Three startups contest for the Swiss Medtech Award

The annual Swiss Medtech Award recognises outstanding achievements in the Swiss medical technology industry. The jury evaluates the candidates in a two-stage process according to the criteria: patient benefit, advancements in healthcare, and pioneering technological spirit. Between five and seven companies make it to the shortlist, and three move on to the final. This year the prize increased from 50,000 to

Of the 20 companies that applied for the 2022 competition, only three outstanding startups made it to the finale to contest for the CHF 75,000 prize. The winning team will be announced and honoured at the annual Swiss Medtech Day, the most important event of the Swiss medical technology industry.

The finalists are:

AlveoliX AG – Lung-on-Chip System to improve drug development processes
The Bernese startup aims to make «Organs-on-Chip» the new standard for preclinical decision-making to accelerate the development of new drugs, offer alternatives to animal testing and, in the long term, create new model systems for the field of personalised medicine. It combines technology and human biology to create a model resembling the human organ microenvironment more closely than others. AlveoliX’s technology is used to evaluate drug safety and efficacy during preclinical development phases and help pharmaceutical companies decide more quickly whether or not to proceed with a «drug candidate». It supports the evolution of better and safer medicines for patients, the advancement of personalised medicine, and helps reduce or replace animal testing.

Biospectal SA – Blood pressure management via smartphone
High blood pressure affects 1.4 billion people, making it the number one chronic disease worldwide. Keeping it under control presents a major challenge. The Lausanne-based biosensor software company has developed Biospectal OptiBP, a smartphone app and data platform that makes remote, omnipresent, and accurate blood pressure monitoring and management a reality. With a simple finger’s touch to a smartphone camera, anyone can transform their mobile into a medical-grade blood pressure monitoring solution – anytime, anywhere. Biospectal OptiBP is the only validated, software-only solution that meets ISO 81060-2 international standards for blood pressure monitor accuracy.

Healios AG – Smartphone technology to monitor the neurological functions of multiple sclerosis patients
The Basel-based company collaborated with the Research Centre for Clinical Neuroimmunology and Neuroscience (RC2NB, division of University Hospital Basel) to develop the CE- marked DreaMS smartphone technology for patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). DreaMS is an app-based programme that assesses patients’ neurological function as they perform their daily activities. It focuses on areas that typically cause MS patients difficulties, such as movement, dexterity, cognition, and vision. The smartphone app collects data from the individual’s smartphone, which is then analysed by algorithms to calculate digital metrics.

(Press release / RAN)