innovation
Move from a need to a testable concept
A collaborative academic concept involving microneedles and optical coherence tomography.
- Role
- Team concept co-developer
- Status
- Academic venture concept
Context and real problem
SanaPen explored an insulin-related lipohypertrophy problem within biomedical-innovation coursework. The project considered whether microneedle and optical-coherence-tomography ideas could form a useful concept worth further study.
Andres’s role
I co-developed the concept and contributed to defining the need, considering stakeholders, mapping the workflow, planning validation, and preparing the venture pitch. These are academic design contributions, not clinical treatment responsibilities.
Collaborators and setting
The work was a team venture within McMaster’s Master of Biomedical Innovation program. The concept depended on shared clinical, technical, and venture perspectives. It was not a product I developed alone.
Methods and tools
The process included need definition, early prototyping, a value proposition, and consideration of regulation and reimbursement. Microneedles and optical coherence tomography were elements of the proposed concept, not technologies whose effectiveness this project established.
Responsibility and safety
A biomedical concept needs evidence of safety, feasibility, and usefulness before it can move toward clinical testing or use. No patient observations, device claims, or proprietary technical detail are needed in this public summary.
Outputs and outcomes
The team developed an academic venture concept and pitch, which received recognition in the MBI program. Clinical validation and regulatory development remain future work.
What I learned
A persuasive pitch and a justified clinical claim are different achievements. The next useful question is what evidence would be needed to test the concept, rather than how strongly it can be described.
Current status and links
SanaPen is described here at the academic-concept stage. The linked professional profile documents the project; a current product-development status or cleared demonstration is not available.