Three prizes worth a total of PLN 200,000 went to the winners of the third edition of the Huawei Startup Challenge. They are the creators of innovative solutions that have the potential to revolutionize health care. The winning projects involve monitoring sleep apnea, diagnosing damage to the pelvic floor muscles that can occur during childbirth, and a solution that could significantly reduce the time it takes to develop new drugs.
Medical startups awarded
Published March 30, 2023 12:18
Finał III edycji Huwaei Startup Challenge | fot. Piotr Wójcik
The main prize, a check worth PLN 100,000, went to the developers of the Clebre sleep breathing disorder diagnostic system. Using a sensor taped to the neck, it collects data on how a patient breathes and how he or she behaves when sleeping. The sensor collects and analyzes breathing sounds, heart function, motor activity and body position. According to the project's co-developer, Professor Wojciech Kukwa, who is an ENT specialist, Clebre is a sensor that allows, among other things, to detect and count episodes of snoring and apnea and shallow breathing. Normally, performing such an analysis currently requires spending at least one night in the hospital.
- We split our device into two paths: medical and non-medical. For the latter, we already have a final version of the device and a working mobile application. The next step is to produce a short run of the device with non-medical certification as wearable equipment. We want to use it in a few specific projects. We don't want to waste time exclusively reaching the medical certification stage. This process takes a long time and is expensive," stresses Prof. Wojciech Kukwa.
The cost of producing the device in a short series in Poland is about PLN 600. In a large series it would be much lower.
Second place and a check worth PLN 60,000 went to the startup OASIS Diagnostics, which is the creator of the ONIRY medical device, designed to diagnose perinatal injuries. The device, aided by machine learning algorithms, is designed for medical personnel to examine women giving birth by force. The developers have patented both a disposable probe and apparatus for assessing pelvic floor muscle damage, as well as the method itself.
- Our technology has been in development for five years. We are at the stage of European certification. We hope to enter the market by the end of the year. We are also starting US certification. As a first target, we have chosen private service from European hospitals and large academic public centers. They have a very similar innovation implementation pattern. However, we want the solution to ultimately be universally available to every woman and distinguish not individual hospitals, but the quality of perinatal care in a country. The cost of a single device is €10,000," says Dr. Katarzyna Borycka, specialist in general surgery and proctologist, CEO of OASIS Diagnostics.
The award, worth PLN 40,000, was received by PioLigOn, which has developed a computer algorithm for the rapid design of unnatural peptides. This is in response to the need to develop efficient computational (in silico) methods for peptide drug discovery. The platform created by the startup is a combination of computational chemistry and compatible chemical synthesis. It allows drug prototypes to be designed faster and in an environmentally friendly manner.
At the Huwaei Startup Challenge's final gala, an audience award was also given. It went to Uhura Bionics, developers of an artificial, electronic larynx prosthesis for people without vocal cords.
