InnoStars start-ups selected for the Semi-Finals of the 2018 European Health Catapult

EIT Health has chosen the six best healthcare start-ups

EIT Health has chosen the six best healthcare start-ups in the Innostars and RIS regions that will proceed to the Semi-Finals of the 2018 European Health Catapult for the categories of Biotech, MedTech and Digital Health. The European Health Catapult Competition (EHC) is a training and competition platform that awards the best-of-the-best business concepts from medtech, biotech and digital health across Europe.

EHC sources and accelerates 21 European start-ups in biotech, medtech and digital health that get high-quality training in business plan modelling, deal negotiation and pitch training, as well as a facilitated access to top level investors.

The official list of EIT Health Innostars healthcare companies selected to participate in the Semi-Finals of the 2018 European Health Catapult include:

Biotech:

• Kyme Nanoimaging Srl: Produces injectable medical products for Magnetic Resonance Imaging by combining biomaterials with clinically used Contrast Agents (Cas) through a patented nanotechnology platform based on the Microfluidics, which allows a scalable, controllable and continuous production at low cost. KYME formulation guarantees unique properties: the enhancement of the performances of Cas up to 12 times and the improvement of safety for patients. The products aim to make visible anatomical details otherwise not appreciable consequently, ensuring better diagnosis, reducing side effects and widening the range of treatable patients.
• Synoesis Therapeutic LTD: SyNoesis Therapeutics is a start-up biotech with the vision to cure Parkinson’s disease (PD) and other major brain diseases. We aim to capitalize on the potential of a new therapeutic we have patented for PD to be further developed towards being successful in clinical trials and become the first drug to cure it. The therapeutic covers remarkably the major unmet needs of PD in several mouse models and has drug-like properties. We filed a PCT application and we are expressed funding interest by big pharmas. Importantly, we have shown that the therapeutic efficacy of our compound also applies to other major brain diseases. We are currently filing 2 new PCT applications.

Digital Health:

• DrOmnibus: DrOmnibus deals with the creation of modern digital tools that can be used in developmental and neurocognitive disorders, like Autism or Alzheimer. DrOmnibus solution for Autism has scientifically proven effectiveness. Company next steps are the implementation of AI models based on collected data, clinical trials and obtaining the FDA approvel for its first solution for therapy of Autism, as well as further commercialisation on the US market and entering therapy markets of other disorders.
• NeuroPsycad: NeuroPsyAI uses artificial intelligence to identify disease ‘signatures’ of neurodegenerative illnesses in conventional brain scans. As currently 1/3 of cases of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease are mis-diagnosed, this software-as-a-service allows for the timely detection of the two most common neurodegenerative illnesses, for an earlier and more accurate diagnosis (>90%), by clinicians and pharma companies. As the right treatment can thus start earlier, disease progression is slowed and healthcare is more cost-effective. With a served market of 1.3 Million new patients every year (US and EU), and a highly scalable technology, NeuroPsyAI promises to revolutionise mental healthcare.

Medtech:

• RI-TE Radiation Imaging Technologies, Lda: RI-TE is a spin-off company from the University of Aveiro specialised in cost-effective PET scanners for education, training and preclinical research. Thanks to a proprietary intelligent scanning method, RI-TE scanners achieve great performance while reducing complexity and costs by more than 80%, thus enabling a much wider use of this powerful but costly technology. RI-TE is developing two systems of growing complexity, for different segments:
  easyPET – a unique PET scanner for education & training (Universities and Health Schools) – ready to market;
  iPET – the preclinical PET scanner with the best cost-performance (for small animal imaging research centers, CROs, pharma industry) – under development.
• Hydrustent: Every year around 10 million people worldwide need a urological STENT. But did you know that almost 100% of these people develop a bacterial infection within 30 days of implantation? And also, require a second surgery for stent removal? Imagine that we have a product that avoids this. HYDRUSTENT does that! HydrUStent is a biodegradable, anti-bacterial and tailor-made stent which underlying technology has been protecting by a patent. HydrUStent not only reduces the risk of bacterial infection but it also cuts down half the number of surgical procedures reducing the treatment cost by 60%.

The programme will continue with two trainings, one organised by EIT Health, aiming to prepare teams for the EIT Health Summit in Lodz, this December.

• Leuven for Biotech (24 – 26 September)
• Grenoble for Medtech (1 – 3 October)
• Erlangen for Digital Health (8 – 10 October)

The second training, organised by InnoStars, will take place in Lisbon and will prepare teams for the InnoStars final pitch event in November.

Click here to learn more about the 2018 EHC Semi-Finals.

For further enquiries contact:

Nuno Viegas, nuno.viegas@eithealth.eu