Posters & Pitches

Urinary tract infections are the most common bacterial infection worldwide, yet standard diagnostics still take 48–72 hours, forcing clinicians to prescribe broad-spectrum antibiotics empirically. This practice is a major driver of antimicrobial resistance - one of the greatest threats to global public health.

BugSense is developing a multilayer paper-based in-vitro diagnostic that simultaneously delivers species identification (94% accuracy), bacterial load quantification, and antimicrobial resistance profiling within 4–12 hours at the point of care, with no laboratory infrastructure required. The test is designed for use in GP practices, emergency departments, and care homes. The technology builds on a proprietary combination of selective chromogenic media, lateral flow filtration, and automated image analysis. An IVDR-compliant intended use has been defined; clinical validation is underway.

BugSense is funded by the Bavarian M4 Award and EXIST Forschungstransfer (combined >€1.5M) and is currently seeking strategic industry partners and seed investors to accelerate clinical certification and market entry. 

Website: bugsensedx.com

Speaker: Sarah Wali, CEO

Drug development remains highly inefficient, as many promising drug candidates fail in clinical phases due to the limited predictive power of conventional preclinical models. New approach methodologies (NAMs), including perfused vascular and tumor models, offer a promising path towards more human-relevant testing and are pushed by regulatory developments such as the FDA Modernization Act 2.0. However, their broader adoption is still limited by complicated handling, insufficient standardization, and a lack of automation.
CELLenger overcomes these barriers with a cell culture platform that brings physiologically relevant, continuous perfusion into the standardized and easy-to-handle well-plate format. It seamlessly integrates biologically meaningful 2D, 3D, organoid and organ-on-chip models into existing laboratory workflows and infrastructure – enabling automation and parallelization of next-generation cell culture models.
CELLenger is a pre-seed startup of the University of Augsburg that is currently supported by the Bavarian Validation Funding Program and has recently received a funding recommendation from the EXIST Research Transfer jury. With this support, the team is accelerating product validation and preparing the platform for a successful market launch.

Website: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cellenger

Speaker: David Wörle, Founder

Coldex is developing a first‑in‑class antiviral nasal spray that provides immediate, broad‑spectrum early‑treatment efficacy and protection against respiratory viral infections. Respiratory viruses remain a major global health burden, with limited options that act fast enough to prevent disease progression. Coldex introduces a proactive, patient‑friendly solution: a locally delivered RNA-LNP formulation that activates the body’s natural RIG‑I antiviral pathway directly at the site of infection: the nasal epithelium. This mechanism triggers rapid innate immune defense within minutes, reducing viral replication early and offering protection against diverse pathogens, including influenza, RSV, rhinovirus, and SARS‑CoV‑2. Our optimized RIG‑I ligand and clinically validated lipid delivery system create a potent, stable, and safe therapeutic platform. Coldex bridges the gap between prevention and treatment: a single spray can both block infection before it starts and reduce viral load when administered shortly after exposure. With strong IP, a clear regulatory path, and a high‑value entry market of 350M high‑risk individuals, Coldex aims to establish the world’s first rapid, real‑world antiviral defense standard.

Speaker: Christine Wuebben & Simone Carneiro

ENDOLEASE is a first-in-class implantable platform technology for controlled intra-arterial drug delivery. The system is designed to be placed minimally invasively into an arterial vessel, where it releases therapeutics directly into the bloodstream supplying the downstream target tissue via its capillary system. This approach enables high local drug exposure at the site of action while aiming to reduce systemic toxicity and improve therapeutic efficacy. The technology addresses a major unmet need across several indications in which systemic treatment is limited by side effects, insufficient local concentrations, or repeated treatment cycles. Potential applications include interventional cardiology, oncology, neurology, and transplantation medicine. 

Unlike conventional drug-eluting stents, ENDOLEASE is not primarily designed to treat the vessel wall, but to deliver drugs through the arterial blood flow to the target organ or tissue region. The platform combines catheter-based implantation, biodegradable materials, and controlled drug-release concepts. Its modular design allows adaptation to different drugs, release profiles, and clinical indications. ENDOLEASE is currently being developed by an interdisciplinary team from the University Hospital Würzburg, combining clinical expertise, biofabrication, materials science, and translational entrepreneurship. 

With its precision-delivery concept, ENDOLEASE aims to establish a new therapeutic paradigm: local efficacy, reduced systemic burden, and scalable application across high-need medical indications.

Website: https://endolease.de 

Speaker: Anna Fleischer, Project lead

Nucleaf addresses a critical gap in modern agriculture: the need for sustainable, adaptable, and effective alternatives to conventional chemical pesticides. Increasing regulatory pressure, rising resistance among pests, and climate-driven shifts in pathogen dynamics demand new solutions that combine efficacy with environmental compatibility. Our approach leverages RNA-based technologies as a programmable platform to develop highly specific crop protection agents that can be rapidly designed and iteratively optimized for different targets.

In the near term, we generate revenue through RNA design, synthesis, and validation services for agrochemical and seed companies. This not only enables early market entry but also builds proprietary datasets on RNA efficacy, stability, and delivery in plant systems. These data strengthen our platform and guide the development of our own target-specific candidates. As we validate RNA agents against relevant agricultural pests, we pursue co-development and licensing partnerships, contributing candidates and performance data to accelerate downstream development and regulatory approval. 

By integrating scalable synthesis, high-throughput design, and rapid biological testing, our platform shortens development cycles and improves targeting precision over time. Nucleaf positions itself as a data-driven platform partner for next-generation crop protection in Europe.

Website: www.nucleaf.de

Speaker: Timo Schlemmer, Founder, & Florian Stokom, Founder