Five Swiss health-tech startups head to BioAsia2020

Swissnex India is organizing the second edition of the Indo-Swiss Healthtech Week from 17th to 19th February with the objective to present cutting-edge technologies and innovation in healthcare from Switzerland in India. A delegation from Switzerland comprising startups, academia, and innovation centers will visit India to engage in dialogue on the latest trends, opportunities, and challenges associated with health tech. The event also serves to catalyze collaboration in education, research, and innovation.

A part of the weeklong event, the Swiss delegation will also participate in BioAsia2020, one of Asia’s largest life sciences conferences and Switzerland is the official country partner. Five startups will be exhibiting Switzerland’s excellence in innovation to more than 2500 life sciences experts as well as explore the Indian market for internationalization.

The five startups are:

Cellestia AG – the EPFL Spinoff built is developing first-in-class cancer drug based on its innovative discovery platform. According to Rajwinder Lehal, CSO of Cellestia, the startup aims to win partnerships with local pharma companies and investors as well as to leverage India’s capabilities in molecule synthesis and set grounds for toxicological studies.

Bottmedical AG – the spin-off from the University of Basel is applying the polymer thin-film technology for the development of its natural bio-based material for dental alignment and a unique ultra-thin nanosensor technology as a cure for sleep apnea. Bottmedical seeks to evaluate the Indian market to understand the potential for bio-based polymer technologies.

Noul – has developed miLab, a portable fully automated diagnostic device for malaria, designed to provide a point-of-care platform that allows for consistent and automated blood sample preparation with just one drop of finger-pricked blood. Noul wants to understand malarial prevalence in India, to meet with potential buyers in hospitals or research centres and to assess business opportunities with potential distributors.

ARTIDIS – The University of Basel spin-off developed a nano-needle to probe tissue samples to detect malignancies under three hours, and with higher accuracy than current technologies. ARTIDIS’ objective is to learn about clinical and patient needs and explore new diagnostic and treatment optimization opportunities based on nanotechnology with clinicians in India.

PeriVision – the spinoff from the University of Bern’s ARTORG Innovation Center aims to help prevent blindness caused by glaucoma. The startup strives to create eye care that is affordable and accessible for everyone by leveraging Virtual Reality technology into daily clinical practice. Their patent-pending deep learning algorithms drastically cut down examination times. The company is interested in market validation and winning of research and distribution partners, as stated by Jan Stapelfeldt, a Senior Research Engineer at ARTORG Innovation Center.