FIVE MINUTE INTERVIEW
Regenerative Technology
The Promise of
EMDT’s series of interviews offers personal perspectives on the
diverse and dynamic medical device technology industry.
Here, we talk to Tim Mead.
Q If I wasn’t talking to you right now, what would you be
doing?
A I’ve been developing a modification to the manufacturing process of our Chondromimetic regenerative implant to improve the
consistency of its manufacture. It is quite a change for a mechanical
engineer to be mixing chemicals and analysing mixing and freeze-drying processes. We will be implementing the change soon, so it is
important to characterise the control parameters completely.
Q How did you get into the industry?
A I contacted someone who had been in my course at Imperial
College in London after having been told that he was working for
an engineering consultancy with interesting projects. It was a happy
coincidence that he had moved on to a medical device company
by the time I contacted him, and he introduced me to some of his
colleagues.
Q What is the best thing about your work?
A Working for a small medical device development company
means that there is always plenty of variety in the work that is
needed. In the past three years that I have worked at my current
company, I’ve worked on batch mixing processes, developed an in-depth understanding of freeze drying, prototyped a new minimally
invasive instrument that is now patented, and designed an automated implant cutting system.
Q What do you think is the most important medical device
invention ever?
A An incredible transformation in quality of life and freedom from
pain can be achieved through the use of prosthetic joints such as
hips and knees. My family are a bionic lot, with a collection of four
joints of varying types spread across three generations. Obviously
I am now working to delay or remove the need for these types of
joints; however, they currently play a tremendous part in many
people’s lives.
Q What should people give more attention to?
A It is easy to get sucked into devoting a huge amount of
effort into work, especially in small companies. Without taking
Tim Mead is Process Development Manager
at TiGenix, a regenerative medicine
company headquartered in Belgium.
He is based in Cambridge, UK.
tel. + 44 1223 437 475
e-mail: tim.mead@tigenix.com
www.tigenix.com
a conscious choice to observe limits, personal and family life
can easily be pushed aside. Although this is necessary for everyone
at times, we all need to pay attention to our own limits, based
on circumstances that shift regularly, and not simply “go with
the flow.”
Q What is the most exciting development on the horizon?
A Working in a regenerative medical device company, the most
exciting development that is likely to affect us directly is just over
the horizon. This will be when, through drug treatment or cell
therapy, the human body can be stimulated to regenerate good
quality tissues to recover from debilitating conditions such as
osteoarthritis.
Q What do you want from your suppliers
A The two essential aspects that I value when working with any
supplier are honesty and commitment. To build a trusting relationship it is essential that suppliers are honest about their capabilities
and their ability to meet the requirements, and that they commit to
realistic deliverables, which they then achieve!
Q What are your goals in the coming 12 months?
A Within the next five months our single use minimally invasive
procedure pack will be launched onto the European market. This
provides a simpler and easier-to-use instrument set than current
reusable instruments. To achieve this, we need to work with a
variety of subcontract suppliers and ensure that all the necessary
validated parts arrive together for packing. Following this, we
are planning to evaluate several critical manufacturing steps to
improve process efficiency. 1
