Rapid diagnostic test platform (abioSCOPE) by Abionic
Abionic specialises in providing rapid diagnostic tests which function at close proximity to the patient (Point-of-Care Testing). According to the jury, this technology could revolutionise in-vitro diagnostics.
The rapid diagnostic test platform features a revolutionary nanotechnology-based process: patient samples such as blood, saliva, or urine can be tested for more than a dozen biomarkers in just five minutes and then, if necessary, clinical decisions can be made based on the test results. This convenient and practical device can be used at the point of care – at the bedside, in the pharmacy, at the scene of an accident, or in an ambulance.
Sepsis – commonly known as blood poisoning – is one of the most frequent causes of death worldwide. It is an inappropriate reaction of the body to an infection whereby the body’s defence system not only damages the pathogen, but its own organs as well. A quick and reliable diagnosis is crucial, as each hour without antibiotic treatment increases risk of death by 8%. The Abionic rapid test searches the blood sample for pancreatic stone protein, a biomarker produced by the pancreas in response to sepsis.
Company: Abionic SA
Foundation: 2010
Headquarter: Lausanne VD
Lung-on-Chip System to improve drug development by AlveoliX
AlveoliX aims to make organs-on-chips the new standard for preclinical decision-making and the leading alternative to animal experiments
AlveoliX provides advanced in-vitro models, called Organs-on-Chip. These models are used to better predict human responses in preclinical drug development and to gain more insight into human biology.
The combination of engineering and human biology is the success factor for creating a model, that more closely resembles the human organ microenvironment than standard models. Our technology is used to evaluate drug safety and efficacy during preclinical drug development to allow pharma companies to take a quicker decision on whether or not to proceed with a molecule. It contributes to the development of better and safer drugs for patients as well as to the advancement of personalized medicine. In addition, the use of our technology in drug development will help to reduce and replace unneeded animal testing in the future.
Company: AlveoliX AG
Foundation: 2019
Headquarter: Bern BE
Finalists 2022
The Optical Revolution in Blood Pressure Management by biospectal
Anyone in the world with a smartphone can turn their device into a connected, smart, clinical-grade blood pressure monitor – anytime, anywhere.
Hypertension affects 1.4bn people worldwide, making it the #1 chronic condition. Keeping it under control is a challenge. Biospectal OptiBP is a smartphone application and data platform that enables frequent and intelligent blood pressure tracking via a fingertip applied to a camera lens of a connected mobile device.
Biospectal OptiBP empowers people worldwide with a medical-grade solution that integrates directly into the ubiquitous smartphone already in their pocket or Biodisc on their bedside table, enabling instantaneous blood pressure measurement and monitoring, anytime and anywhere. Biospectal OptiBP enables always connected patient and remote monitoring. Biospectal OptiBP is the only validated, pure software solution that meets the ISO 81060-2 international norm for accuracy for blood pressure measurement device. No other blood pressure monitoring and management device on the market offers both the convenience and medical-grade accuracy of Biospectal OptiBP.
Company: Biospectal SA
Foundation: 2017
Headquarter: Lausanne VD
Pioneering digital biomarkers in neurology by Healios
dreaMS smartphone technology meets the need for remote monitoring of patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) to support precision medicine
DreaMS helps people diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (PwMS) and supports neuroscience. DreaMS is an app based suite of challenges that assess the patient’s neurological functioning while performing daily life activities and focuses on areas where PwMS typically experience impact of their disease, such as movement, dexterity, cognition and vision.
The smartphone application captures sensor data from the patient’s smartphone which are then interpreted by regulated algorithms to calculate digital measures. Standard of care comprises an annual clinical examination and EDSS score at a hospital or clinic. DreaMS offers more objective, precise and frequent monitoring combined with convenience for patients who can perform these tests at home using standard devices. DreaMS is developed in collaboration with the Research Center for Clinical Neuroimmunology and Neuroscience (RC2NB) which is part of the University Hospital of Basel. The program received support from Innosuisse.
