Xtremedy co-founder Dr Lyn Markey and Enterprise Ireland executive director Stephen Creaner. Image: Maxwell Photography
Xtremedy was one of 12 Irish research-based start-ups pitching their ideas at the Enterprise Ireland event.
Xtremedy Medical, a medtech that makes surgical devices to address deep tissue and bone infections, emerged victorious in the Big Ideas showcase hosted by Enterprise Ireland yesterday (11 November).
Based at NUI Galway, Enterprise Ireland-backed Xtremedy was one of 12 Irish start-ups rooted in research that had three minutes to pitch their tech innovations and business plans to the judging panel.
Every year, the event highlights successful collaborations between higher education institutes, investors and the State, providing a platform for innovative research ideas to take flight and help grow fledgling businesses.
Dr Lyn Markey, co-founder of Xtremedy, was presented with the One to Watch Award for outstanding pitch of the day.
Surgical device
Xtremedy’s surgical device aims to increase the effectiveness of surgeries that address bone and deep tissue infections by delivering electric signals through wounds – both at the surface and below, to zap any residual infection.
Traditional methods of treating these infections are often long and difficult, with many patients requiring follow-up surgeries or, in some cases, amputations. Xtremedy’s tech is non-thermal, which it says preserves the integrity of wounds after treatment, reducing the time taken to heal.
The start-up was co-founded by NUI Galway researchers Markey and Camille O’Malley during a BioInnovate fellowship in 2018. Developed in NUI Galway’s Translational Medical Device Lab, Xtremedy intends to spin out in 2022 and expand into the wider chronic wounds, trauma and surgical site infection markets.
Pearlabs, an imaging technology company based in University College Dublin, also bagged the Viewers’ Choice Award at the event.
This start-up, led by Prof Dominic Zerulla, is using super resolution imaging technology with the aim of transforming our understanding of processes such as cell signalling and cell proliferation in cancer. It hopes that further development of its photonic chip will see its imaging tech used in diagnostic applications such as endoscopies or even consumer devices.
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