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DermatoTherma – Reducing the burden of neglected diseases

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The project management is responsible for the content of the information provided.

Project data

  • Project no: GRS-067/23 
  • Amount of funding: CHF 150'000 
  • Approved: 31.10.2023 
  • Duration: 01.2024 - 12.2024 
  • Area of activity:  InnoBooster, seit 2018

Project management

Project description

There are a wide variety of thermal treatment possibilities, one of them being radio frequency (RF) waves to introduce heat locally. For cutaneous Leishmaniasis (CL), a neglected skin disease caused by a flesh-eating parasite, such a treatment has been around for over 20 years without achieving market adaptation. There are 1 million cases each year, of which less than 30% are reported, and conventional treatments are painful, lengthy and can have severe side effects. DermatoTherma built an MVP with the same functional principle by reverse-engineering the only RF device widely used in the CL treatment market. Through research and testing, shortcomings in the original device were rectified. By introducing a new temperature control method, the device's side effects were decreased while improving its usability and reducing manufacturing costs. To ensure sustainable treatment access, we will validate our marketing strategy and prepare for market entry in multiple nations. In partnership with international partners, we aim to make our devices accessible to the over 90 nations affected and reduce the burden of neglected diseases on local communities and the national health systems.

Status/Results

DermatoTherma initiated industrialization and is setting up the quality management system to prepare for regulatory approval with the help of its partners. The Innobooster funding will be used to set up a clinical trial to prove the increased safety of the developed device and build customer interest. A chief marketing analyst will be onboarded to validate the business model and improve pricing and distribution strategies to achieve sustainable revenue and impact. To increase awareness of the disease, Dermatotherma strives to expand its stakeholder network to product development partnerships (PDP), Ministries of Health, Tropical Health Institutions and NGOs active on a global and community level. The project aims to achieve market validation and raise a seed funding round to complete the product and enter the market at the beginning of 2025.

Links

Persons involved in the project

Davide Paparo, ZHAW, Co-founder & CEO, Project lead
e-mail ZHAW | e-mail DermatoTherma | LinkedIn
Ian Caetano Rodrigues Häusler, ZHAW, Co-founder &CTO, Co-project lead
e-mail ZHAW | e-mail DermatoTherma | LinkedIn

Last update to this project presentation  25.04.2024