Institution news
Daniel explained his role and involvement in the quest to better effectively fight the problems connected with incontinence, the critical challenges, five to 10 year vision and what he is looking forward to at the event.
Q: Could you briefly explain your role and involvement in the management and treatment of incontinence?
Daniel Yachia (DY): I am an urologist, retired from clinical urology, managing a private medical device incubator (Innoventions Ltd.) developing several of my ideas for the diagnosis and treatment of various types of urine incontinence.
Q: What is the number one challenge in the quest to better effectively fight the problems connected with incontinence?
DY: The “No. 1 Challenge” is to explain that using the general term of “urine incontinence” without telling the kind of incontinence is the wrong approach. Each type of urine incontinence has its challenges that should be taken into consideration when trying to develop a treatment.
Q: What is the most exciting development in this field at the moment, either within your company or in the industry in general?
DY: Unfortunately there are no exciting developments in the field. We are still using the same urodynamic exams developed decades ago (albeit with digitized technologies), better absorbing pads, slings that lost their impact because of their complications, Foley catheters developed in the 1950s, neurostimulations developed 2-3 decades ago, still the same CAUTI, still the same urethral injuries during CSC. Like many researchers, within our incubator we also are trying to find the Holy Grail.
Q: Where do you see developments heading in the next 5–10 years regarding technologies for the treatment and management for incontinence?
DY: Tissue regeneration technologies for reinforcing the pelvic floor/urethral sphincter that will be able to solve at least a part of the anatomical urine incontinence (also faecal incontinence) cases. A device I developed and presented during the 2013 Simon Foundation for Incontinence meeting in Chicago (ContiSphere) will become commercial, hopefully during 2018 to be used in patients who failed SUI surgery and instead of surgery in patients refusing surgery. Further development of the technology may find applications for intravesical drug delivery, urodynamic monitoring, bladder stimulation in a-contractile bladder etc.
Q: What are you most looking forward to by attending and presenting at Incontinence: The Engineering Challenge XI?
DY: Trying to learn from researchers presenting new ideas. Hopefully the two devices I will present will be found to be novel approaches for solving some of the painful subjects (vesicovaginal fistulae, reduce the complications of sling surgery) in the field of urine incontinence.
Find out more
Daniel will be speaking at
Incontinence: The Engineering Challenge XI on 28–29 November in London. Join him and other experts from the University of Leicester, University of Southampton, BASF SE, University College London, Parkinson's UK and more.
Key programme highlights:
- Find out more about how incontinence affects other countries from authors including Queen's University Belfast, Bristol Urological Institute and Innoventions Ltd.
- Discover what the results of capturing and passing on product user experience entails from authors including University of Southampton and University College London
- Learn about the challenge of urinary catheters from authors including University of Brighton, King's College London and CliniMed Ltd
- Hear the challenges associated with measuring and analysis of the condition from authors including Simavita, London South Bank University and the University of the West of England
Understand how bowel concerns come into play from authors including Enteric, Cornwall Foundation Trust and the University of Leeds
For further information, visit the Incontinence: The Engineering Challenge XI event page.