Vienna, June 11, 2024 - The Vienna Museum of Science and Technology is opening the latest round of its “Innovation Corner” presentation format. In cooperation with the Lower Austrian technology financing company tecnet equity and the technology incubator accent, outstanding projects from the fields of medical technology and life sciences will be presented. The exhibition runs from June 3 to September 29, 2024.

Austria is home to numerous start-ups that are achieving outstanding results in a wide variety of areas. The “Innovation Corner” at the Vienna Museum of Technology offers these innovative minds a stage to present their ideas to a wide audience. In this round, ten pioneering projects from Lower Austria will be presented, ranging from ground-breaking solutions in ophthalmology to medical technologies for space travel and diagnostic innovations that have the potential to sustainably improve healthcare.

“Lower Austria has developed into an important center for research and innovation,” explains Johanna Mikl-Leitner, Governor of Lower Austria. “Our region is home to a large number of renowned research institutions and innovative companies that make a decisive contribution to the development of new technologies and solutions. With the 'Innovation Corner' exhibition format, we are showing what great new products and solutions are being developed in Lower Austrian research institutions and start-ups. We want to inspire young researchers and young founders for our region.”

Doris Agneter, Managing Director of tecnet equity, emphasizes: “One of our goals is to make innovations visible. That's why we have been working with research institutions and start-ups for years to support them on their journey from outstanding research results to beneficial innovations.” Michael Moll, Managing Director of accent, adds: “The contributions gathered here in the Innovation Corner bring to life and make tangible how research and innovation improve our daily lives.”

Peter Aufreiter, Director General of the Technisches Museum Wien, underlines the importance of the exhibition: “With selected innovations from the fields of medical technology and life sciences, the Technisches Museum Wien is showcasing the latest developments from Austrian research institutions and start-ups. Presenting these extraordinary ideas in the Innovation Corner is not only part of our educational mission, but is also intended to build bridges between visitors to the museum and research.”

Opening and expert panel

The opening was all about the third mission. The Third Mission refers to the social responsibility of universities and research institutions to actively transfer scientific findings and research results to society and the economy in order to promote innovation and concrete solutions to problems and improve people's lives. The guests included experts such as Barbara Diehl from the agency for leap innovations SPRIND, Victoria Weber, Vice Rector of the University for Continuing Education Krems, and Sabine Siegl-Amerer, Vice Rector of Karl Landsteiner Private University, as well as Robert Wagner, Managing Director of Danube Private University, and Doris Agneter. Klaus Kotek, professor at IMC FH Krems, hosted the program.

The exhibition can be seen at the Vienna Museum of Technology until September 29, 2024 and offers exciting insights into the future of medical technology and life sciences.

The projects presented:

RALV Device | ACMIT

With increasing age, the eye has difficulty adapting to different visual distances. In the further course of time, a clouding of the eye lens, cataract, also occurs. For some time now, these signs of ageing can be corrected surgically by replacing the natural lens with an artificial lens (intraocular lens). Until now, it has not been possible to predict exactly which lens is best for which patient. Unlike with spectacles, for example, it has not been possible to test the patient's vision with intraocular lenses before they are implanted. The Austrian start-up DEZIMAL, which emerged from ACMIT and 1stQ Germany, has introduced an innovative product to solve this problem: RALV is a new type of optical device that makes it possible to experience vision through different artificial lenses before an operation and thus match the optimal individual lens type to the patient. This increases patient satisfaction and reduces the risk of a follow-up operation.

Website: www.dezimal.me

Pulse wave analysis | AIT Austrian Institute of Technology

Assessing the adaptation of the cardiovascular system to weightlessness is one of the greatest challenges in space travel. Researchers at the Austrian Institute of Technology (AIT) have developed a promising solution in the form of pulse wave analysis: Built into the Mobil-O-Graph long-term blood pressure monitor from the company I.E.M., the ARCSolver algorithm developed by AIT measures the elasticity of the artery walls. In addition to the conventional blood pressure measurement, the device also records the pulse wave velocity and thus a decisive indicator of vascular health, as the calculation of blood pressure in the upper body is of great importance for the internal organs. The measurements not only provide information about the physiological adaptations to the space environment, but also enable insights into the development of new therapeutic approaches on Earth.

Website: https://www.ait.ac.at/en/research-topics/cardiovascular-diagnostics

Optogenetics | IMC University of Applied Sciences Krems

Diseases such as cancer, inflammation and epilepsy continue to pose challenges for medicine. Optogenetics - a combination of genetic and optical research methods - has already contributed to significant findings in this context, as a current project at the University of Applied Sciences (IMC) Krems shows: Here, optogenetic cell and tissue models are used to investigate the regenerative or disease-promoting potential of specific receptors. These can be switched on and off quickly, spatially and temporally precisely by using light, which enables a more precise investigation of the mechanisms that are responsible for inflammation, for example. At the same time, this method also facilitates the search for new drugs, so that substances can be examined for both their anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer effects.

