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In a panel session on medical electronics Thursday morning (Jan. 8th) at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Howard Jay Chizek, a professor of electrical engineering at the University of Washington, posed—as one futuristic possibility in medicine—a scenario in which one doctor simultaneously directs robots doing several routine surgical procedures on different patients, without even washing his hands between operations.

These and other medical advances are within reach, according to the members of a panel called "Your Robot Will See You Now," except for one overshadowing issue: who pays and how.

In the foothills of the Valley, Mir Imran personifies the cusp between high-tech and biotech. At 52, Mir has founded over 20 medical device companies, holds over 200 patents and is perhaps best known for his pioneering contributions to the first FDA- approved Automatic Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator.

Parallel entrepreneur Mir Imran, CEO of InCube Labs, has launched twenty companies - at times simultaneously. He shares his solutions-focused expertise and identifies the vitality and growth of the biomedical healthcare vertical.

2007 IEEE Dallas - Emerging Technologies for Healthcare and Quality of Life

Mir Imran keynote speaker at Johns Hopkins University during BioMedical Engineering Design Day.

Funds Will Advance Clinical Development of Novel Therapies for Aneurysms That Cause Hemorrhagic Stroke

Combined Company Chooses Name of Nfocus - Emphasizing Focus on Neurovascular Interventions

OEM AGREEMENT FOR WORLD’S FIRST CONVERTIBLE ULTRASOUND™ PLATFORM

Leading Medical Firm First to Offer Revolutionary Zone Sonography™ Technology to Japanese Market

Intel is the big Kahuna now, but Texas Instruments is all over the digital future

Intrapace, Inc., a medical device company developing an implantable gastric stimulator for the treatment of Obesity, announced today that it completed a $30 million series D financing

There may be no better way to get a broad, deep view of what's happening in medical electronics than to sit down over coffee with Mir Imran. An inventor with more than 200 patents to his credit, Imran describes himself as a "parallel entrepreneur," working on several projects at once and spinning out one new startup a year, on average. He is best known as one of the developers of the automatic implantable defibrillator, but his work spans imaging, wireless and artificial organs as well as three successful startups in security.

Hospira, Inc. , one of the largest hospital products manufacturers in the United States, announced today that it has completed its acquisition of Physiometrix, Inc. , a Massachusetts-based developer of non-invasive medical devices. Hospira announced plans to acquire Physiometrix in June for approximately $23 million in cash plus the repayment of the company's bank debt of approximately $1 million.

Security screening innovator SafeView Inc. has added three new investors to its syndicate as it closed a $16 million second round of venture funding intended to support the company’s expansion as it begins to install its products in airports.

Intrapace, Inc. Completes Oversubscribed Series C Funding. The Company is Developing Electrilca Pacing Technology to Address the Epidemic of Obesity

Developing Innovative Homeland Defense Technology

VidaMed's TUNA® System Strengthens Medtronic's Position in Urological Market

The Boston Scientific Corporation agreed to buy the Cardiac Pathways Corporation for $115 million in cash to add to its line of products that treat abnormal heart rhythms.

Combination will fuel Leadership in Interventional Embolic Protection Devices

Six years ago, the stent-a metal scaffold the size of a ballpoint-pen spring-transformed the care of heart patients, creating a $2 billion product for several big medical companies. Now, another tiny device appears poised to have a similar impact, in part because it may prevent potentially serious complications caused by the stent.

St. Jude Medical Inc. said yesterday that its Pacesetter subsidiary would acquire Ventritex Inc. in a stock swap valued at $505 million. Ventritex, based in Sunnyvale, Calif., is a leading maker of implantable heart defibrillators, which are small devices that deliver a jolt of electricity to stabilize a racing heart.

Ken Rusk remembers the first time the titanium box in his abdomen did what it was supposed to do -- deliver an electric shock to his heart. It felt like being kicked in the chest by a horse.

A Food and Drug Administration advisory committee recommended approval of Ventritex Inc.'s heart defibrillator for controlling abnormal heart rhythms. The device, the Cadence V-100 implantable defibrillator, is Ventritex's primary product. It emits regular electrical impulses to pace the heart and sends electrical shocks of varied strength to correct irregularities.