The Foundation for Innovation and Technology (FIT) is supporting two new life sciences startups in the Vaud region with Tech Seed loans. DETECTRA receives 100’000 CHF to develop its solution for remote monitoring of joint inflammation in patients with inflammatory arthritis. TUUS Solutions has received a 100’000 CHF loan to advance its dietary gel, designed to improve nutrient absorption.

DETECTRA: detecting arthritis flare-ups between doctors’visits

Rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis affect approximately 1% of the population in Europe and the United States. Between appointments, which are often spaced three to six months apart, doctors lack the tools needed to monitor flare-ups of joint inflammation, which can cause irreversible damage if not detected in time.

Arising from a research project at CHUV, DETECTRA is developing a platform for remote monitoring of joint inflammation using photos of the hands taken with a smartphone. An artificial intelligence algorithm then calculates the Finger Fold Index (FFI), which reflects the degree of swelling. Rheumatologists can thus identify signs of a flare-up earlier and prioritise patients requiring intervention. The technology is currently undergoing clinical validation as part of European trials.

Thanks to a 100’000 CHF loan granted by FIT, DETECTRA will be able to prepare for market entry and co-fund pilot projects at partner clinics with a view to launching in Switzerland.

TUUS Solutions: a food hydrogel for improved nutrient absorption

TUUS Solutions is developing a food-grade hydrogel that enables a constant gastric release, known as “zero-order”. Composed of natural and inexpensive ingredients, the hydrogel releases nutrients gradually to ensure a steady and better-tolerated supply.

In nutrition, supplementation and drug delivery, the rate at which an active is released into the body is crucial: if the body’s speed is unmatched, it reduces the product’s effectiveness and causes side effects. TUUS’s solution offers an accessible alternative to existing controlled-release technologies, which are often imprecise, costly and difficult to formulate with food ingredients.

With the 100’000 CHF Tech Seed loan granted by FIT, TUUS Solutions will be able to finance the pilot production of its energy gel, continue its validation under real-world conditions, and strengthen its collaboration with industrial partners.

Source: FIT | ©DETECTRA, TUUS Solutions

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June 2026 has brought a wave of significant leadership changes across Western Switzerland’s healthcare and life sciences sector, at Fondation La Source, Clinique Genolier, and at the European Association for Cancer Research (EACR).

At the Clinique de Genolier, Aurélie Meynet has been appointed CEO, succeeding Stanley Hautdidier, who moves on to lead the newly created “Arc Lémanique” region bringing together Swiss Medical Network’s Vaud and Geneva operations. Meynet’s appointment is a testament to a career built entirely within the institution: she joined as a nurse in 2005, specialising in oncology, and steadily rose through the ranks — head of nursing in 2018, COO in 2021 — before taking the top role after more than two decades of service. She holds a CAS in healthcare management from the University of Neuchâtel.

At the Fondation La Source in Lausanne, Jacques Chapuis has been elected President of the Board of Trustees. A former Director of La Source’s School of Health Sciences for sixteen years, he succeeds Bernard Grobéty, who steps down after over thirty years at the helm. Chapuis takes charge as the Foundation prepares a landmark move from its historic avenue Vinet site to Beaulieu — a transformation that will shape both its clinical and educational missions for years to come.

On the research front, Johanna Joyce, Professor at the University of Lausanne and member of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, has been named President of the European Association for Cancer Research (EACR). A biologist and immunologist whose work focuses on the interactions between cancer cells, their microenvironment and therapeutic responses, her appointment reflects the growing international stature of Lausanne’s cancer research community.

Source: Various | ©DR. From L to R, Prof. Johanna Joyce, Aurélie Meynet and Jacques Chapuis

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As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly prevalent in doctors’ surgeries and hospitals, one question arises: can we trust systems whose inner workings remain opaque?

The LiGHT Laboratory (Laboratory for Intelligent Global Health Technologies) at EPFL , led by Professor Mary-Anne Hartley, has just released MeditronFO, a ‘Fully Open’ medical AI architecture — one that is entirely open and verifiable. Unlike most models presented as transparent, which publish their code without revealing the training data or the methods used, MeditronFO makes the entire process accessible for independent scrutiny by experts, hospitals and regulators. “We would never trust a doctor whose training cannot be verified. The same should apply to AI in healthcare,” explains Xavier Theimer-Lienhard, the PhD student leading the project.

Built on Meditron, a tool developed at EPFL in 2023, MeditronFO also draws on the MOOVE platform, which enables practitioners to contribute directly to the evaluation and continuous improvement of the model, anchoring its development in clinical reality.