Company: Healios AG
Foundation: 2012
Headquarter: Basel BS
Shortlist 2022
Shortlist 2022
Change breast cancer diagnostics for good
b-rayZ AG – b-rayZ is transforming breast cancer diagnostics through their revolutionary AI ground-breaking technology for faster and better diagnoses. Using this solution, assessment of image quality can be carried out close to the mammography unit directly after image acquisition. Their success is driven by a commitment to save women’s lives with breast cancer early detection.
Cinna – Improve your oral hygiene
Bottmedical AG – Cinna is the world’s first and only dental splint made from plant-based materials. Apart from the obvious benefit of the micro plastic free material, the invisible brace also revolutionizes how you care for your teeth. The material of the patent protected Naturaligner loads with natural antibacterial substances that react with caries bacteria – cinnamon being one of its main ingredients – and thus leads to a healthier oral environment.
matrix® No Abutment. No Cement. No Limits
TRI Dental Implants Int. AG – The matrix® is the first dental implant system approved for restorations directly on the implant without the use of an abutment. This unique implant concept has been designed for the digital workflow. With the matrix® implant system dental clinics worldwide will embrace a new level of simplicity with unique benefits such as faster, easier, more predictable and cost-effective treatments - all available with local workflow (chairside and labside) milling.
Swiss Medtech Award 2021
Scewo – Mobility redefined
thE power wheelchair SCEWO BRO moves people AND also inspires a change of thinking in society
Young, dynamic and full of fire – this is Scewo AG. Their story begins in 2017, when Scewo AG was founded as the result of a student project at ETH and ZHdK. With their team of 30 people, the founders are on a mission: «Rethink, change things and combine technologies in new ways. Thanks to our electric wheelchair, we create independence and flexibility in the lives of people with limited mobility.»
Scewo are driven by the shared vision of making intelligent mobility accessible to all. The power wheelchair Scewo BRO, not only moves people, but also inspires a change in thinking, both in the med-tech industry and in society. Futuristic, aesthetic, and functional – this is Scewo BRO, the world’s only electric wheelchair that combines driving on two wheels and climbing stairs.
Company: Scewo AG
Foundation: 2017
Headquarter: Winterthur ZH
Finalists 2021
GalvoSurge - the implantcare company
Finally: Tough bacteria layers can be removed from dental implants. GalvoSurge invented a completely new and highly efficient cleaning approach!
GalvoSurge has developed a patented, highly efficient cleaning system that uses the principle of elec-trolysis. The system can thus quickly, gently and effectively remove microorganisms (biofilm) from ex-posed dental implants anchored in the jaw bone. This is an essential prerequisite for successfully treat-ing patients with peri-implantitis or peri-implant mucositis.
Just two years after its founding in 2015, GalvoSurge entered into an exclusive partnership with one of the world’s leading dental implant manufacturers. In the fall of 2020, the system was very successfully launched on the market in Europe. The goal is to obtain approval in the U.S. for next year. Thanks to outstanding medical technology suppliers, we can manufacture the product in Switzerland with an added value ratio of 90%. We are currently transferring the same technology to dental implant prophylaxis and will transfer it to traumatology and orthopedics at a later point in time.
Company: GalvoSurge Dental AG
Foundation: 2015
Headquarter: Widnau SG
Radiolucent spinal implants for spinal tumour diseases by icotec
icotec’s mission is to give spinal tumour patients more quality of life and to bring them back to life, thanks to radiolucent, high-strength implants
Patients benefit not only from the stabilization of the spine, with high-strength material, but much more in the time after the surgical procedure. Thanks to the radiolucency of the implants, the planning and application of radiotherapy can be greatly simplified and improved. The greatest advantage lies in the early detection of still active tumour cells through optimized imaging. Icotec has developed a new generation of implants that is a game-changer in the treatment of spinal tumour patients.
Since its foundation in 2000, the company, headquartered in Altstätten (SG), has become the global market leader in this field. The non-metallic, radiolucent BlackArmor® developed and produced by icotec is made of high-strength carbon fibre-reinforced material, is radiolucent and has been successfully used in clinical applications for over fifteen years.
