Vall d'Hebron Research Institute (VHIR) hosted a new edition of the Interplatform Health Conference, an event promoted by Nanomed Spain, the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), Fenin, the 3NEO Platform, the Functional Print Cluster and VHIR.

Under the slogan From technology to the patient: accelerating access to the healthcare market, the conference brought together researchers, healthcare professionals, representatives of public administrations, companies and innovation support organisations with the aim of sharing experiences and discussing the factors that make it possible to transform scientific advances into solutions that effectively reach patients.

During the institutional welcome, Dr Anna Santamaria, Director of Scientific Strategy at VHIR, highlighted that "to achieve the translation into clinical practice of all the solutions generated from knowledge, collaboration among all the stakeholders in the sector is essential." Along the same lines, Josep Samitier, Scientific Coordinator of Nanomed Spain, emphasised the cross-cutting nature of healthcare innovation: "We promote collaboration between platforms because we are interested in advancing the innovation process and ensuring that solutions reach the patient."

Regulation, a key element in facilitating market access

The first panel of the conference, moderated by María Aláez, from Fenin, addressed the role of regulation in the development and commercialisation of new healthcare technologies. The participants included Laura Gironès, from VHIR; Luis Huici, from Embega Healthcare; David Marí, from Eurecat; and Glòria Hernández, from the National Centre for Certification of Healthcare Products.

The participants agreed that regulation should not be understood as a barrier, but rather as an essential element to ensure that innovations reach the market with all the guarantees of quality, safety and effectiveness. They also highlighted the importance of integrating regulatory requirements from the earliest stages of development, preventing these aspects from being addressed only when the product is already practically finished.

In this regard, Laura Gironès highlighted that "our success factor is having an integrated vision that combines clinical evidence, regulatory compliance and its application to clinical practice." According to her, incorporating this perspective from the outset makes it possible to reduce time and costs during the development process and facilitates the future implementation of the technology.

For her part, Glòria Hernández warned that many difficulties arise precisely when regulatory requirements have not been taken into account from the beginning. "If regulatory requirements have been integrated from the start, it is highly likely that the project will meet all the requirements when it reaches the final stages. If this is not the case, sometimes it is necessary to start over," she stated.

During the discussion, participants also highlighted the need for companies and researchers to understand from the outset the regulatory pathway that each technology will have to follow. David Marí pointed out that many organisations underestimate the complexity of the certification process for medical devices and that, in many cases, the time required to obtain the necessary approvals is longer than the technological development itself. In turn, Luis Huici stressed that one of the main challenges is transforming a good idea into an industrialisable product capable of being sustainably integrated into clinical practice.

The speakers also agreed that technological maturity not only involves demonstrating that a product works, but also having a robust design, sufficient clinical evidence, defined manufacturing processes and a coherent regulatory strategy before starting the certification process.

The healthcare value chain: a shared effort

The second panel, moderated by Rafael Navajo, Director of Innovation and Business Development at VHIR, focused on the healthcare innovation value chain and the need to coordinate all the stakeholders involved throughout the development process. The panel featured Josep Samitier, from Fraunhofer Spain; Marta Soler, from Nanobots Therapeutics; Dr Àlex Lluch, from Vall d'Hebron University Hospital; and María, representative of the Agency for Health Quality and Assessment of Catalonia (AQuAS).

Rafael Navajo reminded attendees that a good scientific idea alone does not guarantee the success of an innovation. From the very beginning, it is also necessary to define aspects such as the protection of research results, the funding strategy, the business potential and the future route to market.

The participants agreed that the main challenge is not so much identifying a single weak link within the value chain, but rather ensuring that all its links work in a coordinated manner. Marta Soler explained that many start-up companies tend to approach these processes separately, when in fact they should be planned together from the outset. In her opinion, one of the most complex stages continues to be market access and reimbursement processes.

Josep Samitier pointed out that the innovation process is not linear and can originate in hospitals, companies or research centres. Although Catalonia has an outstanding clinical research ecosystem, he warned that further efforts are still needed to strengthen the mechanisms that transform this knowledge into products that reach patients. According to him, the creation of new companies is one of the main ways of achieving this, although it remains a high-risk endeavour.

The discussion also highlighted the need to assess innovations beyond their clinical effectiveness. The participants agreed that it is necessary to analyse their impact on healthcare professionals, clinical workflows, healthcare organisations and the economic sustainability of the healthcare system.

Another of the main topics discussed was the involvement of patients in the development of new technologies. Dr Àlex Lluch recalled that many innovations solve healthcare professionals' needs but do not always meet patients' expectations. "The first thing we need to think about is the main stakeholder, who is the patient," he said. Marta Soler added that this involvement should also be incorporated into the design of clinical trials, since seemingly minor logistical barriers can often determine the success of a technology.

The speakers also reflected on the role of technology centres and public administrations in this process. Josep Samitier argued that technologies developed during research may have applications far beyond those initially envisaged and that identifying these cross-cutting uses represents a major opportunity for innovation. Meanwhile, representatives from AQuAS explained that initiatives such as the Healthcare System Access Programme (PAS) are specifically designed to enable companies, researchers, healthcare professionals and public administrations to work together from the earliest stages of development.

From the laboratory to the patient: the challenges of technology scale-up

The final panel of the conference, moderated by Susana Barasoain, from the 3NEO Platform, focused on the challenges that arise when a technology has already demonstrated its scientific potential and must move towards industrial production and commercialisation. The panel featured Eva Baldrich, from VHIR; Vicente Ruedas, from AIMPLAS; Beatriz Pérez Urbina, from the Government of Navarre; and Miguel Berenguel, from Graphenical.

The participants agreed that the scale-up process requires constant coordination between researchers, clinicians, companies, technology centres and public administrations. Eva Baldrich highlighted that "clinicians must be involved from the very beginning", as they are the ones best placed to validate that the technology addresses a real clinical need.

Vicente Ruedas emphasised that scientific development and industrialisation must progress in parallel. "It is very important to mature the product at the same time as the technology is being developed and to have a strong network of industrial suppliers capable of ensuring its viability," he explained.

For her part, Beatriz Pérez Urbina stressed the need to coordinate all the stakeholders involved, from the healthcare professional who identifies a need to the companies and technology centres that contribute to its development. Miguel Berenguel focused on the challenges of funding and called for greater private investment to help companies grow and consolidate their technologies before bringing them to market.

The session also addressed issues related to intellectual property, manufacturing at scale, clinical validation and the support mechanisms required for innovations to successfully complete their journey into clinical practice.