Challenge
Each year 1.4 million European citizens suffer from a stroke. Stroke significantly affects the quality of life of survivors; physical disability persists for at least three months for half of the patients, and 5 million patients worldwide require intensive long term institutional care. All this results in an economic burden of approximately €38.4 billion per year. Medical imaging, such as CT, is of utmost importance for early diagnosis and choice of treatment for strokes, and when new treatments are developed the decision making progress regarding choice of treatment will become more complicated meaning clinicians need to be better informed.
Opportunity
The medical image analysis market was estimated to be worth €1.5 billion in 2012, growing at a rate of 7.2% to reach €2.2 billion in 2017. Moreover the global radiology market was estimated to be €4 billion in 2014. The clinical trial market is between €4.6 million and €10.3 million per year, with additional trials each year researching novel therapies to treat and prevent acute strokes.
Solution
Computational support can almost instantly provide the required information to assist in treatment decisions. More advanced and faster decision making substantially improves the quality of life of stroke patients. Nico-lab has developed a portfolio of 6 algorithms that automatically analyse and quantify radiological images of acute stroke patients. By using Nico-lab’s tools physicians can interpret medical scans in a fast and objective way allowing them to assess stroke severity objectively and make quick, calculated decisions on treatments and monitoring.
Status
Nico.Lab has successfully made it to the market.
“I have been working with NLC for a couple of years. From the first moment, NLC saw opportunities where I didn’t. Without the expertise and commitment of NLC, Nico.lab simply wouldn’t exist and we wouldn’t be able to help stroke patients this day.”
Meet the team
Henk Marquering
Inventor
Renan Sales Barros
Inventor
Merel Boers, PhD
CEO
Ruben Mikkers
Venture Partner at NLC
Ruben is NLC’s CFO, including the responsibility for NLC’s fund management practice, leveraging on his extensive experience in general financial management and M&A. Before joining NLC in 2019, he spent almost 14 years in KPMG’s Deals practice, of which the last 6.5 years as a Partner, and 6 years at Robeco Asset Management as portfolio manager and buy-side analyst.