Company: icotec ag
Foundation: 2000
Headquarter: Altstätten SG
Shortlist 2021
Shortlist 2021
DomoSafety – The Future of Home Care in Europe
DomoSafety home care services allow seniors to stay at home as long as possible with a good quality of life. The artificial intelligence of DomoSafety is able to detect specific emergency situations and worrying short to long term behavioural patterns in real-time and automatically alerts the healthcare eco-system surrounding the senior.
EarlySight – Imaging the Retina
EarlySight is developing a breakthrough eye fundus camera able to image the retina in a highly detailed way up to single cell level. The instrument can observe the tissue degenerative process associated with retinal diseases and detect its first signs, enabling early diagnosis and treatments.
Leica Microsystems – Neurosurgery Microscope with augmented reality fluorescence
GLOW800 is a surgical microscope accessory used in viewing intra-operative blood flow in the cerebral-vascular area and bypass grafts during coronary artery bypass surgery. It is typically used in Neurosugery to allow surgeons to see the fluorescence as an augmented reality overlapping the vessels in which blood is flowing while keeping the view of the surrounding anatomic environment of the surgical site.
Swiss Medtech Award 2020
Winner 2020
eyeWatch System by Rheon Medical & coat-X
Revolutionizing the surgical treatment of glaucoma
The eyeWatch system is the world’s first adjustable system for treating glaucoma. It features a non-invasive adjustment mechanism that allows for a simple and accurate control of the intraocular pressure (IOP).
Working like a faucet, the eyeWatch system is made with a rotatable magnetic disk that selectively compresses a deformable tube. To protect this magnetic disk against body fluid, both ventures worked together to optimize and validate Coat-X’s innovative multilayer coating solution. This magnetic disk can be adjusted to modify the fluidic resistance in the eye and consequently, change the patient’s IOP. Thanks to the eyeWatch Pen, this adjustment can be performed with few simple gestures; non-invasively and in an atraumatic manner at any time peri- and post-operatively.
Clinical data have shown that the clinical benefits of the eyeWatch system are numerous: diminution of complications such as hypotony and corneal damages, or reduction in medication.
Patient’s IOP can now be managed more safely and effectively, preserving what is the most essential, their sight.
Company: Rheon Medical & Coat-X
Foundation: 2011 & 2016
Headquarter: Lausanne VD & La Chaux-de-Fonds NE
Finalists 2020
Directional Deep Brain Stimulation by aleva neurotherapeutics
Aleva uses Swiss-made MEMS technology to significantly improve therapies for neurological disorders
Aleva has developed a life-changing Parkinson’s therapy that has been clinically demonstrated to improve clinical outcomes. Founded at the EPFL, the company developed a MEMS-based brain stimulation electrode. Its initial clinical studies were conducted at the Inselspital in Bern and were reported in leading international journals.
Aleva’s next generation Directional Deep Brain Stimulation System sets a new gold standard for improving patient outcomes in Parkinson's disease. Its patented Directional Deep Brain Stimulation methods decrease the side effects associated with the therapy while improving clinical benefits. The company has received CE-Mark and has now entered the European market. In parallel, Aleva has submitted for FDA clearance and will begin its US study shortly.
With Aleva technology, Neurosurgeons and Neurologists will benefit from faster, more accurate surgeries and decreased follow-up visits, while patients will benefit from an improve quality of life.
Company: Aleva Neurotherapeutics
Foundation: 2008
Headquarter: Lausanne VD
LaparoS™ by virtamed
LaparoS™ is the next generation in laparoscopic training, adding General Surgery to the portfolio of specialties simulated by Zurich-based VirtaMed.
VirtaMed is the world leader in medical training using mixed reality simulators for minimally invasive diagnostic and therapeutic interventions in orthopedics, urology, ob/gyn and general surgery. Combining virtual reality graphics with original instruments and anatomic models for realistic tactile feedback, VirtaMed partners with medical societies, medical device companies and teaching institutions around the world.
