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LEO Innovation Lab Hosts HealthTech Challenges, Now Looking For Prototypes

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Care to change the lives of millions for the better? Enter LEO Innovation Lab's HealthTech challenge to get the chance to do just that & submit your prototype until May 22nd to win a total prize money of $150.000!

LEO Innovation Lab, the independent innovation unit of the world’s leading company for people with skin diseases, LEO Pharma, hosts two challenges with the aim to improve the lives of millions. The unit was established as part of a long-term strategic decision to focus on patient needs and solve struggles they face on a daily basis due to their conditions.

Interestingly, LEO Innovation Lab does not develop medical treatments but rather puts the improvement of the quality of life in the center of their attention. The unit aims for a collaboration with HealthTech startups to come closer to a solution for this problem. Until May 22nd startups and digital health experts can enter their prototypes for a chance to develop their projects and additionally win up to $150.000 of prize money.

#1 Skin Prediction

LEO Innovation Lab Calls For Health Startups To Accept Open Innovation ChallengeThe first of two challenges revolves around Psoriasis, a chronic skin condition, that occurs in episodes. Affected people are not able to predict the next flare-up although some factors that trigger episodes are known, thus also not being able to say how bad it will be. Maintaining a normal life can often be difficult as one patient says, “It’s easy with kids, they ask. Adults don’t, they just look and judge. That’s sometimes a hindrance and it effects me. I usually wear long sleeves, also in the summer. I cover up.”.

LEO Innovation Lab is looking for a solution that can predict skin flare-ups and will help millions of people with a “call-for-action”. A call-for-action would empower people living with psoriasis to be in charge of their skin. This would also allow for a more proactive treatment, reducing the amount of medicine needed. Ideally, the solution would also provide the ability to identify the origin of the flare-up and allow people to introduce the necessary behavioral change to prevent future flare-ups.

For this challenge, a total prize of $100.000 will be awarded to the prototype solution that best meets the judging criteria. Furthermore, the winner can become part of LEO Innovation Lab, offering more benefits:

  • Collaboration for commercialization
  • Investment
  • Access to sales force
  • Access to a network of patients and healthcare providers through both LEO Innovation Lab and LEO Pharma

#2 Relieve The Itch

LEO Innovation Lab Calls For Health Startups To Accept Open Innovation Challenge“It is terrible. It’s hard to explain because your skin has a totally different texture than normal. It’s not like a mosquito bite. It comes from underneath. And it’s a bigger area. I scratch until it bleeds. And if you scratch a mosquito bite until it bleeds it stops itching but this continues. So, in the end, you scratch yourself skinless”, says a person living with Psoriasis.

In this case, LEO Innovation Lab is looking for a digital and /or device solution which will enable people with a skin condition such as psoriasis or eczema, to find new relief from their itch or to live more comfortably with it. The solution can be based on software or hardware, while devices that assume users have access to a smartphone are accepted.

A total prize money of $50.000 will be awarded to the prototype solution that best meets the judging criteria (in the case of a tie the winner will be selected at the discretion of the judging panel). Like in the first challenge, the winner may also receive further benefits if accepted into LEO Innovation Lab’s portfolio:

  • Collaboration for commercialization
  • Investment
  • Access to sales force
  • Access to a network of patients and healthcare providers through both LEO Innovation Lab and LEO Pharma

Further information, including more background to the problems presented, is available for both, the Skin Prediction & Relieve The Itch challenge.

HealthTech startups willing to participate should have a ready prototype with the potential to solve either one or both of the challenges. Got one? Enter it until May 22nd to win up to $150.000!

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