“COVID-19 edition” of pediatric device contest announces winners

WASHINGTON – (July 22, 2020) – The National Capital Consortium for Pediatric Device Innovation (NCC-PDI) announces eight winners chosen in its special COVID-19 edition of the “Make Your Medical Device Pitch for Kids!” competition. Focused on innovations in COVID-19-related pediatric medical devices that will improve children’s health care, 16 finalists competed on Monday, July 20 in a virtual pitch event for a share of $250,000 in total grant awards.

A panel of 75 expert judges from health care, business, investor and regulatory sectors selected award winners based on the clinical significance and commercial feasibility of their COVID-19-related medical devices for children. The competition focused on medical devices that support home health monitoring and telehealth, and improve sustainability, resiliency and readiness in diagnosing and treating children during a pandemic.

For safety and efficiency, the competition utilized a video conference format. The event was presented by NCC-PDI co-founders Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation at Children’s National Hospital and the A. James Clark School of Engineering at the University of Maryland, and powered by nonprofit accelerator and NCC-PDI member, MedTech Innovator.

“Because of the high quality of submissions and the critical need for pandemic-related pediatric medical devices, we are excited to recognize and award eight innovations from this event’s highly competitive field” says Kolaleh Eskandanian, Ph.D., MBA, PMP, vice president and chief innovation officer at Children’s National Hospital and principal investigator of NCC-PDI. “COVID-19 is presenting unprecedented challenges and my NCC-PDI colleagues and I know that supporting pediatric innovations will improve care for the patients and families we serve."

Here are the 2020 "Make Your Medical Device Pitch for Kids!” special COVID-19 edition competition winners and their grant awards:

Bloom Standard (Kaaria), Hong Kong, China - $20,000 awarded - wearable, AI-driven ultrasound for infant cardiac and pulmonary screening and diagnostics
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – $20,000 awarded - transparent reusable DIY origami facemask that reveals facial expressions & improves communication
Hopscotch, Ithaca, New York - $20,000 awarded - gamified cognitive behavioral therapy-based computer exercises to encourage kids to stay engaged and complete treatment programs
Medipines, Yorba Linda, California - $50,000 awarded - monitor device that displays critical respiratory parameters analyzed from a patient's breathing sample
OtoPhoto, Baltimore, Maryland - $20,000 awarded - a smart otoscope that quickly and accurately aids diagnosis of ear infections for home telehealth use
TGV-Dx, New York, New York -$50,000 awarded - a novel, phenotype-based test system for rapid selection of effective antibiotic regimen
Vitls, Houston, Texas - $50,000 awarded - wearable platform for remote patient monitoring of the vitals clinicians require to assess a patient
X-Biomedical, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - $20,000 awarded - rugged, portable smart ICU ventilator for pediatric and adult patients

The competition format included a pitch presentation by the innovators to the judging panel followed by a question-and-answer session. Judges’ questions delved further into the development process, feasibility of the technology, current resources, the potential market and commercialization strategy.

“These winners represent some of the most promising emerging medical device innovations in the diagnosis, treatment, and care of children affected by COVID-19," said Paul Grand, CEO of MedTech Innovator. “I'm thrilled that we were able to work together with NCC-PDI and seventy-five expert industry stakeholders and clinicians to provide support for these innovators on their critical missions to improve and protect the lives of pediatric patients, our most vulnerable population.”

Along with grant funding, one company from the competition will be selected by Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JLABS at a later date to receive a one-year residency at JLABS @ Washington, DC, which will be located on the new Children’s National Research and Innovation Campus currently under construction. In addition to the 2021 JLABS residency, the awardee will have access to the JLABS community and expert mentoring by the Johnson & Johnson family of companies. NCC-PDI and JLABS will announce the recipient once the selection process is completed.

Funding for the competition is made possible by a grant from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and a philanthropic gift from Mei Xu, founder of e-commerce platform Yes She May, a site dedicated to women-owned brands. A mother and a creator of successful global lifestyle businesses, Mei Xu welcomed the innovators and observed pitch presentations. During the general sessions, participants also had an opportunity to hear from representatives of organizations supporting innovation such as MedTech Innovator, Children’s National Hospital, University of Maryland’s Fischell Institute for Biomedical Devices, JLABS, Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), Center for Advancing Innovation, and Maryland Tech Council.

NCC-PDI is one of five members in the FDA’s Pediatric Device Consortia Grant Program created to support the development and commercialization of medical devices for children, which lags significantly behind the progress of adult medical devices. To date, NCC-PDI has mentored over 100 medical device sponsors to help advance their pediatric innovations, with twelve devices having received either their FDA market clearance or CE marking.

To learn more about NCC-PDI and the COVID-19 special edition competition, visit https://innovate4kids.org

Published July 23, 2020