Australians are an innovative bunch. Pull together a list of Australian innovations and you’ll find we’re responsible for some life changing technology—from the medical application of penicillin to the Wifi technology that powers today’s connected world.

I love seeing the energy and genius that fuels innovation on our doorstep! It’s what makes me passionate about serving medtech with marketing, and also makes events such as the recent Building Better Futures For Health at VIVID such a great experience. Seeing the drive, vision and energy so many teams are putting into building better futures for Australians by developing their products is nothing short of brilliant.

Building Better Futures For Health is hosted annually by IDE Group, an organisation partnering with healthcare startups to support the ideation, validation and commercialisation of new technology.

The event gathers “likeminded people who want to build better futures in health”. — George Sidis, Managing Director at IDE Group

Image credit: IDE Group

Over 2 engaging hours, 4 amazing handpicked health startups pitched their innovative products. Why? To gain valuable insight from an experienced panel, and to spread the word in an audience of people ready for the new world.

Dive below to read more about the innovation on our doorstep!

The Four Innovative Healthcare Startups 

1. Shuttlescope by Airway Medical Innovations

Presented by Dr Julio Alonso

Airway Medical Innovations is a team on a mission to revolutionise medicine with a simple, life saving tool. Intubation is the medical procedure where a plastic tube is inserted into the mouth of a patient, often to control breathing or administer drugs in an emergency or surgery.

While intubation is often a straightforward process potentially 50-70% of the time, situations occur where view of the throat is obstructed, making insertion of the tube even more challenging.

⚠️ The problem:

“Adequate airway management is one of the most common causes of preventable death in both the prehospital and emergency department." - Dr Julio Alonso

Furthermore the laryngoscope (the instrument used for examining the larynx or for inserting the tube) has not changed in design in 70 years and requires two hands to operate.

✅ The solution:

That’s why the team at Airway Medical Innovations developed Shuttlescope, an improved laryngoscope that allows practitioners to use:

• One handed, freeing the other hand to support the procedure
• With greater precision. The tube can be deployed through the Shuttlescope in one movement, meaning the tube can be inserted faster and more effectively

With a patent accepted in Australia and pending worldwide, the Shuttlescope is preparing to test in hospitals.

2. Cerebro Biosystems

Presented by the Cerebro Team

Cerebro Biosystems is a team on a mission to improve the targeted and timely treatment of sepsis, the often “life-threatening illness caused by your body’s response to an infection”.

⚠️ The problem:

Sepsis is the #1 cause of preventable death and #1 cost of hospitalisation. For individuals experiencing an infection, the common process is to prescribe antibiotics while waiting for the results of your blood test. This often takes several days, meaning you’re left waiting awhile before doctors can provide more targeted treatment.

✅ The solution:

Cerebro biosystems aims to revolutionise this by offering real time DNA sequencing of the bacterial infection, supported by cloud based analytics. This means personalised treatment recommendations can be available within a few hours (instead of a few days).

The team have completed extensive research, though now are at the stage where they need to rapidly build their genetic database of known bacterial infections.

Team at Cerebro Biosystems. Image credit: James Ferguson

3. Oli by Baymatob

Presented by Sarah McDonald

The Baymatob Team are on a mission to revolutionise childbirth with a non invasive patch to monitor pregnancy and labour progression.

⚠️ The problem:

The current technology available for monitoring labour progression is restrictive and invasive for mothers. Furthermore, it’s a high clinical resource for clinicians with little quantitative metrics to monitor.

✅ The solution: 

Oli by Baymatob is a simple solution. It's a game changer because it:

• Provides more information, such as real time feedback on uterine activity, foetal heart rate and maternal wellbeing.
• Offers remote monitoring, with information securely stored in the cloud. This means women in labour can walk around, take a bath, and even stay at home for longer while still being monitored— these newly-available comforts and freedom are life changing and may even help reduce reliance of pain medication in some women.
• Helps tailor interventions earlier and more effectively.
  
  

4. The Noisy Guts Project

Presented by Dr Mary Webberley

The Noisy Guts Project is on a mission to unlock the gut’s secret language to diagnose and monitor common gut disorders, specifically Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). It’s a condition affecting an estimated 800 million worldwide, with billions of dollars spent in costly diagnostic procedures.

⚠️ The problem:

The most common means of diagnosis is by exclusion, meaning patients go through a time consuming, invasive and expensive process of ruling out every other cause of their symptoms. It’s inefficient for our healthcare system and a difficult experience for patients.

✅ The solution: 

Using research that shows a strong correlation between gut noises and gut disorders, The Noisy Guts Project have developed a wearable product that translates tummy rumbles into effective diagnosis. This device can also function as a monitoring tool for patients as they undergo treatment.

Team at The Noisy Guts Project. Image credit: CSIROscope

Just the beginning for two lucky winners!

Congratulations to Shuttlescope from Airway Medical innovations for winning 1st place. And congratulations to Oli by Baymatob for winning the People’s Choice prize. Excited to see what’s next for these incredible innovators!

Winners Dr Julio Alonso (2nd from the left) and Sarah McDonald (2nd from the right). Image credit: IDE Group

There are so many amazing healthcare startups and entrepreneurs across every industry doing incredible work. What startups do you think we should know about?

At You & Co, we love helping health and SaaS startups grow their reach. That's why we partner with medtech companies through marketing that takes it to the next level.