Dr. William Ju, M.D. is a board-certified dermatologist who has over 20 years of biopharmaceutical experience in a wide variety of therapeutic areas, including dermatology. He is president and a founding trustee of Advancing Innovation in Dermatology (AID), one of the main collaborators of the IMCAS Innovation Tank session.

On January 8, 2021, AID is organizing the 8th Dermatology Summit, so the IMCAS Editorial team reached out to Dr Ju to learn more about the conference, its key objectives and innovations in dermatology.

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself: What is your specialty? What is AID, and what led you to establish this association?

I am a board-certified dermatologist in the United States, and after my clinical residency training, I also did a basic science post-doctoral fellowship. I then joined the biopharmaceutical industry working in companies that range from startups to some of the world’s largest. In 2011, fellow dermatologists and I co-founded the nonprofit organization Advancing Innovation in Dermatology (AID) to help support product innovation to improve skin health.

2. What is the primary objective of the Dermatology Summit meeting?

The primary objective of the Dermatology Summit is to bring together individuals and organizations who are interested in substantially improving dermatologic health. Specifically, the conference has a goal of strengthening and growing the ecosystem for dermatology product innovation.

3. You are the president of AID hosting the 8th Dermatology Summit. What makes this conference unique in the dermatology world?

What makes the Dermatology Summit unique I think is its dedicated focus on supporting innovation of products and services for skin health. There are of course other excellent meetings, where their emphasis is on different important areas of dermatology, such as on the basic science and clinical aspects. Speakers at our conference include those both from global companies that lead in dermatology and from early-stage companies with new products in development that can have a major future impact. The Dermatology Summit in addition provides a robust venue for networking, collaboration, and business development for advancing dermatology product and services innovation.

4. This is the first time organizing in a virtual format. How has that experience been so far? Are you eager to go back to physical congresses?

Moving the conference to a virtual format is an energizing experience with much to learn and to decide on quickly for adopting the remote technologies and processes associated with them. l have heard from some of our registrants that they feel virtual meetings have valuable advantages, while others say that they are eager to return to an on-location venue. For example, some favor the time and cost efficiency of not having to travel, while others very much miss the opportunity go to different places and get together in person.

5. Why is it important to foster relationships between established and emerging companies in dermatology?

The emerging and established companies both can benefit significantly from partnering with each other. It is not unusual for the earlier stage companies to develop a highly innovative technology, which could be transformative, but would be assessed as too risky by a more established company. However, once such a technology has been de-risked, the early-stage company may not have the resources, operationally or financially, to optimally move the asset forward through the later product development and commercialization stages. Although these principles of beneficial collaborations between established and emerging companies apply to therapeutic areas in general, they can be particularly relevant for dermatology because of the smaller size of the specialty.

6. What are some sessions from the program that you especially look forward to, if any?

I must say I look forward to all of them! We are privileged to have such distinguished leaders sharing their successful experiences and perspectives. I think another important element is the virtual networking technologies we have put in place for the conference, which can be especially important because the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted our usual practices and abilities to interact and conduct business in person at a physical location.

7. AID is a core collaborator of the IMCAS Innovation Tank. Could you say a few words to potential startups to incite them to join the next edition?

Since the IMCAS Innovation Tank began, we at AID have been and continue to be so excited about these events. Innovation can come from anywhere, and the more “shots on goal” for successful results, the better. The Innovation Tank presents a tremendous opportunity for individuals and companies in the earlier stages of the product development continuum. Such a resource for guidance and support is relatively rare for dermatology and for other areas focusing on skin health; and what the Innovation Tank offers is accessible and of superb quality. We enthusiastically encourage innovators and startups who come to AID to also participate in the Innovation Tank, and the IMCAS Innovation Tank winner is invited to present at an AID conference each year.

8. You recently created a Covid-19 incubator. Tell us a little more on what it was about!

The COVID-19 pandemic has and continues to inflict tragic suffering. We have a group of early career dermatologists who partake in an innovation training program called the AID Scholars. Through the COVID-19 Incubator, we offered Scholars the opportunity to take what they learned about innovation theory and to apply it to real world practice. It was also a way to empower individuals to personally take action against the virus.

Several teams formed, and two remain active. One focuses on better characterizing and understanding fundamental deficiencies in tele-dermatology, with a goal of inventing ways that the experience can be dramatically improved for both the patient and the physician. The other team has gone on to form a startup company working to change the doctor’s office model. The objective is to relieve patient anxiety about waiting rooms and to improve the problems in workflow caused by COVID-19. For these efforts, any effective solutions should also aim to be impactful and valuable after the pandemic improves. Another AID Scholar did not take part in the incubator, but she did translate skills she learned with us to form a team in response to COVID-19.

Their invention is a novel, high-grade medical filtration face mask, utilized for personal protective equipment, that reuses surgical instrument sterilization wrap that is typically discarded after a single use. This innovation approaches solving two important problems – providing PPE during a time of shortage and recycling medical waste for environmental sustainability. The team has since founded a nonprofit organization to produce and distribute this product.