Startups MedLim program 2022 contribute to better care with promising innovations

Two young companies from Spain and Sweden were voted best startups of the MedLim 2022 program in medical technology on Friday, June 10. With their innovative products, they contribute to better healthcare. The professional jury chose the Spanish company Time is Brain as the best startup. The preference of the public jury went to the Swedish SUTURION. Both startups will come to Limburg for a week this fall to further develop their product with the help of the province's medical technology ecosystem and bring it to the market.

Time is Brain is the inventor of BraiN20®, a product that allows accurate, real-time monitoring of a brain infarct. BraiN20® consists of a headgear with electrodes connected to a smartphone. The device enables practitioners to more accurately select which patients are eligible for the minimally invasive removal of a blood clot in the vein (mechanical thrombectomy, MT). The device also helps the clinician to monitor brain viability during the procedure and detect complications better and earlier. Every year, 13 million people worldwide suffer a stroke: a cerebral hemorrhage or - most commonly - a cerebral infarction. Brain attacks are the second leading cause of death and the first leading cause of disability. Time is Brain was founded in 2020 by a multidisciplinary team with extensive knowledge and experience in neurology. The expert jury called Time is Brain "a young company that uses promising technology that has the potential to create a new market. Alicia Martinez Pineiro of Time is Brain was pleased with this. "This award is an incentive to go further and to introduce our innovation everywhere in hospitals."

SUTURION develops Suture-TOOL, a "sewing tool" that better sutures incisions in the abdominal wall after surgery. Based on the experience that complications after wound suturing, especially infections and hernias, are common, the team at SUTURION devised the tool. It helps practitioners close the abdomen in a standardized way, faster and in accordance with the principles of best practices. SUTURION was founded in 2018 by a trauma and emergency room surgeon at a hospital in Helsingborg. The jury called SUTURION a company that already has some experience in the field and has a good understanding of the problem they can solve with their product. That solution, according to the jury, is "promising. Paan Hermansson of SUTURION: This award is proof for us that SUTURION is doing something that resonates with people."

MedLim program

Initiators of the MedLim program, held for the second time this year, are Medtronic and LIOF. Medtronic is one of the world's largest medical technology companies, LIOF is the regional development agency for Limburg. Medtronic guides the startups in setting up clinical studies, a good quality and validation system and obtaining approval from regulatory authorities. LIOF prepares the startups for (follow-up) financing. Knowledge partners of Brightlands Maastricht Health Campus, Medace and startup financier imec.istart are also contributing to the initiative.

Nine participants

After an initial selection from the applications, in addition to Time is Brain and SUTURION, seven other startups in the cardiovascular or neurological, medical surgery or spine field participated in MedLim. During a more than three-week sprint program, they were supported in their ambition to bring their product to the market and, among other things, got to know the initiators and partners of MedLim.

Final pitch

On the final day of the program, Friday, June 10, all nine startups gave a presentation of their product and company during an online meeting. Their pitch was judged by a professional and an audience jury. The first consisted of Mark Lazeroms, Director of Engineering of Medtronic Netherlands, Charity Kufaas, Vice President Business Development and Strategy EMEA of Medtronic, Sven de Cleyn, Program Director of imec.istart and Tys van Elk, Managing Director of LIOF. Business developers from different business units of Medtronic worldwide, investors from Dutch and European funds and other parties from the Limburg ecosystem formed the public jury.

MedLim-deepdive in Limburg

The two selected startups have been invited to come to Limburg for a week in the fall for a so-called MedLim-deepdive. There they will work further on the development and marketing of their product. They will become better acquainted with Medtronic and will be linked to knowledge and market players that are interesting to them. Limburg has a unique ecosystem in the field of medical technology. In addition to the parties organizing the MedLim program, Maastricht UMC, TU-Eindhoven and the universities of Aachen, Leuven and Hasselt are also close by. The joint knowledge and expertise in the field of medical technology acts as a flywheel for innovations. This not only benefits the startups, but also offers opportunities for the province of Limburg in the form of international investors and employment.