Portuguese startup BAC3GEL wins European health prize

The Portuguese startup ^BAC3GEL, located at the Taguspark Incubator, has won an award from Headstart Innostars, a program promoted by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology Health (EIT), one of the most prestigious European competitions for startups working in the health sector. Participation in this European competition is only possible with pre-approval and ^BAC3GELwas one of 15 projects chosen out of 150. The company develops models of human mucus, generating infections in vitro, to discover and test the efficacy of new antibiotics and food supplements.

"This recognition is extremely important for ^Bac3Gel, not only because of the organization that awarded it, but also because of the opportunities, experiences and partnerships it will provide. The EIT Health Headstart program aims to support and accelerate the transfer of innovative health technologies to the market. This support is provided at various levels, namely through access to a European network specializing in health innovation, from equipment suppliers, the pharmaceutical industry, universities and research centers, prize money of 40,000 euros, with the possibility of competing for an additional 10,000 euros, and access to a business mentor," explains Sebastião van Uden, CEO of ^BAC3GEL.

^BAC3GELdistributes models that make it possible to generate in vitro infections to discover and test the efficacy of new antibiotics in an efficient and reproducible way, as well as to create mini-intestines in the laboratory to aid the development of food supplements such as probiotics and prebiotics. With these models, ^BAC3GELoffers the pharmaceutical and food industries the possibility of developing new therapies in a shorter period of time and at a reduced cost.

From Taguspark, this technological platform allows different commercial solutions to be developed, multiplying into specific products to bring to the laboratory the ability to grow microorganisms in the same way that they grow in the human body.