Three NUI Galway start-ups — Feeltech, Nua Surgical, and BlueDrop Medical — are among the 2020 winners of Health Innovation Hub Ireland’s (HIHI ) call for innovative ideas from companies, start-ups, and SMEs. The nationwide health innovation competition is directed at companies which have an innovative product, solution, or service that are at pre-commercial or late development phase with the potential to significantly impact Irish healthcare.
FeelTect’s technology, Tight Alright, is a wireless pressure sensing device for measuring and monitoring sub-bandage pressure during compression therapy, primarily for the millions of people worldwide with venous leg ulcers (VLUs ). Venous leg ulcers are chronic wounds that stem from venous insufficiency, which affects the circulation of blood to the lower limbs. The tiny valves that normally force blood back up towards the heart no longer function, causing blood to pool in the legs, and the veins of the legs become distended, resulting in an accumulation of fluid in the lower limbs.
NUA Surgical is developing Stericision, a novel medical device in obstetrics to make caesarean delivery a safer and superior surgery. The project has received significant support and funding from Enterprise Ireland through the Commercialisation Fund which will assist the team in taking the unmet need from idea through to concept and design development, in preparation for establishing a new MedTech start-up company.
Bluedrop Medical is focused on developing and commercialising an internet of things enabled device which can predict the formation of diabetic foot ulcers. Bluedrop Medical’s device can enable diabetic foot ulcers to be detected early, when treatment is easier and outcomes and costs are greatly improved. The home based system performs a daily scan of the patient’s feet and sends the data to the cloud for analysis through advanced algorithms capable of detecting abnormalities. This technology could enable healthcare providers to prevent hundreds of thousands of amputations, improving lives and significantly reducing costs.
HIHI will now match this year's 15 winning companies with relevant clinical teams, overseeing a study of each product in an Irish clinical setting. These pilot and clinical validation studies provide critical test beds to support Irish companies going to market and can identify any further refinements in the development cycle.
For further information on the winning companies visit https://hih.ie/engage/health-innovations-2020/
