Volumina Medical, Parithera and PeriVision win Biopôle Funding

Biopôle's Start-up Fund will support Volumina Medical, Parithera and PeriVision. The initiative, which includes up to CHF 90,000 of support per year for up to three consecutive years, aims to stimulate innovative and promising projects in the life sciences. The fund is designed to help cover the costs of leasing, R&D and key services. In 2022, CHF 460,000 was awarded to startups.

Innovative biomaterials for regenerative medicine

Volumina Medical is led by Amélie Béduer, an entrepreneur in the field of medical devices for plastic and reconstructive surgery. The team of six are developing a platform of highly innovative biomaterials for regenerative medicine based on rigorous research performed at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL).

The innovative character of the technology and the quality of the supporting scientific data particularly impressed the Biopôle Start-up Fund committee and this award builds on the investment given by Clinique La Prairie, a corporate partner of Biopôle, in 2021.

‘With the support from the Biopôle Start-up Fund, we will be able to acquire new equipment for the production of our medical device,’ says Amélie Béduer, CEO of Volumina Medical.

Towards Early Detection of cancer treatment resistance

Aiming to bring the first reliable diagnostics to detect cancer treatment resistance early, Parithera has created an innovative integrated platform that identifies circulating tumor cells (CTCs) that have detached from a solid tumor and are travelling in the bloodstream. Currently, over 90% of patient deaths are due to treatment resistance, so minimally invasive diagnostics are needed to enable medical professionals to adapt treatment, making it more effective when tackling resistant tumors. Through nano- and microfluidic technology, the team of two has created a process to analyze and process very small samples, providing key information to drive new treatment strategies.

What captured the Biopôle Start-up Fund committee’s interest was the elegance of the technological approach integrating complex microfluidic systems for single-cell analysis from blood biopsies. This could allow unparalleled advancements in cancer management for treatment-resistant tumours.

Antoine Herzog, CEO and Co-founder of Parithera said: ‘The outlook of having a positive effect on people’s lives is highly motivating. The assistance given via the Biopôle Start-up Fund is invaluable to us, supporting our goal of finding medication that overcomes resistance.’

Next gen monitoring to save vision

Taking a state-of-the-art approach to challenges in the field of vision, PeriVision combines AI, VR and the cloud to build next-generation systems to understand visual function. PeriVision’s system will allow earlier detection and more efficient monitoring of eye conditions with the goal of preventing blindness. The company’s initial focus is glaucoma, a chronic eye disease leading to irreversible blindness. Worldwide, 80 million people are affected by this incurable condition. The young Lausanne-based company wants to reimagine glaucoma diagnosis and monitoring by making visual field testing much more patient-friendly and cost-efficient. As a previous participant of the Vanguard Accelerator programme in 2022, PeriVision is keen to finalize and bring to market its first health technology solution. Future products will include AI-based diagnostics and patient management tools to optimise treatment pathways and further virtual eye tests beyond visual field testing. This clarity of vision and the defined roadmap for the company’s business plan were key factors in the Biopôle Start-up Fund committee’s decision.

Patrick Kessel, CEO, commented: ‘We’re thrilled to continue to be supported by Biopôle – via the Start-up Fund, the mentors and the outstanding ophthalmology expertise in the Lausanne area. We are now looking forward to finalizing our solution and helping patients and clinicians worldwide via our offering of different functional eye tests and AI tools.’

For Patrick Kessel, the fund's "no strings attached" nature is very attractive. It allows his company to finance a clinical study in the US and regulatory consulting.  Currently, PeriVision is raising a seed round with private investors to accelerate our platform development (additional eye tests, diagnostic algorithms etc.) and prepare its market launch in the US and CH in Q1 2024. 

Twelve startups supported already 

Launched in 2021, the Biopôle Start-up Fund has supported a diverse selection of organizations, including Genknowme, Novostia, Alithea Genomics, Adaptyv Biosystems, Testmate, Atinary and biped.ai. Biopôle’s CEO, Nasri Nahas, said: ‘We can’t wait to see what happens for our three new companies in the coming months and years.’

Including Volumina Medical, Parithera and PeriVision, Biopôle Start-up Fund supports today 12 impact-driven life sciences startups. Companies interested in this opportunity can find all the information they need and apply via the Biopôle Start-up Fund portal.

(Press release / ES)
Picture on top: Biopôle’s CEO, Nasri Nahas, Amélie Béduer, CEO of Volumina Medical.