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Healthcare technology

Biomedical/pharma, Cardiovascular, Healthcare technology, Personal/public health

Hearts in space: a Belgian story of successful collaboration

AstroCardia has developed a heart-on-a-chip to study cardiovascular aging… in space! Trials will begin in 2025 aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The MEDVIA project was made possible thanks to the combined expertise of the five Belgian partners: Space Applications Services, the Belgian Nuclear Research Center (SCK CEN), QbD Group, BIO INX, and Antleron.

Jan Rabaey on the convergence of biology and technology

Belgian Prof. Jan Rabaey has spent the past 35 years conducting pioneering tech research at the University of California at Berkeley. His groundbreaking electronics work has been used in a range of modern devices, including the iPad, brain-computer interfaces, and wireless sensor nodes used for the Internet of Things. The ongoing theme of his work has been miniaturization and connection, which he is now using to link technology and people like never before.

Biodevice-CRO: smart solutions for better bioprocessing

Biodevice-CRO is a MEDVIA project uniting three very different, but complementary, Flemish companies: ICsense, Comate, and Antleron. This unique partnership aims to provide life science actors with customizable, modular bioprocess solutions through a collaborative Contract Research Organization (CRO) model. These smart solutions – the biodevice based on an integrated chip, biofluidic cartridge, and functional device – will enable fast-track development of personalized medicines and improved diagnostics.

Byteflies: virtual care solutions for all

Byteflies is on a mission to make virtual care available to all. The Belgian company has developed a platform for remote patient monitoring solutions, to save precious time for healthcare providers, reduce hospitalization costs, and boost the quality of life for patients. The aim is to aid the transition from fragmented to connected healthcare, enabling a continuum of care through virtual solutions.

CoMoveIT: patient-driven mobility solutions for people with complex movement disorders

CoMoveIT is a striking example of how visionary ideas can be turned into life-changing innovations once the right technology becomes available. We spoke with CoMoveIT’s CTO, Sotirios Gakopoulos, about the Belgian company’s unique solution to improve the mobility of patients with complex movement disorders, like cerebral palsy.

Dosing flash radiation for the future of cancer treatment

Flash radiation has the potential to become a revolution in radiation therapy. An incredibly promising cancer treatment that limits the damage to surrounding tissue, it is currently in the pre-clinical stage. MEDVIA-funded project eFlash2D is working to assure that dosing is ready when flash radiation enters clinical trials.

Power to the patient: Conference tackles challenges of medtech innovation

Intressa Vascular secures EUR 18 million in financing to support the development of its multilayer Allay™ Aortic Stent for the treatment of aortic dissection

Intressa Vascular is using its proprietary stent braiding technology to develop an innovative multilayer stent for the treatment of aortic dissection, a life-threatening cardiovascular condition affecting worldwide 300,000 patients annually. The company has secured EUR 18 million in financing with the support of new investors and the Walloon Region. Funds are aimed at clinical studies and product registration purposes.

Picking up early signals: SPINOVIT to prevent cardiovascular diseases with new monitoring method

Preventing cardiovascular diseases before the first symptoms arise? That’s the ambition of SPINOVIT – a Louvain-La-Neuve company using a new biomarker and innovative technology to achieve its goal. A large clinical trial should be finished in 2023, after which the young company’s product will be launched on the market. In the long term, SPINOVIT’s solution could become part of people’s annual blood check-ups.

Beethoven and bone conduction: modern hearing solutions based on old tricks

The famous composer Ludwig Von Beethoven lost his hearing at a young age. To keep composing, he actively looked for a way to compensate for his hearing loss. He managed to find a solution by making clever use of the bone conduction of sound. To this day, bone-anchored hearing aids help people stay in tune with the auditory world around them. Researchers at pioneering company Cochlear Limited in Belgium are actively working on the future of this technology.

Indigo develops device to make light work of diabetes management

Ghent-based Indigo aims to make a huge difference to the quality of life of people with diabetes. The company is developing a device to render the monitoring of blood sugar levels painless and invisible, a major improvement compared to the tools available today. The innovative technology is based on spectroscopy – using light to measure glucose levels through the skin.

Eye implant from iSTAR Medical keeps glaucoma under control

Glaucoma is the leading cause of irreversible blindness, affecting around 100 million people worldwide. Good news though: the innovative implant MINIject – developed by Wavre-based company iSTAR Medical –  has the capacity to prevent progression of the eye disease. The first commercial MINIject implantations are currently being done in Germany, with other European countries to follow soon and a trial in the US underway.

flanders.healthTech launches 14 unique innovation projects in healthcare

Ghent, Belgium, 10 March 2022 – Following the launch of the cluster flanders.healthTech in 2021, the first round of 14 consortia have started working on innovation projects in healthcare. The projects have received a total of EUR 4.7 million in VLAIO support from Flemish Minister of Economy and Innovation Hilde Crevits to help make a difference in the field of technology and innovation in healthcare.

miDiagnostics ultra-fast COVID-19 PCR Test succeeds in Brussels Airport pilot study

Leuven, Belgium, 17 February 2022 - miDiagnostics, a fast-growing POC diagnostics company backed by Belgian Family Offices, announces the success of the Brussels Airport pilot study for its ultra-fast COVID-19 PCR Test. This test is the first of many applications for miDiagnostics’ disruptive technology, licensed from imec (Leuven, Belgium) and developed in close collaboration with Johns Hopkins University. The study confirms that the test can perform rapid and high-quality diagnostics on the spot in a real-life setting, providing travelers with a result within half an hour with the same accuracy as a traditional PCR test.

Listening to chaos: could you control a hearing aid with your brain?

As the number of people struggling with hearing impairment is one the rise, KU Leuven researchers are attempting to develop smart hearing aids that use brainwaves to help users home in on specific conversations, cutting through the noise in chaotic situations like a busy family dinner.