The 3rd edition of the StartHealth@ULisboa, a program promoted by redeSaúde of Universidade de Lisboa dedicated to accelerating health-related business ideas to the market, awarded the Myochip project with the Glintt Prize. The team members had the opportunity to receive mentoring sessions from experts in the field and to present their business idea in a final pitch.
The Myochip project aims to develop a 3D human muscle in vitro, irrigated by vasculature and innervated by neurons. The system will mirror the architecture and function found in vivo and can be used to test and identify new therapeutic strategies for (neuro)degenerative diseases, with the goal to reduce the failure rates found in clinical trials.
According to Afonso Malheiro, member of the Myochip team, “the StartHealth was the perfect opportunity to organize and plan the business side of our project. We have learnt to design a business model and to create our value proposition, as well as how to have a compelling and informative pitch. We have also received feedback from the other teams and experienced mentors, allowing us to combine a networking opportunity with the learning process”.
The Myochip project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement Nº 801423.
From left to right: David Barata, Inês Martins, Afonso Malheiro and Katharina Hennig
