The NLC Health Impact Fund

Axial Orthopaedics Inc. revolutionizes trauma treatment with their innovative intramedullary nailing system. Current systems often lead to bone misalignment and joint pain, blocking post-procedural recovery. Axial Orthopaedics's modular system offers greater flexibility in bone alignment and healing. This system not only addresses postoperative pain but also reduces complications. Its intra-operative modularity and rotational capabilities allow surgeons to achieve better fracture fixation and improved outcomes, filling a crucial gap in current technology.

XtRNA Bio is developing a pioneering gene therapy to treat Charcot Marie Tooth (CMT) disease type 2D, leveraging tRNA supplementation therapies. Their patented treatment targets mutations in tRNA synthetases, offering a new therapeutic modality with vast potential for various diseases. They are raising €5M to develop a clinical candidate for CMT2D and expand their pipeline. CMT, a hereditary and heterogeneous disease, affects 1 in 2500 people worldwide, causing progressive muscle wasting, loss of sensation, and chronic pain, with no current cure.

Intuescope, develops advanced tools to make endoscopy and colonoscopy procedures faster and safer. Despite being gold standard tests, traditional scopes have changed little over 40 years and often miss abnormalities. Intuescope's innovations aim to reduce procedure time, enhance detection accuracy, and support doctors with more automation, addressing the growing need for efficient and reliable endoscopic solutions.

The challenge with lung cancer lies in its late detection, often leading to unfortunate outcomes. Current screening methods like low-dose CT scans are costly and have radiation risks, while blood tests lack accuracy or are too expensive. Our solution offers a non-invasive blood test that detects lung cancer early with high sensitivity and specificity. This test, with its multi-protein panel, can identify even stage I cancer, improving survival rates and reducing unnecessary procedures.

SERDA presents a solution for wound debridement, particularly useful for burn wounds and chronic wounds like diabetic foot ulcers. Traditional debridement methods can be expensive, painful, or less effective. SERDA offers an enzymatic debrider in the form of a hydrogel that selectively breaks down necrotic tissue, leaving healthy tissue intact, promoting faster healing with minimal discomfort for the patient. SERDA aims to improve the efficiency and ease of wound care, providing a more effective alternative to existing options.

PEP Health addresses the complexity of monitoring healthcare quality by offering a platform that tackles key challenges in quality assessment. By combining multiple sources of patient feedback, including social media, PEP provides near real-time assessments of quality for hospitals and departments. This approach reduces costs, improves timeliness, and enhances trustworthiness compared to traditional methods. With potential customers ranging from healthcare providers to patient organizations, PEP's underlying algorithm has been validated across industries, including higher education.

ChARM, or the Children’s Automated Respiration Monitor, addresses the challenge of pneumonia misdiagnosis in low-resource settings. This battery-powered device provides accurate breathing rate monitoring for children under five, empowering healthcare workers to make correct diagnoses swiftly. By streamlining the diagnostic process, ChARM facilitates timely treatment, potentially saving thousands of young lives annually.

OCCLUNOVA introduces a novel solution for chronic atrial fibrillation (AF), a condition affecting millions worldwide where the heart's upper chambers beat irregularly. Their implantable device aims to prevent strokes associated with AF by sealing off the left atrial appendage (LAA), where blood clots often form. Unlike traditional methods, which can cause complications due to their rigid frame, OccluNova's design uses a flexible balloon to fully seal the LAA. This innovative approach minimizes risks like pericardial effusions and incomplete closure, offering a safer option for AF patients.