Thursday, December 14, at the Teatro Verdi in Padua, took place the award ceremony of the National Competition for Women and Work Eurointerim Startup 2017. Winner of the seventh edition is Pertìnet, a biotechnology startup. E24Woman, for the safety of women, ranked second, while BioInnotech, which re-qualifies the agri-food waste, reached the third place; the Social Special Award went to Medyx.
During the evening, free donations were collected in support of Casa Viola, a reception service for women victims of violence.
The winners
First prize
The biotechnological startup Pertìnet produces a new class of cell culture plates capable of guiding and controlling the behavior of human stem cells, inducing the in vitro genesis of fully functional human tissues.
Pertìnet surfaces offer the revolutionary possibility of screening new drugs and therapies directly on the target tissue, as an alternative to the use of animal models. Collaborations and tests are in progress with researchers from numerous Institutes to create in vitro models for uterine musculature and models of uterine cervix on which to perform both molecular screening and follow the evolution of very severe pathologies, such as cancer, which affect precisely those tissues.
Second prize
The second prize went to E24Woman, a design bracelet that guarantees 24-hour assistance in any emergency situation without having to use mobile phones. By pressing a button, the bracelet immediately connects the woman to an operations center that provides the necessary intervention on the spot.
Third prize
The BioInnoTech project of the young Apulian biotechnologists Rosita Pavone, Erika Andriola, Antonella Carbone and Maria Pisano, earned the third place. The startup is inspired by the biorefinery and aims at the redevelopment of local food waste, especially whey. This by-product, which is often illegally spilled causing a strong environmental impact, is an important resource from which to obtain, for example, yeast for bakery, nutraceutical, brewing and animal feed.
A special prize
The Medyx startup received the Special Social Award. The company, based in Rome at Luiss EnLabs, was presented by Roberta Musarò, mentor at Startupbootcamp Digital Health in Berlin. Thanks to Medyx, hospitals and private clinics help their patients to preserve and improve their health.
Medyx reminds patients when to take their medications, their dosage and visits through alerts that are sent to the fixed or mobile phone via SMS, voice calls and Whatsapp notifications.
