Spoke 9 innovative start-ups ready to transform the future of healthcare
Two new projects by brilliant minds from SISSA, united by a focus on population aging, have been chosen to be developed within the incubation program of iNEST CC1
Two start-ups from Spoke 9, along with 14 others from different Spokes, will continue with the Acceleration program of Cross-Cutting Activity 1: Sniff-Nano – CyNexo by Fabrizio Manzino and SINDREL by Audrey Franceschi Biagioni. This is the outcome of the first Selection Day of CC1, held on 19th March at the Iuav University of Venice. During the event, the Committee of the Cross-Cutting Activity watched 31 start-up project presentations from students and researchers from all Spokes of the iNEST Consortium, and later decreed that 16 of these deserve to be further followed in their development. The two winning projects from Spoke 9 share a common mission: to improve the health of an increasingly elderly population.
In the morning, Fabrizio Manzino from CyNexo captured the audience’s attention with his innovative product: Sniff-Nano, a useful tool for diagnosing olfactory diseases. According to Manzino, «the social impact of our solution is significant, especially given the particularly favorable historical moment to launch it on the market.» We are indeed in a phase of population aging, a factor that increases the incidence of nasal and neurological pathologies—unexpectedly linked together—and makes it more and more necessary to carry out tests to detect olfactory anomalies. Sniff-Nano makes olfactory tests faster and cheaper, thus allowing the prevention of important neurodegenerative diseases even ten years in advance. But there is more: the product also has a reduced environmental impact compared to the competition. «By not using disposable proprietary cartridges for odor delivery, Sniff-Nano undoubtedly produces less waste,» explains Manzino.
In the afternoon, it was Audrey Franceschi Biagioni’s turn with SINDREL—an effective device for drug administration. In this case, as well, the designed solution represents a real breakthrough in light of the increasing life expectancy of the population: «SINDREL’s groundbreaking approach to drug delivery revolutionizes care for the elderly by providing a sophisticated yet user-friendly programmable device,» says the aspiring entrepreneur. SINDREL allows «an automated drug administration process, ensuring precise medication management, minimizing forgetfulness-related issues, reducing dependency on caregivers, and ultimately enhancing overall adherence and health outcomes.»
The solutions proposed by aspiring innovators from Spoke 9, along with those from other universities and institutes, will be the lifeblood of the Innovation Ecosystem of the Italian Northeast region. Soon, their scientific contributions and stories will be told on the web and social channels of the iNEST Consortium and those of Spoke 9.
