Student project turned into start-up idea
With their start-up project Merit diagnostics, the Master’s students Ivana Suchankova and Chiara Dalla Santa aim to create a unique diagnostic device that could save lives of patients with sepsis.Ivana Suchankova and Chiara Dalla Santa, Master's students from Uppsala University, have developed a start-up project called Merit diagnostics. Their aim is to create a diagnostic device that can detect sepsis, a life-threatening condition, more rapidly and accurately. The device would facilitate the quantitative detection of biomarkers in blood plasma that increase as sepsis develops. The idea originated during the SensUs competition in 2022, where the students worked on developing a biosensor for sepsis detection. Their successful performance in the competition motivated them to further develop the prototype and create a spinoff. They are currently participating in the Venture Cup Startup regional final, where they will present their project to a jury of investors. The students hope to gain feedback, attract interest, and secure funding to advance their prototype through rigorous testing and experiments. Their goal is to improve patient outcomes by providing a more rapid diagnostic routine for sepsis.