CHANDLER, Ariz.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--#AZBW--The Arizona Bioindustry Association will honor Marvin J. Slepian, MD, of
the University of Arizona with the AZBio Pioneer Award for Lifetime
Achievement at the 2017
AZBio Awards. Arizona life science and business leaders, as well as
guests from across the country, will be on hand to applaud Dr. Slepian
for a body of work that has made life better for people at home and
around the world.
The maxim, “If you need to get something done, ask a busy person,” often
has been attributed to Benjamin Franklin. Dr. Slepian is someone
Franklin would have recognized as a kindred spirit.
Dr. Slepian is a cardiologist, inventor, entrepreneur, educator,
innovator and more. At the UA, he serves as professor of medicine,
professor and associate department head of biomedical engineering,
professor of material sciences and engineering, professor of medical
imaging, McGuire Scholar in the UA Eller College of Management and
member of the UA Sarver Heart Center. Dr. Slepian also is the founder
and director of the newly created Arizona Center for Accelerated
Biomedical Innovation (ACABI) – a “creativity engine” focused on novel
solution development for unmet medical needs.
Building on a solid foundation
Dr. Slepian attended Princeton (AB biochemical sciences and science in
human affairs 1977) and received his medical degree from the University
of Cincinnati College of Medicine (1981 AOA). He completed his residency
in internal medicine at New York University–Bellevue Hospital in New
York, where he served as chief resident in medicine; his clinical and
research fellowships in cardiology at Johns Hopkins University School of
Medicine in Baltimore; and his clinical and research fellowships in
interventional cardiology and a research fellowship in artificial organs
at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio. In addition, Dr. Slepian
received post-doctoral training in chemical engineering and polymer
chemistry at Washington University and MIT.
From idea to patient
With a career that spans the spectrum from basic and translational
research to technology transfer, Dr. Slepian exemplifies how keen
clinical observation coupled with solid basic science knowledge and
exploration in the lab can successfully transition to commercial
products that make life better for patients. At the basic level, his
laboratory has focused on three main areas: 1. the role of cell-matrix
interactions in vascular disease, 2. the role of physical forces in
modulating vascular cell and platelet behavior and 3. the utility of
polymeric biomaterials to modulate cell-matrix interactions, as well as
serve as novel therapeutic structural, barrier or drug-delivery
materials. On the translational level, his lab has developed many novel
therapeutic solutions based on polymeric biomaterials that have found
their way into clinical use today, including drug-eluting stent
technologies, stent coatings, “polymer paving,” surgical anti-adhesive
barriers, synthetic tissue and vascular sealants, myocardial
revascularization and cell-delivery methods, and cardiovascular
prosthetic devices, including the total artificial heart.
Dr. Slepian has founded or co-founded several medical device companies,
including Focal (which went public in 1997 and was acquired by Genzyme
Biosurgery in 2001), EndoTex Interventional Systems Inc. (acquired by
Boston Scientific in 2007), Angiotrax, Hansen Medical (which went public
in 2006 and was acquired by Auris Surgical Robotics in 2016), Arsenal
Medical and its spinout company 480 BioMedical, and MC10, which takes
rigid high-performance electronics and reshapes them into human
compatible form factors that stretch, bend and twist to move with the
body. He has been involved with bringing many new devices through the
FDA regulatory process into clinical use, including most notably the
total artificial heart. Dr. Slepian was the founding president of
SynCardia Systems, Inc., and served in multiple roles, including chief
scientific officer, president and chairman for more than a decade.
Today, the SynCardia Total Artificial Heart is the only artificial heart
commercially available in the United States, European Union and Canada
for use as a bridge-to-donor heart transplantation.
Dr. Slepian has received multiple awards for his academic and
translational research and innovation activities, including election as
a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological
Engineering (AIMBE) and the National Academy of Inventors (NAI), and has
been a frequent visiting professor and lecturer in medicine
(cardiology), biomedical engineering and innovation, both nationally and
internationally. He is the author of numerous publications; holds
patents in the fields of vascular biology, thrombosis, polymeric
biomaterials, local drug delivery, medical device development and
artificial organs; is an active reviewer for multiple journals; and is a
consultant for academia, industry and governmental agencies. Most
recently, Dr. Slepian has served as president of the International
Society for Mechanical Circulatory Support (ISMCS), secretary/treasurer
of the American Society for Artificial Internal Organs (ASAIO) and as
annual meeting program chair of both of these societies for 2017.
For a lifetime of leadership, vision and commitment to making life
better in Arizona and around the world, Marvin J. Slepian, MD, is being
honored with the 2017 Arizona Bioscience Pioneer Award for Lifetime
Achievement.
Past recipients of the AZBio Pioneer Award for Lifetime Achievement
include: Dr. George Poste, DVM, PhD, FRC Path, FRS, of Arizona State
University; Gordon Steere for his legacy in developing the Medtronic
Tempe Campus; Roy Curtiss, III, PhD, of the Biodesign Institute at
Arizona State University; David S. Alberts, MD, director emeritus of the
University of Arizona Cancer Center; Raymond L. Woosley, MD, PhD,
chairman emeritus of the Critical Path Institute; and Thomas M. Grogan,
MD, founder of Ventana Medical Systems, Inc.
A ceremony honoring Dr. Slepian will take place at the AZBio
Awards on Oct. 11 at the Phoenix Convention Center.
The AZBio Awards ceremony celebrates Arizona’s leading educators,
innovators and companies. Each year, AZBio honors bioindustry leaders
from across the state of Arizona who are illustrative of the depth,
breadth and expertise of its bioscience industry. The AZBio Awards
ceremony is held annually during Arizona
Bioscience Week. AZBW 2017 was proclaimed by the Arizona Senate
earlier this year. Multiple educational events focused on the value of
life science innovation will take place from Oct. 8-14, including the BMES
Annual Meeting in Phoenix. The Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES)
is the world’s leading society of professionals devoted to developing
and using engineering and technology to advance human health and
well-being. Attendees at BMES 2017 in Phoenix are expected to include
nearly 4,000 professional scientists, engineers, researchers and
students from academia and industry who are leaders in biomedical
engineering.
For registration and more information, go to www.azbioawards.com
For more information on Arizona Bioscience Week, visit www.AZBio.org/AzBW
About AZBio
A key component in Arizona’s life science ecosystem, the Arizona
Bioindustry Association (AZBio) is the only statewide organization
exclusively focused on Arizona’s bioscience industry. AZBio membership
includes patient advocacy organizations, life science innovators,
educators, healthcare partners and leading business organizations. AZBio
is the statewide affiliate of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization
(BIO) and works in partnership with AdvaMed, MDMA and PhRMA to advance
innovation and to ensure that the value delivered from life-changing and
life-saving innovation benefits people in Arizona and around the world.
For more information visit www.AZBio.org
and www.AZBio.TV
Photos available upon request.
Contacts
Arizona Bioindustry Association
Joan Koerber-Walker, 480-332-9636
or
Arizona
Bioindustry Association
Amanda Vega, 480-275-9797
or
University
of Arizona
Katie Maass, 520-626-4083
