Dragons’ Den Business Enterprise – 2024
Back to Competitions | University of East London’s (UEL) Medical Physiology and Biomedical Engineering undergraduate students, forming groups of 3-4, dedicated themselves to developing innovative business solutions that address critical gaps in medicine and healthcare. At Bühler Group, they presented their visionary projects to an audience of 50, highlighting their creative, business, communication, and applied skills. Integrated into a final-year module (Applied Medical Physiology), the annual competition rigorously evaluates final year students based on their presentation, business plan, and reflective report. Supported by the UEL Careers and Enterprise – Partnerships Team Mr Stephen Amanwo, academics, and industry partners like Bühler Group UK and Miicare this year’s competition saw a remarkable enhancement with the introduction of the EIBF prize fund – thanks to the efforts of Dr Theodora Thomadaki. This initiative not only provided crucial additional funding to exceptional UEL students from the Medical Physiology and Biomedical Engineering but also spurred them to present unique and potentially life-changing business propositions. |
First place: Ostomate
Ostomate aims to provide confidence and freedom to 190,000 people living with a stoma in the UK by reducing the occurrence of leaks and notifying them when the stoma bag needs to be changed or emptied.
Patients with bowel cancer and trauma may require surgery (for example, a colostomy) to create a hole (stoma) in the abdominal wall for the removal of waste from the intestines. This requires the attachment of a stoma bag for long periods. The problems associated with this are leakage and knowing when to replace the bag, as well as increased anxiety and decreased confidence in everyday activities. Ostomate’s improved stoma bag is made of a thicker layer of polythene and a zip-lock mechanism to avoid leaks.
Additionally, a capacitive proximity sensor contained in a microfiber cover informs the user regarding the fullness of the stoma bag and sends a discrete notification. The microfiber cover containing the sensor offers absorption and comfort. Moreover, it can be customised by the user in order to supply empowerment and pride.
Students:
- Shahed Yousif – Medical Physiology
- Ludovica Crobu – Biomedical Engineering
- Amirarshya Ebrahimibassabi – Biomedical Engineering
Prize awarded: £1,000
Second place: Vascolock
Tourniquets are used to stop or reduce bleeding from blood vessels. VasoLock has designed a system which confronts prevalent challenges associated with conventional tourniquets, including improper application, suboptimal pressure levels, and delayed deployment.
Two of the team members, both involved in the Ministry of Defence (medical capacity and field-related) noticed a prevalence of tourniquet application error which exacerbated trauma. VasoLock introduces an advanced biomedical engineering concept centred on automated tourniquet expansion, bolstered by Doppler technology for precise vascular occlusion and subsequent blood flow monitoring.
This innovative device integrates a mechanism for dynamic pressure adjustment based on Limb Occlusion Pressure, ensuring optimal efficacy. With statistics indicating only a fraction of tourniquets being correctly applied, VasoLock emerges as a transformative solution poised to significantly improve the efficacy and reliability of vascular occlusion procedures, thus potentially mitigating adverse outcomes and saving lives.
Students:
- Chantelle Gachara – Medical Physiology
- Amira Ali – Medical Physiology
- Amelia Atkinson – Medical Physiology
- Fatima Omar – Medical Physiology
Prize awarded: £750
Third place: Breathease
Breathease aims to help the lives of the one million UK children with breathing difficulties more comfortable and happier in their most vulnerable moments by utilising face scanning technology and custom 3D printed masks fit their unique face perfectly.
All three members of the Breathease team have personally struggled with severe breathing problems as children, and specifically with the current design of spacer masks, which are plain, one size fits all and uncomfortable.
The team says the masks alone will dramatically improve their experience. But going further, the team incorporate fun designs, from fantasy to football, to make children excited to take their medication and far less anxious.
Students:
- Bradly Sibanda – Biomedical Engineering
- Ania Bowling – Biomedical Engineering
- Layla Mohamed – Medical Physiology
Prize awarded: £500
Fourth place: Painless
Dysmenorrhea is defined as pain during the menstrual cycle. The pain is usually located in the lower abdomen and may radiate to the inner thighs and back. It is a very common gynecologic problem and can negatively impact a patient’s life. Dysmenorrhea is the most common gynecological condition in women aged 13-45 years.
Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) is a method of pain relief involving the use of a mild electrical current. A TENS machine is a small, battery-operated device that has leads connected to sticky pads called electrodes.
Heat is a common method used by women to reduce pain and studies have proved that superficial heat – 40-45°C can reduce pain. The Painless team developed a wearable specialised abdominal pad which incorporates conductive fabric electrodes which provides electrical stimulation and heat to relieve menstrual pain. This provides:
- Low-intensity pulses
- Disrupts pain signals offering pain relief
- Electrical current which raises the level of endorphins
- Polyimide film heater – thin film heater offers excellent heat distribution and control with good flexibility.