LaparoS™ synthesizes decades of experience in evidence-based laparoscopic simulation, adding VirtaMed’s expertise in creating medical training equipment with the latest advances in virtual reality graphics and haptic interfaces. By focusing on providing motivational competency-based training, LaparoS™ opens the door to a new era of surgical simulation.
Launched in the current pandemic, VirtaMed first brought the LaparoS™ to university hospitals across Switzerland, with residents improving their skills in expert-led workshops using Swiss-built technology.
Company: VirtaMed
Foundation: 2007
Headquarter: Schlieren ZH
Shortlist 2020
Shortlist 2020
OptiBP: Anytime, anywhere blood pressure measurement via the fingertip on the smartphone camera
Biospectal’s OptiBP™ makes anytime, anywhere blood pressure measurement possible by using optical signal processing algorithms to measure blood flow non-invasively via the fingertip on the smartphone camera. The information is converted into blood pressure values using their breakthrough Optical Blood Pressure Algorithms (OBPM) developed in collaboration with the Swiss Center for Electronics and Microtechnology (CSEM).
NosoCheck: Reduce healtcare-acquired Infections by providing accurate diagnostic tests
GaDia is a Swiss startup developing innovative, patented rapid in vitro diagnostic (IVD) tests to screen nosocomial diseases. 15 minutes to discriminate fungal infections from other sepsis causes. This rapid and predictive in vitro diagnostic (IVD) test discriminates fungal infection (eg. candidemia) from others life-threatening healthcare-acquired infections.
Ex vivo normothermic liver perfusion provides the means to treat donor grafts outside the body
Within the Liver4Life project, a novel perfusion technology to keep a liver viable and functional outside of the body for one week has been developed. The custom-built perfusion machine acts as an artificial body, closely mirroring its main functions, thereby ensuring physiological blood conditions for an extended duration within the machine.
Swiss Medtech Award 2019
Winner 2019
The HEARO Procedure by CAScination
Now the robot takes on the ear!
The ‘Ode to Joy’ has been the anthem of the European Union since 1985. But on the occasion of the first performance of the ninth symphony in May 1824 – from which both versions are derived – they had to turn the maestro towards the audience as he was unable to hear its frenetic applause: Ludwig van Beethoven had been deaf since the age of 27. Today, the pioneer of romanticism would be in the good hands of the CAScination specialists: the leader in navigation solutions for open liver surgery and tumour ablation has now developed a robotic system for Cochlear implantation, a surgery involving the insertion of an electronic hearing prosthesis that restores hearing in the profoundly deaf.
Company: CAScination AG
Foundation: 2009
Headquarter: Bern BE
Finalists 2019
Go-2 by Onward Medical formerly knows as GTX medical
A world first: walking again thanks to TESS therapy
Every year some 250,000 people fall victim to a spinal cord injury. Of those, 53% suffer paraplegia (paralysis from the waist down). This motivated Professor Grégoire Courtine from the Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL), together with Professor Jocelyne Bloch from the Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) to develop a high-precision technique for stimulating the spinal cord. After just a few months of training, patients are now able to control leg muscles that had previously been paralysed even without electrical stimulation. Thus the spin-off GTX Medical was born.
Company: Onward Medical SA
Foundation: 2014
Headquarter: Lausanne VD
alfapump® by Sequana Medical
The liver, seat of life
Just how important the liver is for the human body has been known since ancient times, when Mediterranean cultures regarded it as the seat of life. Archaeological finds from Mesopotamia, ancient Greece and the Etruscan civilization of central Italy show that people believed they could discover the will of the gods and gain a glimpse of the future by examining the surface of the liver. Patients with advanced cirrhosis of the liver caused either by alcohol or by viral hepatitis suffer from ascites, a build-up of fluid in the abdominal cavity. Suddenly intestinal bacteria are able to spread into the ascites intact and proliferate there. This is known as spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, and is generally fatal if left untreated. However, the alfapump® from Sequana Medical NV is now changing all that.