The team is now preparing multi-centre clinical trials as part of the MED.USE pilot project, in partnership with the CHUV, to assess in practical terms how doctors interact with AI, whether they follow its recommendations — and what the consequences are for patients. The aim is to demonstrate that AI can improve the quality of care whilst reducing unnecessary procedures.

For Professor Hartley, the aim is clear: healthcare professionals and public authorities must regain control over the AI tools they use, without being forced to rely on proprietary systems whose origins and biases they do not understand.

Source: EPFL | ©Canva Media Library

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Open-I is taking place on 26 November 2026 in Zurich

Open-i brings together the key players in Switzerland’s innovation ecosystem: leading SMEs, start-ups, investors, corporates, academia, policymakers and the next generation of talent.

The focus is on exchange, inspiration and tangible collaboration. Open-i shows how scientific insights can become new business models, market-ready solutions and entrepreneurial progress.

By connecting knowledge, capital, technology and entrepreneurship, Open-i strengthens Switzerland’s position as a leading hub for innovation.

26 November 2026 | Zurich Convention Center | Information

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The ETH spin-off and Geneva-based company Immitra Bio has received CHF 150,000 from Venture Kick to develop a new treatment approach for rare genetic diseases. The biotech startup aims to replace complex stem cell transplantation procedures with a single injection, making potentially curative therapies more accessible to patients worldwide.

More than 7,000 rare genetic diseases affect an estimated 400 million people worldwide, yet 95% still lack an effective treatment. Current stem cell therapies for genetic disorders are often expensive, difficult to scale, and require intensive procedures such as chemotherapy and cell transplantation, limiting patient access and widespread adoption.

Immitra Bio is developing an in-vivo stem cell therapy designed to work directly inside the body. By harnessing natural biological mechanisms already present in the human genome, the approach aims to eliminate the need for chemotherapy, donor cells, and complex manufacturing processes. The goal is to provide a single, off-the-shelf treatment that can be broadly accessible and independent of a patient’s specific genetic mutation.

Immitra’s first wave of indications is focused on Red Blood Cell disorders, which are among the most severe inherited genetic diseases, affecting hundreds of thousands of patients worldwide.

The CHF 150,000 from Venture Kick will support Immitra Bio’s preclinical proof-of-concept work and platform validation by reversing the disease in a disease model.

Combining expertise in genetic medicine, stem cell biology, and therapeutic development, the team is composed of co-founders CEO Jan Nelis, CSO Amir Taheri, and scientific advisor Jacob Corn, together with R&D scientist Veera Vainio.

“Venture Kick has been invaluable to Immitra Bio at a defining moment in our journey. Beyond funding, the process helped us sharpen our pitch, increase our visibility, connect directly with investors, access Venture Kick’s extended network, and benefit from meaningful non-dilutive innobooster support,” highlighted co-founder Amir Taheri. “I am very pleased to have VK joining our journey of bringing much needed therapies to patients.”

Source: Press Release Venturelab | Co-founders Jan Nelis (CEO), Prof. Jacob Corn (Scientific Advisor), and Amir Taheri (CSO), © Venturelab

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The annual >>venture>> Awards, held at the Swiss Tech Convention Centre at EPFL in Lausanne in front of around 300 guests, once again showcased the depth of Switzerland’s innovation ecosystem. This year, the Swiss Health Valley had reason to celebrate: Actival won the Medtech & Healthtech vertical.

Actival, a spin-off from CSEM and the only Swiss Health Valley startup in the competition, took the Medtech & Healthcare category prize, walking away with CHF 50,000. The Neuchâtel-based company has developed patented active dental devices enabling the slow, controlled release of beneficial fluids to improve oral health — a precise, patient-centred approach to orthodontics and preventive dentistry that caught the jury’s attention.

In the Pharma & Biotech category, Baxiva claimed the prize with its proprietary next-generation vaccine platform, targeting severe infections such as urinary tract infections and sepsis. The Zurich-based company’s approach aims not only to improve patient outcomes but to reduce antibiotic dependency — a growing global priority.

The evening’s highest honour went to Edwatec, an EPFL startup developing integrated optical amplifiers for next-generation AI infrastructure. As artificial intelligence drives an exponential surge in data centre demand, optical transceivers capable of sustaining that growth have become a critical bottleneck. Edwatec’s answer lies in miniaturising optical amplification through EDWA (Erbium Doped Waveguide Amplifier) technology, integrated directly into a photonic chip. The result: high-speed, high-bandwidth, low-energy optical communication for data centres, satellite networks and fibre optic sensors alike. The company walked away with CHF 150,000 and a tailored McKinsey & Company consulting package.

