Medtech startups to vie for $200K prize at UMass Lowell event

Twenty medical device and biotech startups will compete for $200,000 worth of resources, including access to lab facilities and regulatory consultants, during a “pitch-off” event on Wednesday evening at UMass Lowell.

The M2D2 $200K Challenge, an annual competition organized by UMass Lowell and UMass Medical School, is scheduled to kick off at 5 p.m. on Wednesday at the Lowell campus. More than 100 startups who entered the contest have been whittled down to 20 finalists, who will pitch their technologies to a panel of expert judges.

The winner, to be announced April 10, will receive $200,000 worth of in-kind resources. Corporate sponsors of the award include Boston Scientific, Amgen and the venture arm of Johnson & Johnson.

Here’s a rundown of the technologies that will be on display:

149 Medical: A non-invasive device that monitors blood flow and metabolism in the brain in real-time.

3D Tumor Targeting: Using magnets to kill cancer tumors.

Accelera: A wearable ankle wrap to uses low-level stimulation to promote balance and stability, including among the elderly.

Advanced Silicon Group: A sensor that measures so-called “biomarkers,” or biological indicators, in a patient’s blood to help determine whether medicines are working in clinical trials.

AM Protection: Antimicrobial coatings for medical devices that help prevent infections.

Bitome: A non-invasive device that monitors hydration.

CamMed: A thin, flexible, bandage-like “pump” that delivers medicine, as an alternative to injections.

Cocoon Biotech: Drug delivery technology based on fibroin, a protein derived from the cocoon of silkworms.

Drug Free Therapeutix: Software that improves dosing of pain management devices.

Fairbanks Pharmaceuticals: Developing treatments for diabetes that address an underlying cause of the disorder, the loss of insulin from certain cells.

IMS: Low-cost diabetes management.

Leuko: A device that analyzes white blood cells without requiring a blood sample.

Magoptics: An intra-corneal implant that treats a rare eye disease called keratoconus.

MedKairos: Software that makes biopsies more effective at returning diagnoses.

NE Breath Technologies: Diabetes detection and management.

NERv: An implantable biochip that detects leakage of gastrointestinal fluid into the abdominal cavity.