Date
May 14, 2024
The Board of Experts dedicated to Life Science business projects has met on May 14th to evaluate the 10 finalists selected by UniCredit Start Lab.
The board, made up of senior executives and key opinion leaders, saw the participation of:
- Laura Antonioli, Head of Medical Affairs, UCB
- Riccardo Bui, Direttore Generale, Istituto Clinico Humanitas
- Elisabetta Capezio, Head of BD, Alliances & Distributors, Zambon
- Marco Ferrari, CEO, Anemocyte
- Danilo Vulpio, Marketing Manager PNI, Sapio
Exolab Italia has won the first prize, being classified as the best of the 10 startups presented. Exolab Italia is an innovative startup that developed a 100% plant-based technology platform based on plant-derived exosomes extracted from Italian organic agriculture. It develops innovative drug delivery system and produces unique ingredients to revolutionize the cosmetic and nutraceutical market. Tha startup will receive a 10.000 € grant.
Runner-up is RASGenix, a spin-off from the University of Turin, which provides preclinical services focused on oncology drug discovery. Supported by a multinational team of experts, RASGenix is dedicated to validating therapeutic solutions for RAS-dependent diseases.
Third position goes to INTA, a deep-tech startup in the field of diagnostic medtech. The company is dedicated to advancing portable diagnostics for traumatic brain injuries from blood testing and other applications, utilizing innovative and proprietary biosensor technology.
Finally, a Special Mention goes to XSpline, a software medtech company based in Bolzano. As Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy (CRT) still fails in 30%-50% of cases due to challenges in LV electrode placement, Xspline has developed an AI-driven heart mapping solution using ECG and CT scans to enhance CRT outcomes.
All other companies entering UniCredit Start Lab business platforms are:
ADA
A.D.A. (Advanced Drug Administration) is a startup focused on the development of nanomedicine-based inhalation therapies. It employs nanotechnology to improve the tolerability, selectivity and efficacy of drugs currently used to treat chronic lung diseases.
Needleye Robotics
In Europe, approximately 1.5 million prostate biopsies are performed yearly with up to 25% false negatives. Needleye will reduce and even eliminate the error by using artificial intelligence to choose the tissues to sample and a robot to correctly position the needle.
Nterilizer
NTERILIZER® provides products and protocols for liquid nitrogen (LN2) sterilization, which can become accidentally contaminated before use, infecting workspaces, surfaces, cells or tissues. Nterilizer has developed a certified medical device that enables the safe, traceable and sterile freezing of human reproductive cells (oocytes and embryos).
Remedio
Sempli Farma is SME Remedio's brand of customized unit-dose repackaging services of therapies for poly-treated patients. Its long-term objective is to reach a wide network of pharmacies and create a marketplace for services aimed at increasing therapeutic adherence.
Startric
StarTric is developing an implantable medical device to treat the regurgitation of the tricuspid heart valve, a pathology recently emerged as one of the most serious and unmet cardiovascular needs. StarTric's technology is the first to replicate a successful open-heart surgery technique, the Clover, by means of a minimally invasive catheter that eliminates the surgical risks.
TTOP
The mission of TTOP is to provide the next-generation in vitro platform, able to predict human responses to drugs. Its vision is to minimize animal use in research, providing reliable human organs models, towards personalized medicine.