Myriad Optics and Protonica receive an Innogrant
© 2024 EPFL
The EPFL Startup Launchpad has granted two Innogrants of CHF100,000 each to EPFL-based startup projects Myriad Optics, which guarantees food safety from production to consumption by swiftly and precisely identifying bacterial pathogens in the food industry, and Protonica, which is reinventing proton therapy imaging and opening up access to advanced cancer treatments.
Myriad Optics
The EPFL Startup Launchpad is pleased to announce they have awarded a CHF100,000 Innogrant to EPFL startup, Myriad Optics. The team are ensuring food safety from farm to fork, thanks to the quick and accurate detection and identification of bacterial pathogens in the food industry.
Food contamination can have serious consequences – for farmers, food businesses, and for the people who buy and eat contaminated products. There are many methods and technologies used to detect and identify bacterial pathogens but they are either too slow, or they’re unable to identify the strains of interest. Myriad Optics aims to create a safer food supply chain through the world’s most comprehensive bacterial detection and identification technology.
The team is combining optical spectroscopy, microfluidics and machine learning to detect and identify harmful bacteria in under 2 hours, rather than days. The rapid and reliable test will mean food companies can be sure their products are safe in a simple and easy-to-use way.
Myriad Optics will use their grant to accelerate the development of their technology and deploy a functioning prototype on-site by the end of the year.
Contacts:
Marwan El Chazli, Co-founder
Fahradin Mujovi, Co-founder
Protonica
The EPFL Startup Launchpad is pleased to announce they have awarded a CHF100,000 Innogrant to Protonica - an EPFL-based technology which is reinventing proton therapy imaging and opening up access to advanced cancer treatments.
Cancer is the 2nd leading cause of death worldwide (after cardiovascular diseases). It’s estimated that one in every two people will develop some form of cancer in their lifetime. Proton therapy is a form of radiation therapy which uses protons instead of X-ray to precisely target cancer cells, sparing the healthy tissues. This focused treatment reduces side effects and vastly improves quality of life. However, because of the cost and complexity of this therapy, there are still several hurdles to overcome to make this novel cancer care more affordable and accessible. Protonica aims to accelerate the development and availability of proton therapy by upgrading the imaging system required for accurate dose delivery and its next generation treatment method.
The new Protonica imaging system doesn’t just offer a massive upgrade in accuracy and speed leading to more effective cancer treatments; its resin-based sensitive area can be easily replaced when getting damaged, reducing downtime and maintenance costs.
The team at Protonica will use the grant to develop their Minimum Viable Product (MVP) and move to the next step of their commercialisation journey.
Contacts:
Benoît Truc, Co-founder
Veronica Leccese, Co-founder
Michele Caldara, Co-founder