DIAGNOSTIC INSIGHT

What skills do you think IVD companies should be investing in for the future?

BERNSTEIN

I would say that a solid skill that they need to develop is to really pay attention and listen to the marketplace and not to consider the perspective of the organization itself as the be-all and end-all. It is important for product managers, product development professionals and R & D people to stay in touch with consumers, because that is where the pulses of changes are being emitted today.

CHOW

In this business there are three pieces - good science, good business and good medicine. An IVD company has to measure up on all three to be successful.

DUNN

That is absolutely true, we work with some emerging companies and they desperately need marketing talent. Too often we go in and we are dealing with scientists. Sometimes we meet scientists that are brilliant at differentiating their product from the competition. It takes a particular talent on the part of the scientist to understand and appreciate the science and to believe that it is really the best science for the intended purpose. At the same time they have to be able to think beyond the science and be able to explain the science in a way that marketing communications people can take that information and set forth a story for them that presents the science honestly and shows the differentiation. There are a lot of competing technologies among emerging companies, all of them intending to do the same thing. So they really need a scientist that is able to verbalize the attributes of the company's science, to make them meaningful and to make them appear better than a competitive technology.

BERNSTEIN

In summary, and in early stage companies especially, the science is the marketing and it's how they package it that can make the difference.

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