A young Ticino company, FEMTOprint, was the Exhibitors’ Grand Prix winner at the EPHJ high precision event in Geneva.
The company impressed the judges with its SPOT-RVC, a real innovation in the medtech market and a beacon of hope for the 16 million people worldwide with retinal vein occlusion.
The Safe Puncture Optimized Tool (SPOT) aims to safely inject a drug that dissolves clots in the retinal veins without harming tissue, thanks to a new high-precision miniaturised medical tool. FEMTOprint developed this medical tool with support from the Swiss innovation agency Innosuisse and in partnership with the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne and Hôpital ophtalmique Jules-Gonin in Lausanne. Two patent applications have been made to this end.
In ophthalmology, retinal vein occlusion (RVO) is a vascular disorder caused by blood vessels forming on the retina, which then limit oxygen supply. This leads to sudden and severe loss of vision. RVO affects more than 16 million people worldwide.
The standard treatment options for RVO are not completely satisfactory. Most of the issues relate to the fragility and size of the veins, the long injection period and the precise movements required. SPOTRVC has all the qualities needed to make up for these imperfections. The initial prototypes are currently being validated in vivo. They are posting a 100% success rate for safe, controlled piercing, microfluidics functioning and activating the mechanical system.
This is the second time since 2015 that FEMTOprint has won the Exhibitors' Grand Prix.