The 2024-25 EIT Health Catapult has announced 30 semi-finalists, showcasing a diverse range of innovative start-ups from the life sciences and health tech sectors. These companies are developing solutions to address pressing healthcare challenges, including cancer treatment, diagnostics, regenerative medicine, and more. With a proven track record of advancing healthcare innovation, these selected ventures represent the cutting edge of European ingenuity in the industry.
Innovators in Life Sciences
The life sciences category features ten start-ups focused on advancing therapies, diagnostics and medical technologies. Among them are Aptadel Therapeutics from Spain, which is working on RNA-based therapies targeting paediatric cancers, and PepKon from France, developing therapeutic peptides for cancers with limited treatment options. Immunofusion, based in Lithuania, is advancing CAR T-cell therapies aimed at chronic lymphocytic leukaemia and mantle cell lymphoma, offering potentially safer and longer-lasting treatments.
In addition, companies like Rejuversen from Spain are addressing idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis with therapies targeting senescent cells, while URIMON from the Netherlands is focused on early disease detection through a simple urine test. This innovation aims to shift healthcare from reactive to proactive. Other ventures, such as PoliRNA (Italy) and Nūmi (France), are working on RNA therapies for cardiac regenerative medicine and lab-grown human breast milk, respectively, highlighting diverse approaches to improve patient outcomes.
Healthtech Innovators
The health tech semi-finalists include 20 start-ups using technology to address critical healthcare needs. Solutions range from advanced diagnostics to wearable devices. For example, Brightmind.AI from Austria has developed a headset for personalised brain stimulation to reduce migraines, while Tympany Medical from Ireland offers innovative surgical visualisation technology with its Solascope device. In diagnostics, companies like CC Diagnostics from the Netherlands are enhancing cervical cancer detection with highly sensitive DNA testing, and The Blue Box from Spain offers non-invasive breast cancer detection through urine analysis.
Other ventures are focusing on improving accessibility and patient care. Lifebloom from France is creating wearable devices that enable wheelchair users to regain mobility, while NIMBLEDiagnostics from Spain is introducing a noninvasive method to monitor cardiac stents in real-time. The health tech category also includes companies like CheckEye (Ukraine), which uses AI to enhance chronic disease screening, and CureVision (Germany), which leverages AI for faster and more accurate wound diagnostics. These innovations aim to reorganise processes and improve patient outcomes across various healthcare challenges.
Supporting Innovation Through Collaboration
These start-ups represent a broad spectrum of healthcare innovations, from groundbreaking therapeutics to AI-driven diagnostics and assistive technologies. Their progress highlights the importance of collaboration between innovators, industry experts and investors. By participating in mentorship programmes and showcasing their solutions to a diverse audience of stakeholders, these start-ups aim to refine their offerings and scale their impact.
The achievements of past participants, such as Luminate Medical’s €14,2 million ($15 million) funding for cancer care and Pan Cancer T’s €4 million seed extension, reflect the potential of these ventures to bring transformative solutions to market. This year’s semi-finalists are expected to continue this trajectory, addressing unmet needs in healthcare and contributing to a more efficient, accessible and patient-focused system.
The 30 semi-finalists of the 2024-25 EIT Health Catapult exemplify the forefront of healthcare innovation. Their projects span a wide range of disciplines, offering solutions that could significantly improve patient outcomes and healthcare systems globally. As these start-ups refine their innovations and connect with experts, their work serves as a testament to the ingenuity and dedication driving progress in life sciences and health tech. Their journey continues to inspire and shape the future of healthcare.
Source: EIT Health
Image Credit: iStock
