Torix Medical wins European Biomedical Investor Day
10 international teams, including usMIMA from the d·HEALTH Barcelona program, competed to attract investment
Barcelona hosted the first edition of the European Biomedical Investor Day, an event created to facilitate market access for innovative medical technology. The event, organized by Biocat and 6 other pioneering institutions in this field from around the world, was held on 9 September. Future editions will be held in different European cities.
European Biomedical Investor Day featured participants from 10 biodesign programs from around the world: in addition to d·HEALTH Barcelona, these were BioInnovative Ireland (Ireland), Center for Technology in Medicine and Health (Sweden), INNO-X Healthcare (Denmark), Biodesign Israel, IHU Institute (France) and Stanford Biodesign (USA). During the competition, the 10 teams presented their medical innovation projects to investors, businesspeople and healthcare professionals with the aim of attracting funds to develop them.
In the end, Torix Medical was selected as the winner. This spin-off of the pioneering Stanford Biodesign program has created a minimally invasive device to relieve urinary obstruction associated with benign prostatic hyperplasia. Biocat CEO Montserrat Vendrell presented Torix Medical with their trophy, in the shape of the letter “b” for best, biodesign and Barcelona. The company is seeking €600,000 in investment to begin clinical trials.
The emcee for the event was Jorge Juan Fernández, academic director of the first biodesign training program in Spain, Design Health Barcelona. He explained the role of this discipline as an “innovation methodology for medical technology that benefits the whole health ecosystem.” Moreover, he praised the role of the entrepreneurs: “You can scream, cry, complain, but never give up. We need you. Entrepreneurs are the driving force for growth in the world.”
The event also featured Gabriel Capellà, head of Health Research and Innovation for the Government of Catalonia, who welcomed participants on behalf of the Catalan government and expressed his satisfaction that Barcelona had been chosen to host the first European Biomedical Investors Day. “I hope this is the first of many editions and that, a few years from now, the ideas presented have become companies and are still around,” he said.
Before the winner of the competition was announced, Dan E. Azagury, assistant professor of Surgery at Stanford University School of Medicine and former fellow of the Stanford Biodesign program, explained to the audience how important biodesign is in the health arena. Azagury also highlighted how in just one year the Catalan d·HEALTH Barcelona program has reached the same level as similar programs with a longer history, leading Barcelona to be chosen to host the first edition of the event.
d·HEALTH Barcelona program
One of the 10 projects presented at European Biomedical Investor Day was usMIMA, from the d·HEALTH Barcelona postgraduate program. This team has developed a device to combat chronic constipation in patients with spinal cord injuries. They identified this business idea while on an immersion stay at Institut Guttman.
d·HEALTH Barcelona, inspired by the prestigious Stanford Biodesign program, trains multidisciplinary teams of fellows to help them develop their creativity and business skills in order to produce innovative technology in the health arena.
The second edition of d·HEALTH Barcelona begins on 29 September.
Press release:
- Torix Medical wins European Biomedical Investor Day (10.09.2014)
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