The inaugural Spotlight Award, recognising the boldest use of Apertus, Switzerland’s open AI model, went to Noemon, which is redefining how AI learns and scales through local, plasticity-based, distributed learning.

Source: >>venture>> | Dr. Nikola Kalentics, Founder of Actival. ©>>venture>>

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NIRLAB, the Swiss startup behind a handheld near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy platform, has been acquired by 908 Devices. The ＄23 Million deal marks a major milestone for the Vaud-based company that, in just five years, has expanded into around fifty countries worldwide.

By joining forces with US company 908 Devices, NIRLAB combines its AI-powered, cloud-connected NIR platform with 908 Devices’ trusted trace and bulk chemical identification technology, creating a more comprehensive, end-to-end workflow for law enforcement and frontline users. NIRLAB’s handheld solution, validated through more than one million field analyses, allows officers to identify all major illicit drugs in seconds and obtain quantitative purity results on site, supporting faster and safer decisions where it matters most. The company’s On-Demand Solution will continue to serve customers in other industries, maintaining the flexibility and support they rely on.

The story began in 2016, when Florentin Coppey, then a doctoral researcher at University of Lausanne, set out to replace bulky laboratory analysis equipment with something compact, portable and fast. Four years of development with Professor Pierre Esseiva led, in March 2021, to the creation of NIRLAB.

The concept is elegantly simple: a small infrared “torch” illuminates a sample, whether cannabis, powder, plastic or even food, and the device analyses the reflected light. Within seconds, an app delivers a full set of scientific data, from THC concentration to other key components, with results comparable to those of a laboratory.

Originally designed for police use in on-the-spot drug analysis, the technology has since broadened considerably to other products. NIRLAB’s tools now analyse organic substances of plant or animal origin, as well as products from the chemical industry, opening the door to applications far beyond law enforcement. The device can also measure protein and fat content in cereals and meat, a capability of particular interest to the food and agricultural sectors.

With this acquisition, NIRLAB enters a new phase, backed by 908 Devices’ global reach, while staying true to the mission that has driven it since the start: putting laboratory-grade analysis in the palm of your hand, anywhere in the world.

Sources: NIRLab, Startupticker | ©908 Devices

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AC Immune SA, a Swiss clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company pioneering precision therapeutics for neurodegenerative diseases, announced it will receive a research grant of $4 million from The Vijay and Marie Goradia Charitable Foundation. The grant will support extending Part 1 of the ongoing Phase 2 VacSYn trial of ACI-7104, AC Immune’s anti-alpha-synuclein (a-syn) active immunotherapy, in early Parkinson’s disease (PD).

Houston businessman, philanthropist, and cancer survivor Vijay Goradia and his wife, Marie, established the Vijay and Marie Goradia Charitable Foundation to support health, education, and human services. The Foundation has previously awarded substantial grants to the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center to speed translational research and clinical trials.

The long-term dataset enabled by this grant will be particularly valuable for individuals with prodromal and early PD, who will likely require prolonged treatment and are expected to benefit from a well-established long-term safety profile.

Vijay Goradia commented: “It is our hope that this grant will contribute to expanding our knowledge of PD and to bringing ACI-7104 to patients in the earliest stages of disease, before its symptoms have irreversibly changed the lives of patients and their families. If realized, its potential to slow the rate of progression would revolutionize the treatment of PD, preserving function and independence for individuals and bringing hope to millions. We are particularly excited and hopeful about the future potential for ACI-7104 to prevent PD, sparing other families from this disease altogether.”

Dr. Andrea Pfeifer, CEO of AC Immune SA, commented: “We are honored to receive this grant from The Vijay and Marie Goradia Charitable Foundation. ACI-7104 is showing considerable promise in clinical testing. I would like to thank Vijay and Marie Goradia both for their generous contribution and for their recognition of the potential of ACI-7104 as AC Immune continues to advance towards precision prevention of neurodegenerative diseases, including PD.”

Martin Zügel, MD, interim CEO designate of AC Immune and Chair of the Board of Directors, commented: “We thank The Vijay and Marie Goradia Charitable Foundation for this grant in support of our efforts to develop ACI-7104 in early-stage PD. The grant will significantly impact the extension of Part 1 of the VacSYn trial and enable us to generate vital long-term data on the use of the product in patients.”

Positive interim results from the Phase 2 VacSYn trial of ACI-7104 in early PD were reported in December 2025. These data suggested that targeting a-syn pathology with an active immunotherapy could potentially have a disease-modifying effect and thus slow the rate of progression of PD. The interim results also indicated a favorable safety profile, robust and boostable antibody responses, evidence of target engagement, and encouraging clinical signals. Final results from Part 1 of the trial (to week-104) are expected in H2 2026.

