationalities, and cultures at each college will help foster openness and global orientation. This learning and living habitat will offer a rich and meaningful educational experience – one that engages each student as an individual and brings out the best in them. Closing In 1905, our founding fathers had a bold vision. They, and our predecessors, had the foresight and courage to make a success of our first hundred years. We must now take up the charge and extend our success into the next hundred years. There is a Chinese saying that it takes 10 years to grow trees and 100 to nurture people. Our forest of talents must continue to grow. In our next hundred years, let us move forward with shared vision. Let us have the courage to break down walls and live without them. Let us persevere and stay the course. Let us create an enduring heritage for those who will celebrate our University’s second centennial. Thank you.

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Roberto Contro

More than 500 undertaken with the industry since mid 1998

More than 180 partners: MNCs, local enterprises and public sector agencies

Our PartnersOur Partners

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Roberto Contro

3-Esempi significativi

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Roberto Contro

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Roberto Contro

Agency for Science Agency for Science Technology & Research Technology & Research

(A*STAR)(A*STAR)

ORGANISATION STRUCTURE ORGANISATION STRUCTURE OF A*STAROF A*STAR

Biomedical Research Council (BMRC)

Science & Engineering Research Council

(SERC)

Institute of Molecular & Cell Biology (IMCB)Institute of Bioengineering & Nanotechnology (IBN)Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS)Bioprocessing Technology Institute (BTI)Bioinformatics Institute (BII)

Data Storage Institute (DSI)Institute for Infocomm Research (I2R)Institute of Chemical & Engineering Sciences (ICES)Institute of High Performance Computing (IHPC)Institute of Materials Research & Engineering (IMRE)Institute of Microelectronics (IME)Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology (SIMTech)

Ministry of Ministry of Trade & IndustryTrade & Industry

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Roberto Contro

Research Collaborations with

Universities & Hospitals

A*STARA*STAR’’S 9 KEY TASKSS 9 KEY TASKS

IntellectualCapital

Development

IndustrialCapital

Development

A*STAR HQ

BMRC SERC

Collaborating in R&D

with Industry

SharingHuman Capitalwith Industry

ET

Training Graduates and Postdocs

Training RSEs

HumanCapital

Development

Science Outreach to Schools

Sharing R&DResources

with Industry

CommercialisingIntellectualProperty

Creating IntellectualProperty

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Roberto Contro

Arterial diseases like atherosclerosis are the leading causes of death in the industrialized world. These diseases cause a restric-tion of the blood flow by the narrowing or occlusion of the arter-ies. To restore blood flow perfusion to the downstream tissues, in-travascular stents, which are small tube-like structures, are placed

into the stenotic arteries. Nowadays, stent implantation is a com-mon interventional procedure with a high rate of success when compared with angioplasty alone. However, some limitations are still present and the major ones are those associated with the ‘in-stent restenosis’ process. Restenosis occurs when the treated ves-

sel becomes blocked again, usually within 6 months after the initial procedure. Recently the introduction of drug eluting stents (DES) in interventional cardiol-ogy practice seemed to assign bare-metal stenting to a rapid decline. In the DES a polymeric matrix is add-ed to the stent struts that is loaded with a drug which is released after implantation. Clinical trials showed the reduction of restenosis when a DES is used. It has been highlighted that the stent deploy-ment inside an artery has many implications on the stresses and deformations in the arterial wall and hence has an impact on the progression of in-stent restenosis. Moreover, an effective release of the drug from the coating into the wall de-pends on many factors, mainly the stent design, the drug and the coating type. In recent years,

Model of a drug elution coronary stent

Editorial Board GabrieleDubini FrancescoMigliavacca SilviaNecchi TomasoVilla

International student exchange programs are becoming very popular among European Universities. Only a few years ago students hardly used to spend a significant period of their academic syllabus abroad. Nowadays this is a pretty common experience. Indeed, most students, either graduate and postgraduate, take advantage of well established exchange programs such as Socrates/Erasmus and Time. Since LaBS was established in 2000, we have always been keen to take part to students exchange programs. Up to now LaBS has been chosen by ten students from the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and France, while a few more are on their way to join us in Milan. Student exchange programs are advantageous for both the origin and the host Institutions as they help in creating solid opportunities inside Europe and establishing possible joint research subjects. According to the EU endeavour to structure the European Research Area, LaBS warmly encourages its PhD students to spend some months of internship working at foreign Institutions. We hope that this mobility vision will be reciprocated by our partner European Universities.