Website:https://research.imc.ac.at/de/projects/entwicklung-einer-optogenetisch-kontrollierbaren-msc-zelllinie-f%C3%BC

https://research.imc.ac.at/de/projects/entwicklung-leistungsf%C3%A4higer-diagnostikverfahren-und-neuer-therap

PANPOC | University for Continuing Education Krems

In recent years, the effects of epidemics and pandemics have become clear all over the world. They have shown how important it is to be able to make decisions in such exceptional situations.

In recent years, the impact of epidemics and pandemics around the world has become clear. They have shown how important it is to be able to make decisions in such exceptional situations. To ensure this, it is necessary to be able to bring together the necessary information reliably and quickly. This can be achieved by linking reliable tests with the modeling of possible effects. The PAIR project, which was initiated by the University of Continuing Education Krems, aims to make this possible with two interactive tools: The point-of-care instrument (PANPOC) is used to quickly detect RNA viruses. This is supplemented by the PANRISK model based on artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), which assesses the pandemic risk in terms of space and time. Together, the two tools will contribute to decision-making capabilities in the future.

Website: https://pairproject.eu/

MedicationCheck | Permedio

“In medical treatment, it is clear that individual reactions to medication vary greatly from person to person. In order to improve the effectiveness of medication and minimize potential side effects and interactions, Permedio has developed the MedicationCheck: DNA analysis of a saliva or blood sample can be used to make predictions about an individual's reaction to a medication. In a digital tool, doctors and patients can check which active ingredients are well tolerated and can be combined with each other in their case. For the first time, transparent and personalized healthcare based on patients' genetic data will be possible throughout their lives.”

Website: www.medikamentecheck.at

VREEZE | St. Pölten UAS, Karl Landsteiner University, St. Pölten University Hospital

Parkinson's is the second most common neurodegenerative disease, which in advanced stages is often accompanied by a gait disorder in which people with the disease are temporarily unable to take one step in front of the other. The so-called “freezing of gait” (FOG) restricts mobility and increases the risk of falls and injuries. Although the various triggers for this are known, they cannot be reliably induced in the laboratory for research purposes. The “VReeze” project initiated by St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences, Karl Landsteiner University and St. Pölten University Hospital is tackling this challenge using virtual reality (VR): various triggers are to be simulated in a virtual environment and test participants confronted with them. The aim is to develop an open source

PI-SENS | Danube Private University

Die medizinische Diagnostik ist oft mit invasiven Verfahren verbunden, die sowohl riskant als auch aufwendig sind. „Personalised Medicine enabled by Intelligent Sensing Systems“ (PI-SENS) ist ein von der Danube Private University initiiertes Projekt, das dieses Problem lösen soll. Dabei handelt es sich um einen Chip, der mittels Biosensoren beispielsweise bereits in einer Speichelprobe enthaltene, umfassende Gesundheitsdaten diagnostizieren kann. NutzerInnen können so in Echtzeit ihre individuelle Gesundheit im Blick behalten. So schafft PI-SENS eine wesentliche Grundlage, um – sogar räumlich unabhängig von den traditionellen Gesundheitseinrichtungen – potenziellen Problemen frühzeitig entgegenzuwirken.

www.dpu-research-list.at  

Protein conjugates | VALANX Biotech

Proteins control a large number of biological processes in the human body - be it the transport of nutrients or the fight against viruses and bacteria. However, proteins can also be used as drugs. This requires the targeted coupling of proteins with chemical substances, a process known as conjugation. Until now, this has worked on a random basis, which is why the company VALANX Biotech has developed a method that allows the selected chemical compound to be incorporated into the protein at a precisely defined location. This modification makes it possible to control the binding of chemical substances to proteins in a controlled manner and thus create tailor-made proteins.

Website: https://www.valanx.bio/

Syntropic Medical | XISTA Science Ventures, AWS and FFG

Around 90 million people in Europe suffer from depression. An illness that places a great burden on those affected and their families as well as on society. The standard treatment to date has been the use of antidepressants, but these only have an effect on half of patients.

For this reason, Syntropic Medical has developed a new approach to treating depression: Their glasses-like device emits flickering light that stimulates the formation of new neuronal connections in the brain - as if by Morse code. A process known as neuronal plasticity. Syntropic's invention thus offers a promising, non-invasive and side-effect-free alternative to conventional drug treatments for depression.

Website: https://www.syntropicmedical.com/

Wingo | Squail

Not being able to feel their own feet and having to think about every step is a daily experience for people with diabetic neuropathy (DSPN). The loss of peripheral perception interrupts the sensorimotor control loop - a previously untreated cause that entails a high risk of amputation.

The Squail team has set itself the goal of solving this challenge. After many years of research, it has developed the Wingo prototype: a high-tech wearable that is both a medical device and a sock. Integrated sensors and actuators detect the gait phases and stimulate the required muscle groups at the right time. The socks thus become a “gait machine” that enables DSPN patients to take one step in front of the other again without pain.