The „Health Tech of the Week” initiative was created to promote interesting Polish and international solutions that have the potential to revolutionize the medical market, and in doing so, impact the health and comfort of thousands of people. A similar idea inspires the creators of the Institute of Mother and Child’s „Mother and Child Startup Challenge.”
The Mother and Child Startup Challenge is a prestigious international competition organized by Poland’s Institute of Mother and Child in cooperation with hospitals. It connects public healthcare entities with the private sector to revolutionize medical services. The initiative aims to promote creativity and support the development of innovations in the area of women’s and children’s health. In this edition, 51 companies from around the world are competing for the opportunity to implement their innovative ideas in six public hospitals in Poland. The submitted innovations focus on diagnostics, prevention, and treatment of women’s diseases and pregnancy-related conditions, as well as in every area of pediatrics. Solutions aimed at improving hospitals’ administrative and organizational processes were also submitted.
The initiative’s goal is not only to highlight the best ideas and support their creators but also to seek solutions to the many problems and challenges faced by the healthcare system. In previous editions, participants addressed issues such as information overload, staffing shortages, too short consultation times, and common health problems such as cervical cancer, depression, and anxiety disorders in children and adolescents.
Participants present their revolutionary ideas and products to prominent medical authorities and business experts. For startups, this is a unique opportunity to gain financial support, mentorship, and to grow their business. For larger companies, it is a chance to test their solutions in a real hospital environment.
Participants are competing not only for the prize of having their innovations implemented in operational hospitals but also for substantive and material support. The competition also provides the opportunity to build valuable business connections and gain new skills.
After learning about innovative projects aimed at improving care for mothers and their children, I was impressed by the growth in this sector and the opportunities it offers. After several months of analyzing the submitted projects, the jury has selected 10 of the most promising innovations, which I am excited to present on this blog.
The goal of this startup is to create a universal analyzer for personalizing complex therapies, including the treatment of sepsis in intensive care units.
The analyzer allows for fast, inexpensive, and precise measurement of sepsis markers and drugs at the patient’s bedside. It also enables real-time monitoring of administered drugs, increasing treatment efficiency and minimizing the risk of severe complications.
EFM has created „Mudisocard,” a measurement system that allows for expanded ECG diagnostics. Thanks to this device, doctors can quickly and comprehensively assess a patient’s heart and lung condition non-invasively.
Through telemedicine analysis based on proprietary algorithms, the system enables immediate detection of comorbidities, such as COPD or heart failure.
“Mudisocard” registers three signals from the human body: 3D ECG (vectorcardiography), 3D bioimpedance, and chest auscultation (sound signal).
The company FunkBIOTICS has created „KARVADERM” – an antiseptic dressing in the form of a hydrogel membrane. It utilizes natural substances like carvacrol and thymol, providing effective antibacterial protection, and chitosan, which stimulates wound healing.
The product is intended mainly for the treatment of hard-to-heal and infected wounds but can be used wherever accelerated healing is needed, such as postoperative wounds or in aesthetic medicine.
MEDVOICE is not just a diagnostic tool but a comprehensive platform that supports doctors in improving care quality and minimizing the risk of medical errors.
The platform enhances communication between the doctor and patient and reduces the time spent on administrative tasks. Additionally, it offers functionalities such as treatment plan recommendations, drug prescriptions, test orders, ICD-10 coding templates, real-time transcription, visit summaries, and integration with EHR systems.
NanoCarbon Group has developed CardioGuard™, a nano-ECG shirt that enables continuous and precise monitoring of the cardiovascular parameters of both the mother and fetus. With CardioGuard™, pregnant women can be continuously monitored without frequent hospital visits, significantly improving their comfort and safety.
The benefits include: precise and stable monitoring of health parameters akin to Holter monitoring, comfortable use during daily activities and physical rehabilitation, and integration with cardiomonitors and other ECG systems available on the market.
Omnidermal has developed „WoundViewer,” the first fully automatic, portable device for precise measurement and clinical classification of chronic wounds. The device automatically measures the wound in 3D, classifies it using three different clinical scales (WBP, TIME, and TEXAS), and detects infection using thermal imaging.
Additionally, the device includes a complete digital clinical folder and an API system that enables integration with hospital IT systems.
Semi Robotics’ flagship product is FIDI, an automated feeding robot designed to provide greater independence to people who have difficulty eating on their own. Powered by artificial intelligence, FIDI adjusts to the individual needs of users.
It stands out for its full autonomy and user-friendly touchscreen interface. The robot responds to the growing demand for devices that support the elderly and disabled.
SynDiag has developed OvAi, a medical device software powered by artificial intelligence aimed at the early diagnosis of ovarian cancer. OvAi consists of OvAi Focus, which detects ovarian cysts in ultrasound images, and OvAi X, which aids differential diagnosis using virtual biopsy technology. OvAi X predicts the exact histological class of a tumor, providing essential information for treatment.
OvAi X has been clinically validated in 500 cases, showing 79% accuracy in predicting histological classification, compared to 77% achieved by gynecologists in the same study.
UES is a SaaS software for analyzing diagnostic ultrasound recordings. It analyzes three basic projections and automatically detects the probability of congenital heart defects in newborn echocardiograms, indicating the presence or absence of CHD.
It is AI-powered with machine learning, offering scalability potential for newborn screening globally at low implementation costs.
Uhura Bionics’ mission is to combat social exclusion and restore communication capabilities with innovative solutions such as VOXFLOW AI, an advanced voice amplifier powered by artificial intelligence that enhances and amplifies the user’s speech in real-time, enabling free communication even in cases of complete voice loss.
The solution is dedicated to individuals with atypical speech, such as those with voice disorders, laryngectomy, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, or Down syndrome.
We will learn who the winner of this edition is in a month. However, all these initiatives are worth highlighting and presenting to a wider audience. I look forward to following their further development and achievements in the coming years.
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Stay tuned to the “Health Tech of the Week” series, where we will explore more fascinating stories from the world of medical technologies that are changing the face of healthcare. If you are leading an innovative project in the field of new technologies and medicine or would like to recommend an interesting solution, feel free to contact us at: [email protected].
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