Limula, Actival and AirCurve supported by the FIT

Limula and its automation process for the production of cell therapies, Actival and its ‘active’ dental aligners, and AirCurve and its AI-guided robotic system for tracheal intubation, have all received Tech Loans from FIT.

Limula: automating the production of cell therapies to make them more accessible to patients

In the treatment of cancers and other currently incurable diseases, cell and gene therapies undoubtedly represent the most disruptive medical innovation of the last two decades. Boosted cells produced in the laboratory from a patient’s own blood are the basis of these highly personalised treatments capable of saving lives. While the potential impact is tremendous and widely recognised, most eligible patients are not currently benefiting from these treatments. The reason: they are incredibly difficult and expensive to produce, partly because of centralised manufacturing methods and supply chains that are ill-suited to the complexity of these new modalities.

Limula offers an automated production solution to reduce costs and decentralise the manufacture of cell and gene therapies. Their platform is based on a patented technology that enables the process to be confined to a single machine, avoiding the need to transfer fragile cells from one piece of equipment to another. Minimising manual steps reduces the risk of contamination, increases reproducibility and enables the process to be intensified in existing facilities, while reducing the number of operators. As a result, production costs have fallen considerably, giving more patients access to these revolutionary treatments.

After an initial Tech Grant and a Tech Seed loan awarded by FIT in 2019 and 2022, Limula is once again receiving support from FIT in the form of a Tech Growth loan of CHF 500,000. This sum will enable Limula to build four advanced prototypes that will be made available to its partners for a test phase in 2025, and to consolidate its team to guarantee optimum support for these first users.

Actival: a new generation of dental aligners

Up to 60% of the world’s population needs their teeth straightened. To solve this problem, dental aligners, also known as mouth trays, are increasingly popular with patients. Worn for around 22 hours a day, however, they block the access of saliva and oxygen to the teeth. This leads to several major drawbacks: the proliferation of bacteria on the teeth, white spots on the teeth, plaque build-up and cavities.

To solve these problems, Actival has developed a new generation of dental aligners. Designed as ‘active’ devices, these aligners incorporate patented microchannels that slowly release antibacterial agents, fluoride and flavour over a period of ten days. As a result, the health of teeth and gums is significantly improved.

Thanks to the CHF 100,000 Tech Seed loan granted by FIT, Actival will be able to cover the optimisation of the microchannel design and the manufacture of prototypes.

AirCurve: reducing the risks associated with tracheal intubation thanks to robotisation

For every surgical procedure, anaesthetists perform an airway intubation. In all, 100 million intubations are performed every year worldwide. But recent studies estimate that complications arise in 15% of cases: unsuccessful attempts to insert the tube, incorrect positioning of the oesophagus, damage to the vocal cords, or time constraints on oxygenation of the patient.

The technology developed by AirCurve, in direct collaboration with the EPFL and the CHUV, aims to revolutionise airway access in hospitals and emergency departments by introducing (low-cost) AI-guided robotic systems for tracheal intubation. The robot performs the surgical procedure previously carried out by Doctors, thereby minimising human error while offering unrivalled safety and precision.

The CHF 100,000 Tech Seed loan granted to AirCurve by FIT will be used in particular to finance materials to take the robot beyond the prototype stage. This will enable AirCurve to obtain additional feedback from users and doctors and thus refine the clinical need.

➡️ Source: FIT