G. Dubini

news

LaboratoryofBiologicalStructureMechanicsnewsletter-Volume7-n°1-March2006

Francesco Migliavacca has been recently appointed Associate Professor of Industrial Bioengineering at the Department of Structural Engineering of Politecnico di Milano.

Katia Laganà visited the Langer Laboratory of the Division of Health Sciences and Technology of the Massachussets Institute of Technology. She set-up a mock simulator with the bioreactor designed and manufactured at LaBS.

Giuseppe Cevola attended the course “Experimental techniques and modelling of advanced materials” held in Cracow (Poland) on February 6-17,2006 within the Network of Excellence “Knowledge-based multicomponent materials for durable and safe performance”.

Giampaolo Franzoso is spending one year at the Institute of Lightweight Design and Structural Biomechanics of the Technical University of Wien (Austria) under the supervision of Professor Philippe Zysset. His project will deal with mechanical characterisation of vertebral cortical and trabecualar bones by means of nanoindentation techniques.

Politecnico di Milano promoted a new project titled “e-Spine Registry” dedicated to spinal instrumentation. LaBS researchers at Istituto Ortopedico Galeazzi are working to develop a web database (www.e-spineregistry.com) of commercial products used in spinal surgery and containing mainly technical information.

The Life Support System Laboratory of Politecnico di Milano is now allocated inside LaBS. Details on the expertises of the group led by Professors Roberto Fumero and Maria Laura Costantino are reported in the LaBS website.

The 5th European Symposium on Perfluorocarbon Application and Liquid Ventilation will be held at Politecnico di Milano on 17-18 March 2006. Prof. Maria Laura Costantino and Prof. Mario Rüdiger from the Medical University of Innsbruck are the congress chairs.

7th International Symposium on Computer Methods in Biome-chanics and Biomedical EngineeringMarch 22-25, 2006, Antibes, Francehttp://www.cmbbe2006.cf.ac.uk/index.htm

Cardiology in the Young ConferenceApril 19-21, April, 2006, London, UKhttp://www.ich.ucl.ac.uk/ich/html/education/cpdp/apr06/city.html

2006 Regenerate World Congress on Tissue Engineering and Regenerative MedicineApril 24-27, 2006, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USAhttp://www.regenerate-online.com/index.html

ASME Summer Bioengineering ConferenceAmelia Island PlantationJune 21-25, 2006, Amelia Island, Florida, USAhttp://divisions.asme.org/bed/events/summer06.html

5th World Congress of BiomechanicsJuly 29 - August 4, 2006, Munich, Germanyhttp://www.wcb2006.org/

9th International Symposium on Multiscaleand Functionally Graded MaterialsOctober 15-18, 2006, Honolulu, Hawaii, USAhttp://www.fgm2006.elsevier.com/

Model of a reservoir drug eluting stent before (left) and after (right) expansion. The coloured map represents the Von Mises stresses

A classical concert for clarinet was held at LaBS on 3 February 2006 in occasion of the sixth LaBS anniversary. Tom Craeghs, Giovanni Greppi, Pietro della Volta, Xavier Ernst performed music by J.S. Bach and other composers. Erik Verbeke and Tom Craeghs played in duet (clarinet and guitar) comtemporary pop songs. The concert was followed by a buffet lunch attended by LaBS staff and a representative of Faculty professors and technicians, including the Rector of Politecnico di Milano Prof. Giulio Ballio.

