Heraeus selects three start-ups for Accelerator program

Founded in 2016, LipoCoat is a nano- and biotech spin-off from the University of Twente, the Netherlands. The start-up specializes in infection control solutions for healthcare and develops bio-inspired, non-toxic coatings for medical devices. The coatings prevent bacteria from adhering to medical devices, thereby aiming to reduce the risk of serious infections.

While developing this innovation, LipoCoat was inspired by nature: The products mimic the phospholipid bilayer that surrounds every cell in the human body, making the product highly biocompatible. In addition, the coatings have been engineered to further improve the comfort and performance of medical devices. First applications include contact lenses, catheters and R&D tools.

In the past three years, LipoCoat has received 20 honors and awards, including European Biotech start-up of 2019.

QuLab Medical was founded in 2016 as a start-up from the Tel-Aviv University in Israel. The company is specialized in diabetes prevention and management.

In order to continuously monitor their blood glucose levels, patients can rely on measurement systems that determine blood glucose using a sensor that is pushed through the skin. Solutions currently available on the market can only measure blood glucose levels – other metabolic data cannot yet be recorded.

QuLab Medical has found a solution for these challenges: With a team of five, the company is developing a small, minimally invasive patch that uses a nano sensor to continuously measure not only blood glucose levels but also other metabolic data. This data can be measured and read out in real time. Users can create personalized metabolic profiles and thus make better decisions regarding their diet and lifestyle.

In the past two years, Qulab Medical has won two competitive grants from the Israeli Innovation Authority.

Intelligent Surfaces Inc. (ISI) was founded in 2016 as a start-up of the University of Tokyo, Japan. The company develops biocompatible coating materials, namely MPC polymers, for medical devices.

Thanks to its unique structure, ISI MPC polymer coating can be applied to various materials – including metal, ceramics, glass, plastics or silicone. MPC polymers imitate the polar group structure of phospholipid – the main component of the surface of biological membranes. Thus, the surface of materials covered with MPC polymer is highly biocompatible, antithrombogenic, antifouling and has a high lubricity. As the company name shows, the startup can structure "Intelligent Surfaces" on various medical devices to make the surface performance optimal. Their key target applications include medical devices such as catheters, guidewires, artificial blood vessels and intraocular lenses.

The Heraeus Accelerator was launched in 2019 and offers start-ups the opportunity to further develop and market their ideas and products with Heraeus. For this purpose, start-ups have access to research laboratories, test equipment and Heraeus' extensive customer and partner network. The aim of the Heraeus Accelerator is to establish long-term cooperation with the participating start-ups. At the same time, the program offers support for challenges outside the cooperation project.