- Heating element gently warms the abdominal area, improving blood flow and muscle relaxation.
Students:
- Kunal Dinesh Keswani – Biomedical Engineering
- Ann Mariya Biju – Biomedical Engineering
- Yasser Al-Hosseini – Medical Physiology
Prize awarded: £150
Fifth place: Carecord
Globally 10% of the population suffer from spinal cord injuries. In the UK there are 2500 new cases every year. A spinal cord injury is damage to the spinal cord that causes temporary or permanent changes in its function. There are two types of spinal cord injury – complete spinal cord injury and incomplete. A complete spinal cord injury causes permanent damage to the area of the spinal cord that is affected. Paraplegia or tetraplegia are results of complete spinal cord injuries. It is a destructive neurological and pathological state that causes major motor, sensory and autonomic dysfunctions. This leads to body Instability and severe mobility issues.
To improve mobility and stability Carecord have developed a spinal device called SPINOLINK, a novel spinal care device. It provides:
- Increased body movement and stability
- Help with spine decompression and significant pain relief
- Increased structure support with quick rehabilitation and recovery
- Ease of use with adjustable size mechanism
Students:
- Mohammed Abdul Kareem – Biomedical Engineering
- Amina Nayyer – Medical Physiology
- Mohammed Taha Mehraj – Biomedical Engineering
Prize awarded: £150
Sixth place: Cavum
Tartar is hardened dental plaque that can form on your teeth, both above and below your gum line. Everybody gets plaque. But unless you remove it with proper oral hygiene, plaque can harden into tartar. Unlike plaque, you can’t remove tartar with brushing and flossing. It is caused by precipitation of minerals from saliva and gingival crevicular fluid in plaque on the teeth. Early detection of tartar formation will reduce damage to teeth and gums and reduce the costs of dental care. The Cavum team developed a colour system light indicator within an electric toothbrush to indicate the levels of tartar (red for high levels and yellow for low levels) every time teeth are brushed.
Students:
- Chinenye Anumiri – Medical Physiology
- Krishnapriya Prasad – Biomedical Engineering
- Sadia Begum – Medical Physiology
Prize awarded: £150
Seventh place: Questcape
With the interest in personal monitoring of health and the wide range of physiological data that can be collected, there is a need to have a simple solution to collate and make use of the data for personal health and wellbeing.
Questcape is an app which uses advanced artificial intelligence techniques to anticipate future health trends based on a user’s specific personal data, going far beyond simple tracking of that information. It provides personalised coaching and recommendations tailored specifically for its users. It provides an innovative solution towards overall wellbeing. Questcape utilises game mechanics to address the challenge of sticking with fitness programs, keeping users interested and on course to achieve personal goals.
Students:
- Elizabeth Danquah – Medical Physiology
- Debajyoti Mukherjee – Biomedical Engineering
- Aswinchandru Vinayagamoorthy – Biomedical Engineering
Prize awarded: £150
Eighth place: Bump2Birth
There are healthcare access disparities in women from ethnic minorities, particularly pregnant women. Ethnic minority women are 2 – 5 times more likely to die due to pregnancy complications than white women. Bum2Birth aims to address maternal mortality in ethnic minority communities through its app which proposes a targeted intervention to reduce maternal mortality rates, with a focus on preventing avoidable deaths and severe complications through labour and delivery support, and to provide ethnic women a personalised and culturally appropriate perinatal care (assessments, screening, counselling, health monitoring during pregnancy and up to 12 months after).
It will also:
- Link patients with private medical facilities to provide special access and reduced fees for expectant mothers and new mothers
- Assist women in making educated decisions about their health and health of their baby
- Use innovative approaches, such as using video-based education in rural for pregnancy symptom management
- Provide 24/7 support to alleviate any night-time worries
Students:
- Onyinyechi Ekeoma – Medical Physiology
- Fowsiya Olow – Medical Physiology
- Abdulla Safadi – Biomedical Engineering
- Shuwekar Sharif – Medical Physiology
Prize awarded: £150
Positive feedback
The EIBF prize fund plays a fundamental role in nurturing our students’ entrepreneurial spirit by encouraging them to fuse innovative ideas with practical application, thereby fostering competition and confidence in their endeavours. It has provided extra motivational and competitiveness in the competition. Furthermore, it has resonated beyond our campus, inspiring local communities with its impactful contributions. Undoubtedly, the EIBF prize fund has elevated our UEL Dragons’ Den competition to unprecedented heights, amplifying its significance and value.
Mohammed Meah
Course Leader/Senior Lecturer in Medical Physiology
University of East London