CHF 40,000 for Startups Developing a Cell Level Ophthalmology, Soft Implantable Electrodes and 4D Microsurgical Patient Simulator
26.06.2020
EarlySight, Neurosoft Bioelectronics, and SurgeonsLab Teams win the second stage of Venture Kick’s financial and entrepreneurial support. Their innovation help doctors detect and treat eye diseases at an early stage, clinicians to better brain monitor epilepsy patients and hospitals achieve the accuracy and detail required to train microsurgery.
1.jpg) |
 |
 EarlySight's CEO Timothé Laforest and CTO Mathieu Kunzi
|
|
 Neurosoft Bioelectonics's founder Nicolas Vachicoura
|
|
 SurgeonsLab CEO Fredrick Johnson Joseph and CMO David Bervini
|
|
EarlySight: Precise monitoring of retinal diseases
(venturekick.ch/earlysight)
According to WHO, 81% of visual impairment could be avoided if diagnosed and treated early. Many ocular diseases (e.g. AMD, glaucoma) are starting with the degeneration of the retina cellular structure which is invisible to current examinations. With EarlySight, CEO Dr Timothé Laforest and CTO Mathieu KUNZI's team is developing a medical device to help doctors detect and treat eye diseases at an early stage thanks to precise measurements of the eye condition. Their instrument is able to observe and quantify the retinal cells and provide a ten times more precise image of the retina than the actual standard of care. According to ophthalmologists, it will greatly improve the diagnosis and treatment follow-up by providing objective pieces of evidence of the disease progression. They plan to use the funds of Venture Kick to communicate on the results of the clinical trial, in order to obtain written interests on the technology and pre-orders of the instrument.
Neurosoft Bioelectronics: Soft Implantable Electrodes
(venturekick.ch/Neurosoft)
Current clinical devices are too stiff compared to the soft
(venturekick.ch/Neurosoft)
Current clinical devices are too stiff compared to the soft
and curved tissues of the body, thereby hindering their physiological dynamic motion. EPFL's Dr. Vachicouras (PhD) , Ludovic Serex (PhD) and Mr. Fallegger (MSc), founders of Neurosoft Bioelectronics, have adapted semi-conductor microfabrication processes to create implantable and personalized soft implants that seamlessly interface with tissues and provide better solutions to clinicians and patients. These implantable medical devices can be used for diagnosis and therapy of various diseases, by targeting the brain, the spinal cord, peripheral nerves, or other organs such as the heart or the gut. Their first product, a subdural electrode that can record and stimulate the brain, is used for the brain monitoring of epilepsy patients, and for intra-operative neuromonitoring during brain surgery. They are exploring other medical applications to leverage their technology. The Venture Kick funds funds will cover trips to KOLs and industrial partners, as well as consulting fees for regulatory strategy and market analysis.
SurgeonsLab: 4D Microsurgical Patient Simulator
(venturekick.ch/SurgeonsLab)
Due to the fragile nature of neurovascular pathologies like Intracranial aneurysm (below 0.2 mm wall thickness) and to the complexity of the disease, the morbidity of microsurgery is not negligible. For neurosurgeons, this means they need to be trained and prepared well in advance while operating such critical cases. Fredrick Johnson Joseph and Dr. med. David Bervini from Inselspital, Bern created SurgeonsLab to produce patient-specific training models for trailing microsurgical procedures and interventions pre-operatively. The 4D microsurgical simulator serves as a pre-operative training tool to generate known treatment strategies by letting the surgeons trail and practice surgical procedures several times before operating on the real patient. Such a way the treatment planning is definitive, and it helps the hospital save surgery cost and patient’s life without morbidity. The physical models used in the simulator are patient-specific and compatible with the existing clinical workflow in any Hospital. A fully functional prototype solving the unmet clinical need was built and was validated by 25 neurosurgeons from different parts of the world. The seed fundraised through the Venture Kick program will be used for customer acquisition, market exploration and to scale up the production unit.
(venturekick.ch/SurgeonsLab)
Due to the fragile nature of neurovascular pathologies like Intracranial aneurysm (below 0.2 mm wall thickness) and to the complexity of the disease, the morbidity of microsurgery is not negligible. For neurosurgeons, this means they need to be trained and prepared well in advance while operating such critical cases. Fredrick Johnson Joseph and Dr. med. David Bervini from Inselspital, Bern created SurgeonsLab to produce patient-specific training models for trailing microsurgical procedures and interventions pre-operatively. The 4D microsurgical simulator serves as a pre-operative training tool to generate known treatment strategies by letting the surgeons trail and practice surgical procedures several times before operating on the real patient. Such a way the treatment planning is definitive, and it helps the hospital save surgery cost and patient’s life without morbidity. The physical models used in the simulator are patient-specific and compatible with the existing clinical workflow in any Hospital. A fully functional prototype solving the unmet clinical need was built and was validated by 25 neurosurgeons from different parts of the world. The seed fundraised through the Venture Kick program will be used for customer acquisition, market exploration and to scale up the production unit.