AlveoliX AG, Biospectal SA et Healios AG have reached the finals for the coveted Swiss Medtech Award 2022. The three companies emerged victorious from a field of around twenty competitors. The finalists have reason to celebrate as the prize money has been increased from 50,000 to 75,000 Swiss francs this year. The original sponsors, the Lichtsteiner Foundation, Straumann Group and Ypsomed have now been joined by Sonova Group. The winner of the prestigious award and cash prize will be announced at Swiss Medtech Day on 14 June in Bern.
Following recent hearings conducted by the jury, three finalists have now been chosen to compete for this year’s Swiss Medtech Award: AlveoliX AG is entering the final race with a «Lung-on-Chip» system that improves the development of pharmaceuticals, Biospectal SA is competing with a smartphone application that measures blood pressure, and Healios AG has made it into the finals thanks to a smartphone technology to monitor the neurological functions of multiple sclerosis patients.
For Peter Biedermann, Managing Director of Swiss Medtech, the finalists’ achievements are shining examples of the digitalisation megatrend that is impacting the entire medtech industry. «Progress in digitalisation is so rapid that regulation can no longer keep up. We also need reimbursement models for digital health applications to fully maximise the benefits they offer to patient care.» Jury President Prof. Mirko Meboldt, ETH Zurich, praised the achievements of the three finalists, saying «Based on their research results, these companies have combined clear entrepreneurial vision and interdisciplinary collaboration to create products that set standards and have the potential to conquer world markets».
The impressive achievements of the three finalists
AlveoliX AG – Lung-on-Chip System to improve drug development processes:
The Bernese start-up aims to make «Organs-on-Chip» the new standard for preclinical decision-making in order 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. Its success is based on combining technology and human biology to create a model resembling the human organ microenvironment more closely than others to-date. AlveoliX’s technology is used to evaluate drug safety and efficacy during preclinical development phases, as well as 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 also helps reduce or replace animal testing. More about AlveoliX AG
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. More about Biospectal SA
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 DreaMS smartphone technology for patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). DreaMS is an app-based programme which assesses patients’ neurological function as they perform their daily activities. It focuses on areas that typically cause MS patients difficulty, 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.More about Healios AG
About the Swiss Medtech Award
Swiss Medtech launched the Swiss Medtech Award in 2018. The CHF 75,000 prize – sponsored by the Lichtsteiner Stiftung, Sonova Gruppe, the Straumann Gruppe and Ypsomed recognises outstanding achievements in the Swiss medical technology industry. The jury, chaired by Prof. Mirko Meboldt ETH Zurich, evaluates the candidates in a two-stage process according to the following 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. The winning team is announced and honoured at the annual Swiss Medtech Day, the most important event of the Swiss medical technology industry.
