The unlock_ Incubation program introduces a new cohort of visionary thinkers and doers. This new group is ready to shape the world of tomorrow with boundary-breaking startups. Time to introduce them!
Genlumina
Current cancer treatments face challenges like high costs, severe side effects, and variable success rates, straining patients and healthcare systems. The demand for personalized, precise, and flexible treatments, along with the need for cosmetically favorable outcomes, drives innovation. Moreover, global access is limited by the necessity for advanced equipment and specialized training. That’s why Donny de Bruin, Dirk Bouwmeester and Gerco Kabier founded Genlumina. Their treatment, based on DNA nanotechnology, represents a new generation of precision oncology solutions, effectively targeting cancer at a competitive cost. Leveraging light, our method aligns with current and future imaging technologies, enhancing automation, outcomes, and global accessibility for patients.
Axite
One in four people suffers from a neurological disorder without an easy way to continuously monitor it. Current methods require time-consuming and costly clinic visits for assessments not conducted in a natural setting, using games or questionnaires that don’t directly relate to daily functioning.
Their solution enables users to track brain activity and cognitive performance in real-life situations by combining EEG data with smartphone usage. This approach covers various brain functions like focus, speed of thought, and alertness. By comparing this data with a large healthy brain activity database, Axite can identify significant changes.
Secuped
About 25% of diabetes patients develop foot ulcers, which may take over a year to heal and lead to amputation in 10% of cases. Despite guidelines recommending temperature monitoring to prevent 30%-90% of ulcers, its complexity hampers effective implementation. Secuped offers a service for remote patient monitoring that alerts patients and healthcare professionals to early signs of foot ulcer onset. The system includes home-use hardware and cloud-based analysis, facilitating timely interventions such as rest or off-loading insoles.
Rehealth
The rising demand for home care, coupled with a shortage of professionals and increasing costs, calls for efficient solutions like remote patient monitoring systems and integrated medical devices to manage care processes. With Rehealth, Kadir Uguducu and Ibrahim Tolga Agim create a comprehensive patient monitoring platform, that integrates medical devices for efficient remote and on-site monitoring, automating patient tracking and screening, and supporting clinicians with real-time patient data.
Airoxbio
Seasonal influenza vaccines have a low and variable efficacy that require yearly updates. Despite vaccination, there are ~1 billion influenza cases causing 290-650K deaths every year. No vaccines exist that broadly protect against pandemic influenza strains, which are a constant global threat. Harmjan Kuipers, Roland Zahn and Börries Brandenburg have developed a novel influenza vaccine concept that induces broadly reactive antibodies against a conserved region of the virus. It aims to robustly protect against seasonal and pandemic influenza strains without the need for seasonal updates, and can be stockpiled for the next influenza pandemic.
Triangle Therapeutics
Metastasis, the spread of cancer to other body parts, significantly complicates treatment. Cancer cells can invade nearby tissues and spread to distant organs via the bloodstream or lymphatic system, forming secondary tumors. This complexity often diminishes therapy effectiveness. Vincent Lit, Gijs Ruijgrok and Arian Khoshchin are looking for another way. Heparanase inhibitors are promising in fighting metastasis by targeting the enzyme crucial for cancer spread. By blocking heparanase, they hinder the breakdown of the extracellular matrix, limiting cancer cells’ migration and invasion. Studies indicate these inhibitors could also make cancer cells more receptive to other treatments, boosting therapeutic effectiveness.
VitaScope MS
In the biotech realm, real-time analysis often falls short, leading to costly oversights. This innovative solution introduces non-invasive monitoring and improves cultivation and product quality while minimizing failures, ultimately driving down operational costs. Leveraging advanced off-gas mass spectroscopy, they enable continuous monitoring and employ dynamic cultivation strategies to improve product quality at a fraction of the usual cost. Moreover, VitaScope MS’s proficiency in interpreting complex process data empowers us to optimize efficiency and efficacy like never before. We introduce: Paul Spelt, Gerben Stouten and Mathijs Martens.
StemX Bio
In early diabetes drug development, researchers often use 2D cell cultures or animal models, which poorly replicate human biology. This discrepancy can result in overlooking viable drugs and investing in ineffective ones, raising drug development costs. Thus, there’s a strong demand for in vitro screening methods with better predictive value to lower these costs. Jane Spirkoski and Elena Naumovska from StemX Bio are developing 3D in vitro models that better mimic human biology to transform preclinical testing with a precise, ethically responsible alternative. Their microtissues, mirroring human pancreatic islets, facilitate high-throughput screening in 96 and 384 well formats, streamlining drug testing and boosting diabetes research efficiency. This aligns with the shift towards minimizing animal model reliance in drug development.
KNR Biotech
Research is slow, costly, and often distracted by non-scientific tasks such as recruiting and training staff. Lab automation offers significant potential to streamline scientific challenges but faces its own obstacles, including lengthy implementation, high costs, and limited flexibility due to coding expertise requirements. Matthijs van Herwijnen, Ruben Huis in ‘t Veld, and Koen Marijt from KNR Biotech are solving this by providing liquid handler installation, calibration, and maintenance for lab automation, along with software that enables rapid implementation. The affordable service is designed for most labs and is supported by expertise, ensuring the liquid handler meets your specific needs.
1NA
1NA aims to enhance readiness for life’s unforeseen disruptions, such as pandemics and incurable genetic conditions. A recurring challenge is the sluggish and costly drug development process, especially concerning rare DNA-related disorders where treatment efficiency and toxicity are intertwined. Eugen Ostrofet and Alex Genov’s solution analyzes drug effects on DNA processes like replication, repair, and transcription through single-molecule measurements in vitro. This provides early insights for informed decision-making in drug development, potentially leading to repurposing or combination therapies, especially during emergencies. Their unique integration of nanofabricated devices enhances high-speed drug screening throughput.