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Heat Shockers
When Cancer Starts Shining.
A project by the Heinz-Nixdorf Chair of Biomedical Electronics of the TU Munich
- with industrial partners Genspeed and Broadcom
WHAT WE DO...
We bring novel cancer research to the people...
DIAGNOSIS
We are able to detect arbitrary types of cancer in early stages to provide the physicans an indivualized status.
MONITORING
By using our technology, cancer monitoring can be tremendously improved and cost-optimized.
AFTERCARE
Current aftercare sessions at a hospital with long waiting hours can be improved for a better patient well-being.
THERAPY SUPPORT
Innovative decision aids for treating physicians to provide an optimal and individualized therapy process for each patient.
IMMUNOASSAYS
Since our technology does not only rely on cancer, we can optimize and automize many currently available immunoassays.
HIGH SERNSITIVE PHOTON COUNTING
We are utilizing novel Silicon Photomultiplier to enable single photon detection.
>1,500
Validated Patient Samples
15
minutes
1
Awards Won
$4.3bn
Target Market
HOW WE DO IT...
We are combining cutting edge cancer research and with novel semidoctor technology.
In extreme situations, a cell generates more heat-shock proteins (Hsp), which help other proteins to fold and maintain after production. After the Warburg effect, cancer cells change their metabolism and multiply disproportionately. This increased cell division produces more heat shock proteins. These proteins are transported to the cell membrane or released into the environment in vesicles.
We use highly precise single photon silicium photmoultipliers(SiPMs). These measure the concentration of Hsp70 in the blood of the patient by comparing it with the number of detected photons because these factors correlate.
Point-of-care products in medicine are diagnostic tools that can be applied to the patient from the bed side and deliver results on site.
STATUS QUO...
Up to now, there has been no possibility of monitoring cancer reliably, locally and in the shortest possible time and, in the case of treatment, to monitor the progress of healing as closely as possible.
For a patient, a cancer diagnosis often means a serious change in his or her life. In addition to the uncertainty as to how the disease will progress, the treatment is extremely stressful. This increases the importance of developing new methods through research that both personalize the therapy and make the treatment more pleasant for the patient. Our device optimizes the way of monitoring results through extreme precise supervision of the healing process of cancer patients. We achieve this with the help of the Heat Shock Protein HSP70. Compared to healthy people, cancer patients have a higher concentration of HSP70. At the Chair of Experimental Radiooncology and Radiobiology of Prof. Multhoff (TUM), antibodies are being researched that specifically bind to the HSP70 protein. In the further course of the process, radiation in the visible range is emitted, which we measure with extremely sensitive silicon photomultipliers. These components are able to detect single photons. The intensity of the radiation is therefore measures the amount of heat shock proteins found in the blood. This quantity correlates to a certain extent with the Number of cancer cells in the body. At present, there is no automated solution for measuring HSP70 concentrations. Our approach is therefore to monitor the effectiveness of the cancer treatment as well as the exact healing process of the patient by means of repeated blood analyses of the patient.
Our Dream...
From market research, design and prototyping to production and delivery, we cover it all. We want to provide a optimal support for all people suffering from cancer and help them to have a better life.
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Team
We are a group of bachelor and master students of the TU Munich. Besides a TUM-BWL student our team consists of students of electrical engineering and information technology. Since we come from a wide variety of disciplines, everyone can get involved in the project in their own area. This not only represents an optimal basis for the successful implementation of the product, but also gives us the opportunity to improve our individual soft and hard skills.
GET IN TOUCH...
To arrange a consultation or workshop, send us a message.