Spin-Offs

ICVS

iSurgical3D

The iSurgical3D is a company founded in 2010, fully dedicated to research, development and marketing of prosthetics and orthotics and other medical devices to use in patients based on 3D technologies. This project aimed to find an electro-mechanical platform based in 3D technologies for virtual modulation of implants for the correction of Pectus Excavatum by the Nuss procedure. The success of this project, whose intellectual property has now been patented, was the basis of the spirit that led to the creation of iSurgical3D, spin-off of the University of Minho. Currently, iSurgical3D is developing a strategy to extend its methodology to other human diseases, including correction of Pectus Carinatum, scoliosis and dental molding. The experience of its employees makes iSurgical3D a company specialized in advanced, customized solutions for surgery.

Bn’ML

Bn’ML - Behavioral & Molecular Lab appears in 2012 as a spin-off of the University of Minho, in close association with the ICVS. Bn’ML delivers customized behavioral and molecular preclinical analysis services for testing the potential of new therapeutic compounds, thus improving the drug development process in an early stage.

iCognitus

iCognitus is a spin-off company associated with the School of Medicine, University of Minho. It was founded in 2013 by leading experts in online assessment and is a software house developing a complete exam management solution, which delivers powerful and actionable data to assess learning outcomes and increase student learning, engagement, and retention. Our mission is to build the tools needed to make that your reality. From development, to support, to marketing—our focus is on creating the best products and helping our clients be as successful as possible.

IPLEXMED

IPLEXMED goal is to make clinical diagnosis fast and accessible, both during medical consultations and eventually within the comfort of patients' homes. We are developing a cutting-edge diagnostic platform that includes a portable device and disposable cartridges. Central to our innovation is NexaGuard, IPLEXMED's diagnostic platform, a lab-quality rapid diagnostic device. Together with our first consumable it will quickly and precisely diagnose bacterial infections and their antimicrobial resistance profiles, particularly in patients with chronic respiratory conditions. IPLEXMED stands out for our ability to decentralize diagnosis. By enabling diagnosis in physicians' offices and patients' homes, we can identify infections that might otherwise remain undetected. Additionally, our device drastically reduces the diagnostic timeline from 2 to 7 days to just 20 minutes, resulting in significant cost savings for hospitals through reduced hospitalizations and associated healthcare expenses.

Screen4Health

Screen4Health provides services for evaluating the therapeutic efficacy and toxicity of molecules, utilizing C. elegans models specifically for neurodegenerative diseases, with a particular focus on rare diseases. As many animal models do not yet exist for certain rare diseases, we offer the creation of these models through advanced genetic manipulation techniques. Additionally, from the perspective of personalized medicine, we identify the molecular targets of the tested molecules, enabling a description of their mechanisms of action. The services offered by Screen4Health enable the rapid and cost-effective identification of new drugs with high efficacy potential at an early stage of development. Our mission is to accelerate the pre-clinical phase and select promising compounds in in vivo disease models, making Screen4Health essential in the discovery of cures for a wide range of diseases, particularly rare diseases, thereby improving the quality of life for patients and their families.