www.labsmech.polimi.it

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People and Facts LaBS Life

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POLITECNICO DI MILANO Laboratory of Biological Structure MechanicsDepartmentofStructuralEngineeringPiazzaLeonardodaVinci,32-20133Milanotel.+390223994283-fax+390223994286

http://www.labsmech.polimi.it

In the latest ’80, the Nickel-Titanium alloy (NiTi) was introduced in endodontics: its ability of undergoing great strains (till 10-15%) in loading cycles without showing a permanent deformation (the well known “superelasticity”) suggested to employ NiTi to produce instruments for the treatment of the tooth root canal. Indeed the NiTi files show a higher flexibility than the stainless steel ones. Al-though the use of NiTi instruments is considered the main novelty in the recent evolution of the root canal shaping strategies, up to now a very limited number of numerical and experimental tests have been performed to deeply investigate their performances and drawbacks. In this context, LABS has decided to start a research program in collaboration with Dr. S. Taschieri (Department of Od-ontology - Galeazzi Institute - University of Milan - Italy) that fore-sees the development of numerical model as well as experimental procedure to study the mechanical behaviour of superelastic NiTi rotary endodontic instruments. In the first stage of this research, 3D models of different types of instruments (i.e. ProTaper and Sys-temGT® - Dentsply Maillefer - Switzerland) were created using the software Rhinoceros 2.0 (Robert Mc Neel & Associated, Seattle, WA, USA). The models were meshed into tetrahedral elements using the software Gambit 2.1.3 (Fluent Inc., Lebanon, NH, USA). The com-

mercial code ABAQUS/Standard version 6.5-1 (Abaqus, Inc., USA) was chosen to perform the numerical simula-tions in order to study the influence of geom-etry and material on the files performance. Comparative analyses were performed con-sidering two different constitutive models for the instruments: the NiTi alloy model, developed by the au-thors, and the ABAQUS stainless steel model. Both rotational and

translational movements into a conical and angulated canal were imposed to the files to reproduce the instrument working condi-tions. Contact between the instruments and the dentinal walls were considered. The performed computational analyses high-lighted the expected superiority of NiTi alloy with respect to stain-less steel in terms of flexibility and recovery of the undeformed shape. Also the geometry of the file section plays an important

role in determining the stresses distribution in the body and in the cutting edges area (as shown comparing results regarding the ProTaper and the SystemGT® files). These results are intended preliminary to the design of a new high performance instrument.

computational analyses (both structural and fluid-dynamics) have emerged as a suitable tool to study these phenomena. The importance of establishing which are the main factors influenc-ing the degree of restenosis and how they effect the restenosis is ev-ident. In this perspective a project involving LaBS, Mox (Laboratory of Modeling and Scientific Computing - Mathematics Department – Politecnico di Milano) and LEBSC (Laboratory of Enviromental and Biological Structure Chemistry – Chemistry Department – Uni-versità di Bologna) has been funded by Fondazione Cariplo (Milan).The aim of the project is to develop a possible methodology to investi-gate the coronary mechanical response to stent placement and the re-lease of drug in the arterial wall by means of a computational approach. In particular the research is interested in assessing the influence of different stent designs on the arterial wall stress distribution and on the drug release within the vessel wall. For this purpose the geometries of a coronary artery, a plaque and different commercial stents have been created with the CAD software Rhinoceros) and then discretized for the finite element analysis. In order to model the coronary artery and plaque structural behavior, recently published experimental data have been used to choose the suitable material models and the resulting parameters. The expansion of the stents inside the atherosclerotic coronary artery has been simulated with large deformation analyses by means of the commercial code ABAQUS (Abaqus Inc, RI, USA) based on the finite element meth-od. Afterwards, both the deformed artery and stent geometries have been exported as a points cloud and an appropriate tetrahe-dral finite element grid has been generated using the mesh gen-erator software Gambit (Gambit, Fluent Inc, Lebanon, NH, USA).The stent expansion numerical simulations provide, for instance, the values of radial, circumferential and axial stresses in the artery and plaque. Mass transfer simulations performed on the expanded geometry show that in the early release phase the drug concentra-tion strongly depends on the design of the stent struts. After some days the drug spreads more uniformly inside the wall. The con-centration of the drug decreases relatively fast and nearly no drug is left in the arterial wall at the end of the simulation period of six days. Furthermore, the simulations show that the total amount of