Company: Sequana Medical NV
Foundation: 2006
Headquarter: Zurich ZH
Shortlist 2019
Shortlist 2019
CARLO® (Cold Ablation Robot-guided Laser Oteotome) by Advanced Osteotomy Tools
CARLO® is the world’s first medical tactile robot that can cut bone without contact using cold laser technology. CARLO® enables autonomous osteotomies . The «cold» ablation laser allows contact free cutting. The device cannot «bend» and the laser ensures sterility. Functional cuts enable primary stability (free shape geometry osteotomies) and debris free and cold osteotomies result in better vascularization and undamaged tissue. The laser offers advantages compared to mechanical instruments (real time analysis of tumorous tissue, digital workflow).
Home Stethoscope Telemedicin by MyStetho
MyStetho is an intelligent stethoscope with a patented interactive breath guidance algorithm, that helps users easily record quality breaths and supports breaths analyses using artificial intelligence. The original plan was to use the product for human medicine. Instead, it has turned out that the demand in veterinary medicine is high, as many animals show health weaknesses in the cardiopulmonary area due to their breeding. Human application is also still being pursued and is to be the company’s next development step.
Swiss Medtech Award 2018
Winner 2018
The Ava Bracelet by Ava
Helping women track their cycle
Ava‘s Fertility Tracker helps women who want to become pregnant. The wristband sensor measures a woman‘s body temperature and eight other physiological parameters at night and determines her fertile days. The user-friendly product is already successful in the US and Europe. Over ten new pregnancies are registered every day. The start-up also develops solutions to prevent and detect complications, has several branch offices worldwide and will engage over 100 employees by the end of 2018.
Company: Ava AG
Foundation: 2014
Headquarter: Zurich ZH
Finalists 2018
IBDoc Calprotectin Heimtest für CED Patienten by BÜHLMANN Laboratories
Laboratory tests brought home to the patient
BÜHLMANN Laboratories AG has developed a smartphone-based rapid test. For the first time, patients with chronic bowel disease can take their own measurements at home. They can efficiently monitor any inflammation and discuss therapy with their doctor accordingly. Costs for unnecessary treatments and endoscopies can also be saved. In 2018 «IBDoc®» is used by 2,000 people worldwide.
Company: BÜHLMANN Laboratories AG
Foundation: 1976
Headquarter: Schönenbuch BL
Restorative pulmonary heart valve by Xeltis
A matter vital to the heart
Xeltis has developed an artificial heart valve that ulates the body to rebuild a replacement one on its own. The implant is gradually absorbed while the tissue is being restored. Millions of children worldwide can be helped with this natural approach. This innovative method allows for faster healing and reduces the number of further risky operations.
Company: Xeltis AG
Foundation: 2006
Headquarter: Zurich ZH
Shortlist 2018
Shortlist 2018
Medipack SSB Sealed Skin Blister by Medipack
MEDIPACK AG has developed a special process, the «Sealed Skin Blister process (SSB)», to package medical technology products safely and quickly. In this patented process, the blister packaging is subsequently deformed and thus optimally adapts to the product to be packaged. Lengthy packaging developments are no longer necessary and the product can be brought to market quickly.
Optimeyes by Optimo Medical
The first product of its kind, Optimeyes revolutionises eye surgery planning. Optimeyes software simulates the effects of a planned physical intervention for an individual eye with a precision unmatched by conventional and impersonal methods. The user can either let the software predict what outcome of the surgery can be expected with the incisions they plan to make, or they can let it calculate the optimal surgical parameters, tailor-made for the individual eye.
Histolog Scanner by Saman Tree Medical
The Histolog Scanner is a medical device for in vitro diagnostics (IVD) and enables the surgeon to directly and precisely evaluate the tissue margins during surgery. This allows the surgeon to quickly and accurately assess whether he has succeeded in completely removing the tumour.
Injection pump for the administration of liquid medicines by Sensile Medical
Sensile Medical is a leading international Swiss medical technology company specialising in the delivery of liquid medicines using high-precision pump systems. The SenseCore microration piston pump is small, very precise in dosage and, as it consists of only two plastic parts, very inexpensive to produce. Patients are able to treat themselves at home after training by the doctor.