First FemTech accelerator in Switzerland

Overview of the company

Metabolomic Diagnostics is a deep-tech start-up specializing in developing innovative biomarker-based diagnostic solutions for complex diseases. The company has developed an effective pipeline to identify diagnostic biomarker panels and transpose these panels into clinical assays ready for application in clinical laboratories.

Metabolomic Diagnostics is a University College Cork spinout. The current and primary focus of the company is screening for preeclampsia, as identifying women at risk of this terrible condition is an unmet clinical need.

The company was created in 2011, and since the beginning, the team has focused on maternal health. The group has been raising money and translating the technology to a market-ready product from the start.

Transforming prenatal care through early screening of pregnancy complications.

Preeclampsia is a condition of pregnancy characterized by heightened blood pressure and indications of damage to other organ systems, such as the liver or the kidneys. If this condition is left untreated, it can lead to severe, even deadly complications for both the woman and her baby. It remains a leading cause of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality, resulting in 70,000 mothers and 500,000 infant deaths each year as a direct consequence of Pre-Eclampsia.

Metabolomic Diagnostics developed a much simpler and more effective offer to patients.

PrePsia is their first product to market. It is a simple blood test that identifies the risk of developing preeclampsia. Identifying women at high risk allows health care providers to administer personalized prenatal care and proper treatment.

The vision of Metabolomic Diagnostics is that by offering better screening tests, patients will get more precise interventions, have less anxiety, and save money. Screening patients simply by their clinical characteristics does not adequately differentiate the women at risk. The current state-of-the-art method is very complicated and expensive.

Every time science tries to change a practice or improve it, significant challenges come along. In Metabolomic Diagnostics' case, patients are excited to get new options. The team has been in contact with multiple patient-representative foundations, and they show enthusiasm as there is a lack of advancement in this area.

Patients want something new; preeclampsia has been treated the same way since the 17th century. Even though there was an advancement in many areas, such as ICU procedures, there is still no satisfactory treatment, prevention, or screening.

The company is committed to discussing preeclampsia, offering more precise and efficient tests, and educating patients and doctors. Clinicians also want better outcomes, and Metabolomic Diagnostics provides more efficient and less expensive tests to save lives.

Preeclampsia and COVID-19

Preeclampsia rose during the COVID -19 pandemic. Studies have shown that pregnant women with COVID-19 had a nearly 50% higher risk of preeclampsia and unfavourable outcomes, including maternal mortality, severe infection, and issues with the baby, compared to women without COVID-19. Since people have connected COVID-19 and preeclampsia, there has been increased interest in this topic.

Concluding remarks

Currently, Metabolomic Diagnostics focuses on bringing PrePsia to the market and offering it to patients. It will be launched in the US in autumn 2022.

"We cannot wait to have these tests available globally. We are focused on the US market now because of opportunity. Still, we hope to soon be all around the world," explains Ana Panigassi, Head of Clinical Affairs and In-House Obstetrician. "Tech4Eva is amazing in so many ways. In the Femtech industry, it is extremely hard to get funding or mentorship. Tech4Eva does not take equity, and the mentoring is excellent - It makes much difference." She specifies that access to other companies, even with those who focus on entirely different Femtech topics, is one of the significant advantages of the Tech4Eva accelerator. "We have learned so much from peer-to-peer conversations".

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