drug in the arterial wall reaches the maximal value of 65% of the drug initially loaded in the coat-ing after 10 hours. These data suggest that, on average, the drug release process is relatively fast in this stent configuration.The numerical investigation of the stent expansion and drug elution seems to represent a valuable tool to collect quantitative information about the efficacy of the drug in-side the arterial wall. Indeed, the visualization of extensive data

such as drug concentration, dose and residence time could provide a better insight for the evaluation and the understanding of the benefit of drug eluting stents. The research project is now focused on drug elution from two different stents: the former is uniformly covered by a polymer-drug and the latter has drug reservoirs inside the stent. Wall stresses, tissue prolapse of the vessel wall within the stent cells and drug concentration at different instants of time are evaluated by using the above described methodolgy. The results of these studies will be presented at the 7th International Sympo-sium on Computer Methods in Biomechanics and Biomedical Engi-neering that will take place in Antibes (France), 22-25 March 2006.

3D models of the PT (left) and GT (right) files.

Simulation of the phases of expansion of a coronaric stent.

LaBS Photo Gallery

Coming soon

Case History

Total Liquid Ventilation

A computational study on NiTi endodontic instruments

Magnitude of filtration velocity in the arterial wall (top) and vector field in the region of a stent strut (bottom)

- contact area is indicated by a black line.

Results from simulations on the ProTaper file considering the stainless steel constitutive model (left) and the NiTi constitutive

model (right).

Results from simulations on the ProTaper (left) and the System-GT® (right) files.

Constitutive models of SMA and stainless steel: stress-strain curves

Arterial diseases like atherosclerosis are the leading causes of death in the industrialized world. These diseases cause a restric-tion of the blood flow by the narrowing or occlusion of the arter-ies. To restore blood flow perfusion to the downstream tissues, in-travascular stents, which are small tube-like structures, are placed

into the stenotic arteries. Nowadays, stent implantation is a com-mon interventional procedure with a high rate of success when compared with angioplasty alone. However, some limitations are still present and the major ones are those associated with the ‘in-stent restenosis’ process. Restenosis occurs when the treated ves-

sel becomes blocked again, usually within 6 months after the initial procedure. Recently the introduction of drug eluting stents (DES) in interventional cardiol-ogy practice seemed to assign bare-metal stenting to a rapid decline. In the DES a polymeric matrix is add-ed to the stent struts that is loaded with a drug which is released after implantation. Clinical trials showed the reduction of restenosis when a DES is used. It has been highlighted that the stent deploy-ment inside an artery has many implications on the stresses and deformations in the arterial wall and hence has an impact on the progression of in-stent restenosis. Moreover, an effective release of the drug from the coating into the wall de-pends on many factors, mainly the stent design, the drug and the coating type. In recent years,

Model of a drug elution coronary stent

Editorial Board GabrieleDubini FrancescoMigliavacca SilviaNecchi TomasoVilla

International student exchange programs are becoming very popular among European Universities. Only a few years ago students hardly used to spend a significant period of their academic syllabus abroad. Nowadays this is a pretty common experience. Indeed, most students, either graduate and postgraduate, take advantage of well established exchange programs such as Socrates/Erasmus and Time. Since LaBS was established in 2000, we have always been keen to take part to students exchange programs. Up to now LaBS has been chosen by ten students from the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and France, while a few more are on their way to join us in Milan. Student exchange programs are advantageous for both the origin and the host Institutions as they help in creating solid opportunities inside Europe and establishing possible joint research subjects. According to the EU endeavour to structure the European Research Area, LaBS warmly encourages its PhD students to spend some months of internship working at foreign Institutions. We hope that this mobility vision will be reciprocated by our partner European Universities.