Source: Press Release | © AC Immune

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The Valais-based startup and EPFL spin out will use the funds to develop PhageMatch, an AI powered platform that helps clinicians identify phages in partnership with University of Geneva (UNIGE) and University Hospital of Geneva (HUG).

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is often described as the new cancer: left unchecked, it is projected to cause 10 million deaths annually by 2050. Bacteriophages, viruses that target specific harmful bacteria while preserving the rest of the microbiome, offer a promising alternative to antibiotics. Yet finding the right phage for a given patient is still a largely manual process that can take up to 50 days. The problem is that around 80% of AMR cases are acute or sub-acute, leaving clinicians without the time such a process requires.

Precise Health SA has officially kicked off an Innosuisse Innovation Project, worth approximately CHF 900,000, in partnership with the University of Geneva and the Geneva University Hospitals (HUG). The project builds on PhageMatch, the company’s AI-powered platform designed to help researchers and clinicians identify and access promising bacteriophage candidates.

Today, PhageMatch uses whole genome sequencing to identify and prioritise phage candidates from a curated network of collections. However, generating genomic data can still take weeks in many hospitals, time that clinicians treating acute or sub-acute resistant infections simply don’t have.

The new Innosuisse project will explore how rapid bacterial characterisation combined with AI-driven phage matching can dramatically shorten this timeline, helping doctors source the right phages when time matters most. If no suitable match exists, the platform can also support the digital design of new phages.

The project brings together leading expertise from the University of Geneva and HUG, including Prof. Jacques Schrenzel and Dr. Patrice François, with the Precise Health team led by Dr. José Santos overseeing implementation.

The initiative follows a strong year for PhageMatch, which recently won the Best Innovation Award at Phage Therapy 2025. By connecting clinicians to global phage biobanks through a single platform and cutting out lengthy manual searches, Precise Health aims to make life-saving phage treatments faster and more accessible, offering new hope in the fight against drug-resistant infections.

Source: Precise Health | ©Precise Health

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The Wyss Center for Bio and Neuroengineering, one of the 17 academic institution partners of BioAlps since 2024, has announced a leadership transition. From 1st July 2026, Dr. Tracy Laabs will become the Center’s new Director, succeeding Prof. Dr. Erwin Böttinger, who is stepping down after more than three years at the helm.

Since joining the Wyss Center as Director in April 2023, Prof. Böttinger brought a bold vision: to evolve the Center from a portfolio of promising projects into a disciplined engine for venture creation. Under his leadership, the Center spun off six companies in two years, including ABILITY Neurotech SA and Clee Medical SA in 2025, while building a robust pipeline of next-generation programs in AI-guided neuromodulation and minimally invasive neurotechnology.

He also forged deep partnerships across the Geneva ecosystem, working with EPFL, the University of Geneva, the University Hospitals of Geneva, and the Canton of Geneva. These efforts culminated in the launch of the AI Hub in December 2025, a milestone that positions the Center at the heart of Geneva’s brain health innovation future.

“Leading the Wyss Center has been one of the great privileges of my career,” said Prof. Böttinger. “What we built together — the ventures, the partnerships, the people — reflects the remarkable talent and dedication of this entire team. I leave knowing the Center is in exceptional hands, and I look forward to watching what comes next.”

Dr. Tracy Laabs is one of the Wyss Center’s founding figures. As Founding Deputy Director from 2015, and subsequently as Chief Development Officer and Head of Innovation and Strategic Partnerships, she has spent over a decade building the institution from the ground up, shaping its innovation pipeline, forging its key partnerships, and guiding its spin-off companies as a board observer. She holds a PhD in Clinical Neuroscience from the University of Cambridge and brings almost 20 years of experience spanning academia, DARPA-funded research, and translational neurotechnology.

“I am deeply honored to step into this role at such an exciting moment for the Center,” said Dr. Laabs. “Erwin leaves behind a transformed organization — more focused, more entrepreneurial, and more connected to clinical reality than ever before. Our pipeline is strong, our partnerships are thriving, and I am energized by what we will build together in the years ahead.”

The Wyss Center enters this new chapter carrying the momentum of Erwin Böttinger’s transformative tenure, with a clear focus on accelerating innovation and therapeutic neurotechnology from research to patient impact. With a seasoned leader at the helm, a world-class team, and a growing portfolio of ventures and partnerships, the future of the Wyss Center has never looked brighter.

Source: Wyss Center Press Release | Dr. Tracy Laabs, Director of Wyss Center for Bio and Neuroengineering. © Wyss Geneva┃Jonathan Imhof

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