Sebastian Bargfrede, Dr Reza Esmaillie and Janine Krauss are Detechgene, the start-up of the Nephrolab at the CECAD Research Center. With their idea to detect biological material fast and easy in medical samples, they entered the 'start-up your idea' competition of the Gateway Excellence Start-up Center of the University of Cologne.
Out of 40 ideas, Detechgene made it to the final. Here, the team pitched the idea in front of a digital audience and a jury of experts and won. The prize: €5,000 and support from experts in setting up the start-up.
"It was the first pitch for us. We were very curious to see how the jury would evaluate our idea. We were all the more proud when Detechgene was named the winner. We are excited about what lies ahead and are now preparing for the first round of financing," said Dr Reza Esmaillie.
Detechgene convinced with an idea born out of the hardship of the Corona pandemic.
"We are enabling a rapid Corona test that can be done on-site, without the need for trained laboratory staff, and with the accuracy of a PCR. With this, we will revolutionise the rapid test market," Esmaillie said in the pitch.
The start-up also has a future after the Corona pandemic. The underlying principle of the loop-mediated isothermal amplification method, or LAMP for short, can be adapted to many other viruses or bacteria in a similar way to PCR. Detechgenes could therefore also be used in the future to quickly and easily detect cystitis or other infections.
The science behind Detechgene:
journals.plos.org/plosone/article