This article profiles EDAM Leaders for Technical Industries (LTI) doctoral student Isa Santos.  Isa Santos, MIT
Isa Santos is a PhD student from the MPP Doctoral Program in Leaders for Technical Industries (EDAM). She has an academic background as a mechanical engineer and a master degree in Industrial Design by the University of Porto. Having product development and biomedical devices as her major areas of research interest, she is developing her thesis under the topic “Concept selection in the development of medical devices”. Between September and December 2010, she visited MIT to obtain the necessary tools to develop a new methodology. How did you learn about MIT Portugal and what motivated you to apply for the LTI PhD of the MIT Portugal Program? After finishing my master’s, one of my supervisors (Prof. João Tavares) told me about the program. I wanted to pursue a PhD, but needed to make sure I wouldn’t lose contact with the industrial environment. This program seemed to fit my personal and professional goals perfectly. What is your research project about and what you hope to achieve? My first goal was to develop a smart stent-graft, but this wasn’t enough because I could do it at any company. So, I reviewed the literature and realized that there isn’t much about the development of medical devices, which to me was a surprise because the healthcare a complex industry! Now, I proposed to create a methodology to develop medical devices that considers not only economic factors but also social factors and the multiple regulations. The smart stent-graft will be one of my case studies. Regarding the development of the stent-graft, it is intended to identify the users and their needs, present concepts that meet the identified user’s needs, and select a concept using the methodology being developed. So far, we have identified patients and doctors as users. To know what they want, we have prepared a survey. To divulge these surveys we have contacted several doctors and hospitals, but to have a bigger diffusion we prepared a blog (http://sensecardiohealth.wordpress.com/), which will be used to present the results of the research. Thus far, we do not have an industrial partner. Doctors from Hospital de São João, Porto are collaborating with us as well as the Sociedade Portuguesa de Angiologia Vascular to gather data. What are the major benefits of this project on peoples’ lives? In one hand, I will develop a method to select concepts based on the product’s expected cost and benefit. This can help to reduce product development costs. On the other, a new medical device whose main users will be men over 65 years will be created. Since population is aging and, at the same time, is seeking for better quality of life, we can expect a big impact! How do you see this area evolving in the future? Healthcare is highly regulated and the regulations vary from country to country. I believe that this will change in the future; governments will try to standardize the regulations. How you think this kind of research projects/ international partnerships can contribute and cause impact in Portugal’s economic development? The smart stent-graft will provide information regarding the behavior of the aneurysm after the introduction of a stent-graft. Thus far, doctors still do not know what happens. The new medical device can revolutionize the treatment of aortic diseases. With a smart stent-graft, patients would no longer need to perform imaging exams that are expensive and potentially harmful. Furthermore, patients would be all the time “connected” with their doctors and, in case of a complication, the response would be faster. Thus, the new medical device could improve patients’ quality of life and reduce costs for the health care system. How was your experience at MIT? In September, I went to the MIT to conduct part of my research. Finding a house wasn’t easy but, after a long week living in a hostel, I was accepted in a residence and lived inside the campus. My first impression about America was the size: everything is big. The MIT facilities are good and there are some services that facilitate our work, for example, the library finds for us the best books about a specific topic. Another service that I think is important is the writing center; we can schedule an appointment and review our technical papers and presentations with an English teacher. | 
