Down to Business

A bioresorbable, light-activated polymer, integrated with a 3D-printed chamber, enables atraumatic and sutureless peripheral nerve repair. Translating this material platform from concept to clinical reality required iterative design, scalable manufacturing, multidisciplinary collaboration and long-term vision for a versatile surgical technology.

Climate change and geopolitical uncertainties require proactive measures to ensure food security and human resilience, with a focus on sustainable agricultural practices and soil preservation. We explore innovative solutions to preserve, improve and restore soil health and highlight how they can address global soil degradation and ensure sustainable food production.

Wearable biosensors can continuously monitor disease biomarkers, therapeutic drugs and health-related analytes to provide real-time diagnostic insights. The wearable biosensor Aptalyzer integrates hydrogel microneedles and an electrochemical aptamer-based biosensor to assess biomarkers in the skin interstitial fluid.

The Basel Wearable Clinic is a device-agnostic platform for cardiac care, integrating remote electrocardiogram assessment and teleconsultation. Integrating wearables into clinical workflows allows scalable arrhythmia care and a blueprint for extended wearable-based risk stratification in clinical medicine.

Bacteria can be engineered to metabolize inflammation by-products for the treatment of inflammation-mediated diseases. We created a spin-off company to translate bioengineered Escherichia coli Nissle into a live therapeutic product, navigating translational, regulatory and biotech mindset challenges. Here, I provide some generalizable insights into academic entrepreneurship.

The PTeye is a label-free, intraoperative optical device that uses near-infrared autofluorescence to confirm the real-time identification of parathyroid glands during surgery. Developed without venture capital, it exemplifies how academic–industry collaboration can bring light-based technologies to the clinic.

The CL1 is a scalable device for interacting with in vitro neural cell cultures via electrical activity in a closed-loop real-time environment coupled with an integrated life-support perfusion circuit. Here we explore the key component that constitutes the CL1 along with the various opportunities this platform technology can address.

Insect pest control, which is essential for food and crop production, typically relies on chemical insecticides. At Yngvi Bio, we repurpose bacterial contractile injection systems as biodegradable insecticides, offering ecological safety, target specificity and a scalable path to market.

A user-friendly nucleic acid detection device, called QolorEX, uses plasmonic nanostructures to provide colorimetric readouts with gold-standard-test accuracy for fully automated, deployable multiplex disease diagnostics. Here, we explore its journey towards commercialization, highlighting its underlying approach and the challenges faced in bringing this technology to the market.

Wearable sweat biosensors enable the non-invasive, real-time monitoring of hormones. Here, we highlight the development and commercialization of a wearable technology that can measure hormone levels in sweat for women’s health applications, including fertility tracking and menopause management.

Intravaginal rings provide a patient-friendly method for delivering progesterone in assisted reproductive technology. AnelleO has leveraged 3D printing technology to reengineer customizable intravaginal rings that enable self-administered and sustained progesterone delivery for over 28 days.

Stress urinary incontinence (SUI), a frequently underdiagnosed condition that mainly affects women, lacks effective and long-term treatment options. MUVON Therapeutics has developed a tissue-engineered advanced therapy medicinal product for the treatment of SUI, based on autologous cells, which is being tested in a phase II clinical study — a challenging development effort.

The oral delivery of difficult-to-drug molecules, such as peptides, can be achieved using milk-derived extracellular vesicles. The Tiny Cargo Company has established a workflow for the large-scale production of extracellular vesicles from milk for the development of XoLacta — an oral therapy that mitigates the side effects of radiation therapy.

Smart food packaging technologies can actualize real-time, in situ food quality monitoring, increasing food safety and decreasing food waste. Here, we detail challenges that hinder the commercialization of such smart packaging systems and identify opportunities to facilitate their translation from prototype to product.

Fats and oils are crucial dietary supplements for human health. However, animal fats and palm oil dominate the food industry, with concerns over health and the environment that call for the development of fat alternatives. The fat industry offers a vast market potential, with several startups pioneering new technical solutions and attracting venture capital interest.

The Navion, a clinical-scale electromagnetic navigation system, is the result of over 20 years of development. Its motivation began in 2003 with the goal of controlling the motion of magnetic microrobots; however, its first clinical use is proving to be for guiding magnetic catheters, guidewires and endoscopes.

Combining the precision of CRISPR’s DNA searching ability with the speed and scalability of electronics, we have developed an ‘electronic DNA search engine’, called a CRISPR–Chip, which not only enables DNA detection without amplification, but also showcases the untapped potential of merging molecular biology with nanomaterial electronics. Here, we discuss highlights and challenges on the journey from the initial idea to the commercialization of the CRISPR–Chip.

Access to prosthetic and orthotic devices remains limited in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) due to the lack of manufacturing and specialized healthcare facilities, and the limited access to skilled, certified medical personnel. Rise Bionics makes devices with digital fabrication and access-conscious engineering to increase accessibility and affordability.

At the LV Prasad Eye Institute in India, we developed an ophthalmic electronic medical record and hospital management system, integrating clinical, surgical and operational functions in one platform to allow digital eye care services at the point of care.

Silk protein can be applied as an edible food coating to extend the shelf life of food products by slowing dehydration and reducing oxidative stresses. Here, we highlight the commercialization of Mori Silk, from lab discovery and first proof of concept to manufacturing, scale-up, field validation, regulatory approval and forward-looking challenges.