Maximilian Richly (Ecole Polytechnique 2018)

(LumediX)

The start-up LumediX has developed a portable “point-of-care” medical diagnostic platform, using a technology based on luminescent nanoparticles developed in the laboratories of the École Polytechnique.

This platform has the capacity to perform rapid medical analyses directly at the patient’s bedside or in the field, with a sensitivity and accuracy usually only achievable in an analysis laboratory. The TERRANOVA project, generously funded by the Jean-Jacques and Felicia Lopez-Loreta Foundation, aimed to apply this platform to the detection of Tuberculosis and Arboviruses, infectious diseases that particularly affect people in developing countries. Tuberculosis alone is the cause of 10 million illnesses and 1.5 million deaths per year: while it remains a treatable disease, diagnostic methods remain archaic and laboratory dependent. With a more accessible solution, such as the one proposed by LumediX, the diagnosis of this deadly disease could become accessible to millions of people worldwide.