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Collaboration will Create Disruption in Regenerative Medicine – Yeah!

On Wednesday, May 9th, at York University, I had the opportunity to hear Dr. Michael May speak about the work he is doing in the area of stem cell research and regenerative medicine.  From the progress made to date, it is clear that within our lifetime we will indeed see the disappearance of the need for bone marrow and organ donors, as well as the market introduction of cures for diabetes, Alzheimer’s and other diseases.  From the sounds of it, Dr. May’s team will play a large role in this.

Why?  Obviously he is doing amazing work.  But so are hundreds of other biochemists.  The reason he is more likely to succeed is related to what Clayton Christensen calls creative disruption.

One of the main reasons many scientists conduct research is for the discoveries that can change processes, industries, lives.  Although such findings have the potential to disrupt how things have “always been”, they do not – not on their own in any event – fit into Christensen’s disruptor definition of innovation.  

According to this way of looking at business strategy, the “true disruptive power of an innovation lies not in the technology itself, but in the business model surrounding that technology.”  In Dr. May’s case, he has done an outstanding job of creating a collaborative model that brings together business thinkers, funders, scientists and companies that can invest in and profit from the breakthroughs. 

In one simple move he has managed to get competitors to collaborate to maximize funding potential and shorten the path to bring good products to market.  That move is the creative disruption that will lead to use seeing real cures in our lifetime.

Kudos to Dr. May.  To learn more about the network and his inspiring work, please check out the Centre for Commercialization of Regenerative Medicine in Toronto, Canada. 

When he spoke, Dr. May quoted Abraham Joshua Heschel who said, “The beginning of awe is wonder, and the beginning of wisdom is awe.” He also said, “Knowledge is fostered by curiosity; wisdom is fostered by awe.”  So in awe of both the medical and business break throughs, I wish you a week in which your curiosity leads to acquire more knowledge.

Jane-Michèle

 

P.S.  If you’re interested in reading an interesting article on how to be a disruptive scientist, please go to: http://bit.ly/IRqlFq.