EnterpriseTECH STAR 2020 cohort

BIOTECH is a novel medical imaging technique which combines isotopes with a biomarker to image neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s using MRI.

Node is an online platform that facilitates technical skills and tech exchange and offers a market place where scientist and companies offer their technical expertise or products. Node plans to be the go-to marketplace for STEM research and development, bringing the gig economy to the biotech startup world.

Based on his research in self-organising wireless networks, Marco intends to build and commercialise a communication system for drone-swarms that can leverage his innovative networking algorithms to produce larger and more stable fleets of unmanned aerial vehicles.

Tumour-draining lymph nodes (TDLNs) contribute towards immune dysfunction in cancers, but their potential as a therapeutic target has been ignored. Preliminary findings suggest regulatory T-cells (Tregs) are functionally altered within TDLNs, but existing global Treg depletion strategies have failed.

Unmet needs prevail in the deadliest cancer types such as ovarian, pancreatic or oesophageal cancer. Their poorly understood genomic instability makes effective treatment prediction difficult. With his computational method, Ruben seeks to provide clinicians with means to predict drug responses in those patients successfully and cost-effectively.

Climate-change has already affected the growing season and altered rainfall patterns increasing the challenge to limit wastage and fight pests. Several insects that use seismic signals during reproduction are recognised as important pests. Caroline aims to develop devices that will efficiently and specifically disturb seismic communication and reproduction of these pests, and will progressively replace the use of conventional.

The outbreak of coronavirus has shifted the working paradigm from office to online. Video conferences can be contaminated with unwanted noise and it can be challenging for groups to have a natural conversation. Focal aims to develop a mobile application that can separate out conversations to make the noisy world clear again.

Although cochlear implants are transformative in their capability to restore hearing, their indications are currently severely limited by insertion-induced trauma. Filip is developing an insertion tool that would help surgeons to minimise this trauma and preserve the recipient’s residual hearing.

Soot from industrial combustion processes is the second most important contributor to global warming. Hassan is developing an ultra-low-cost, miniaturised soot sensor developed for deployment in environmental monitoring networks. Utilising a mass-produced quartz-tuning fork crystal, his photoacoustic sensor is estimated to cost 12 times less than commercial, gold-standard instruments.

Nathan’s company Neurowire, seeks to commercialise novel neural interfacing sensors that enable the communication between electronic devices and the human nervous system. Neural interfaces are used in medical devices designed for treating neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s disease or epilepsy. By commercialising modern neural interfacing sensors, Neurowire aims to disrupt a £2 billion global market saturated with 30-year old technology.

AutonomiCity is a start-up powering the smart infrastructure of tomorrow. It creates a self-healing system in concrete, using recycled plastic and 3D printing technique. This solution is at the forefront of solving the plastic crisis and extending structures’ lives.

Biotech is a neuroimaging technology which utilises the properties of stable hyperpolarised stable isotope labelled compounds for the detection of Parkinson’s disease using MRI. By targeting specific receptor biomarkers in the brain, these labelled drugs would provide early and more accurate detection of the disease, whilst also avoiding the carcinogenic effects of radiolabelled compounds currently used in neuroimaging.

Open-seneca: creating a global, mobile, air pollution sensor network. Enabling the individual to measure their personal exposure to pollutants. Presenting new opportunities to enable and engage the individual, and to drive the behavioural change needed to improve our environment, and to inform policy.

Baby clothing is disposable by nature. But what if we could offer a more sustainable option to parents? The Adjustables is a clothing brand where garments can grow at the same pace as kids do, thanks to the combination of smart seams with pattern tricks.

The development of a novel a POC platform for HIV detection that enables “sample-in/answer-out” devices for rapid and affordable molecular diagnostics tests in developing countries. The platform aims to convert the traditional optical signals of PCR method into electrical.

We need a way to protect and restore forests to mitigate climate breakdown. Tom’s business designs sustainable investments into forest landscapes – combining restoration pledges and carbon finance with financial technologies and remote sensing. His business will disrupt the paradigm that growing forests comes at the expense of local economies.

The number of people lifting weights is exploding. From those lifting casually for health or for enjoyment, to those lifting competitively. We are creating an artificial intelligence-powered app providing objective, biomechanical analysis that anyone can use to lift weights safer, get stronger and be healthier.

Ovarian cancer is characterised by poor disease outcome due to the lack of targeted therapies and our inability to stratify patients for suitable treatment. My aim is to use gene expression signatures from low-cost, high-throughput RNA profiling to better predict treatment response and inform clinicians of most suitable treatment choices for patients suffering from ovarian cancer.

I developed a novel chemical architecture that serves to address the two main problems that blight the treatment of cancer: selectivity and resistance. The technology selectively targets cancer cells, overcoming off-target toxicity of therapeutics lacking selectivity. Furthermore, by releasing multiple drugs in the process, drug-resistance is prevented.