The TIMEUP, Lda. spinoff was born out of an interdisciplinary collaboration of researchers. The aim is to reduce urinary tract infections, which account for a third of all infections in hospitals and long-term care facilities, by reducing the use of antibiotics.
The team, made up of microbiologists and researchers in the field of polymeric biomaterials from different research centers in Coimbra, has developed a diagnostic device that informs health professionals of a possible infection even before any symptoms appear. In this way, the process of taking a sample for analysis and microbiological analysis in a hospital laboratory is avoided, which significantly reduces the use of consumables and reagents associated with diagnostic methods.
Currently, TIMEUP, Lda. has already developed a working laboratory prototype and is in the process of preparing, securing funding and partners to carry out a pilot clinical trial for proof of concept in humans, an essential step in validating the product. The technology is in the intellectual property protection phase, with the international patent application expected to be submitted later this year.
TIMEUP, Lda. is made up of Susana Alarico from the UC Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology; Igor Tiago from the UC Center for Functional Ecology; Paula Ferreira from the Center for Natural Resources, Environment and Society of the Polytechnic Institute of Coimbra; Marta Santos and Marcos Mariz, both from the UC Center for Research in Chemical Process Engineering and Forest Products.
At the end of August, an investment agreement was signed between TIMEUP, Lda. and Portugal Ventures, S.A., under the INNOV-ID program, which includes financial support for the project in the amount of 100,000 euros and support for business development.
The creation of yet another spinoff within the UC, through the valorization of intellectual assets, contributes to the innovation ecosystem and is yet another example of the transfer of knowledge from research produced in an academic context placed at the service of society.