G. Dubini

news

LaboratoryofBiologicalStructureMechanicsnewsletter-Volume7-n°1-March2006

Francesco Migliavacca has been recently appointed Associate Professor of Industrial Bioengineering at the Department of Structural Engineering of Politecnico di Milano.

Katia Laganà visited the Langer Laboratory of the Division of Health Sciences and Technology of the Massachussets Institute of Technology. She set-up a mock simulator with the bioreactor designed and manufactured at LaBS.

Giuseppe Cevola attended the course “Experimental techniques and modelling of advanced materials” held in Cracow (Poland) on February 6-17,2006 within the Network of Excellence “Knowledge-based multicomponent materials for durable and safe performance”.

Giampaolo Franzoso is spending one year at the Institute of Lightweight Design and Structural Biomechanics of the Technical University of Wien (Austria) under the supervision of Professor Philippe Zysset. His project will deal with mechanical characterisation of vertebral cortical and trabecualar bones by means of nanoindentation techniques.

Politecnico di Milano promoted a new project titled “e-Spine Registry” dedicated to spinal instrumentation. LaBS researchers at Istituto Ortopedico Galeazzi are working to develop a web database (www.e-spineregistry.com) of commercial products used in spinal surgery and containing mainly technical information.

The Life Support System Laboratory of Politecnico di Milano is now allocated inside LaBS. Details on the expertises of the group led by Professors Roberto Fumero and Maria Laura Costantino are reported in the LaBS website.

The 5th European Symposium on Perfluorocarbon Application and Liquid Ventilation will be held at Politecnico di Milano on 17-18 March 2006. Prof. Maria Laura Costantino and Prof. Mario Rüdiger from the Medical University of Innsbruck are the congress chairs.

7th International Symposium on Computer Methods in Biome-chanics and Biomedical EngineeringMarch 22-25, 2006, Antibes, Francehttp://www.cmbbe2006.cf.ac.uk/index.htm

Cardiology in the Young ConferenceApril 19-21, April, 2006, London, UKhttp://www.ich.ucl.ac.uk/ich/html/education/cpdp/apr06/city.html

2006 Regenerate World Congress on Tissue Engineering and Regenerative MedicineApril 24-27, 2006, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USAhttp://www.regenerate-online.com/index.html

ASME Summer Bioengineering ConferenceAmelia Island PlantationJune 21-25, 2006, Amelia Island, Florida, USAhttp://divisions.asme.org/bed/events/summer06.html

5th World Congress of BiomechanicsJuly 29 - August 4, 2006, Munich, Germanyhttp://www.wcb2006.org/

9th International Symposium on Multiscaleand Functionally Graded MaterialsOctober 15-18, 2006, Honolulu, Hawaii, USAhttp://www.fgm2006.elsevier.com/

Model of a reservoir drug eluting stent before (left) and after (right) expansion. The coloured map represents the Von Mises stresses

A classical concert for clarinet was held at LaBS on 3 February 2006 in occasion of the sixth LaBS anniversary. Tom Craeghs, Giovanni Greppi, Pietro della Volta, Xavier Ernst performed music by J.S. Bach and other composers. Erik Verbeke and Tom Craeghs played in duet (clarinet and guitar) comtemporary pop songs. The concert was followed by a buffet lunch attended by LaBS staff and a representative of Faculty professors and technicians, including the Rector of Politecnico di Milano Prof. Giulio Ballio.

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POLITECNICO DI MILANO Laboratory of Biological Structure MechanicsDepartmentofStructuralEngineeringPiazzaLeonardodaVinci,32-20133Milanotel.+390223994283-fax+390223994286

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Roberto Contro