World Health Day 2025: How three EIC-backed innovators aim to ease burdens for patients and clinicians

Brussels, April 7th 2025

Summary

›Three EIC-supported projects are advancing products aimed at cancer detection, stroke neuroprotection, and symptom control for late stage cancer patients.
›Better Medicine claims its AI clinical software can cut radiologist scan interpretation time by up to 60 percent and produced trial results showing 52 percent faster tumor measurement and up to 99.2 percent kidney tumour detection in the sample.
›aptaTargets is developing apTOLL, an immune modulatory neuroprotectant for acute ischemic stroke with a claimed 12 hour therapeutic window and Phase 1b/2a results that lowered mortality from 18 percent to 5 percent in the trial cohort.
›SymPhysis is commercialising Releaze, a one touch drainage device for malignant pleural effusion, has a Seal of Excellence, raised €2.8 million and aims to launch in the US with market share targets of 20 percent in the US and 10 percent in Europe by 2030.
›All three face familiar scale up hurdles including larger clinical trials, regulatory pathways, reimbursement and real world adoption despite promising early results and EIC support.

World Health Day focus and three EU innovations

World Health Day 2025 highlights 'Healthy beginnings, hopeful futures'. On that occasion, three European Innovation Council supported projects were presented as examples of innovations that could ease burdens on patients and health professionals. The companies are Better Medicine from Estonia, aptaTargets from Spain and SymPhysis from Ireland. Each targets a different clinical problem and is at a distinct stage of development and commercial planning. The following text restructures their announcements and places them in context while noting practical challenges ahead.

Better Medicine, Estonia: AI to speed cancer scan interpretation

Better Medicine has developed certified AI software intended to assist radiologists interpreting CT scans for cancer. The company frames the technology as a response to two pressures. First is a reported shortage of radiologists able to meet rising demand for cancer diagnostics. Second is an expected rise in cancer incidence of about 27.4 percent over the next decade, which will increase diagnostic workload. Better Medicine received support from the EIC Accelerator for its BMAI project.

What the company claims:Better Medicine says its AI software, certified as a medical device, can reduce the time radiologists spend interpreting cancer related CT scans by up to 60 percent by automating repetitive tasks. A clinical study reported radiologists were 52 percent faster in measuring tumours when assisted by the software. The company also reported detection of kidney tumours in up to 99.2 percent of cases in the study sample. Currently the product focuses on abdominal tumours where detection is complex and existing solutions are limited.

AI as software medical device explained:Software as a medical device means the algorithm is regulated because it directly affects clinical decisions. Certification requires demonstration of safety, performance and quality management. Post market surveillance and clear clinical use cases matter for approval and adoption. Integration into hospital IT and workflows and clarity on liability for AI assisted decisions are also practical barriers.

Better Medicine plans to raise funds to enter the US market and to expand into drug research. These are typical next steps for EU medtech firms but they require significant capital and regulatory work. US entry will involve FDA interaction and reimbursement planning. Independent replication of study results in larger and more diverse cohorts will be important to persuade hospitals, payers and clinicians to deploy the system at scale.

aptaTargets, Spain: a neuroprotectant for acute ischemic stroke

aptaTargets is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company spun out of an aptamer platform. The Madrid founded company is developing apTOLL, an immune modulator intended to reduce brain damage in Acute Ischemic Stroke or AIS. The project has received EIC Accelerator support and other local backing.

Clinical need and candidate profile:Stroke affects roughly 15 million people worldwide every year. Only about 20 percent of patients are currently eligible for reperfusion therapies because of strict selection criteria and logistical limitations. apTOLL aims to protect brain tissue in the acute phase and expand the therapeutic opportunity by offering a neuroprotective effect with an effective window of up to 12 hours after stroke onset. The company reports preclinical modelling and early clinical signals suggesting brain damage reduction by up to 65 percent in the contexts presented.

Key trial result shared:aptaTargets disclosed Phase 1b/2a trial results that were presented at the International Stroke Conference in 2023. The company reported a drop in mortality from 18 percent in the comparator cohort to 5 percent in treated patients in that study. Such Phase 1b/2a results are encouraging but small and need confirmation in larger randomised trials to support robust estimates of efficacy.

Mechanism and technology terms:apTOLL is described as an aptamer based immune modulator that blocks Toll like receptor 4 or TLR4 activation. TLR4 is part of innate immune signalling that can contribute to damaging inflammation after ischemia. Aptamers are short, structured nucleic acids that bind specific targets and can act as antagonists or delivery tools. They are an alternative to antibodies with different stability and manufacturing attributes.

In December 2024 aptaTargets received the Programa Cheque Innovación 2024 from the Community of Madrid to support a new Phase 1a trial called APTABOLUS. The company also reported a partnership with a pharmaceutical company and EIC Accelerator grant support. These moves are important steps toward larger clinical development and eventual regulatory filing but will require successful completion of adequately powered pivotal trials to support approval and adoption.

SymPhysis, Ireland: Releaze device for malignant pleural effusion

SymPhysis, based in Galway, is developing Releaze, a one touch drainage system to manage malignant pleural effusion or MPE. MPEs are a common complication in late stage cancers that cause breathlessness and pain and affect patients quality of life. Existing drainage systems typically require a clinician or caregiver to perform or assist the procedure. SymPhysis aims to restore more independence to patients by simplifying the drainage process.

Market and clinical context:About half of late stage cancer patients may experience pleural effusion that needs repeated drainage. Devices that allow ambulatory management can reduce hospital visits and improve comfort. SymPhysis has received the EIC Seal of Excellence which recognises proposals that met high evaluation standards but were not funded due to budget constraints.

Funding and commercial targets:SymPhysis recently raised €2.8 million and expects to close an additional €3.7 million from current and new investors by April 2025. The company aims for FDA clearance targeted in 2026 and projects to capture 20 percent of the US market and 10 percent of the European market by 2030. The combined US and European market was cited as worth approximately €86 million.

Device claims and awards:Releaze is positioned as a one touch, patient controlled drainage system to reduce reliance on others for symptom relief. SymPhysis has won awards including the Life Science Innovation Award and Best Collaboration in MedTech in 2023 and the MedTech Collaboration Award at the Irish MedTech Awards. The company plans a US launch pending regulatory clearance.

Ambitious market share and revenue targets are common for growth stage medtech firms but realising them depends on regulatory approvals, reimbursement pathways, clinical acceptance, training, and competition. The US market in particular has rigorous FDA review and fragmented reimbursement that require focused commercial resources.

Funding instruments and quality labels explained

EIC Accelerator summary:The European Innovation Council Accelerator is a Horizon Europe instrument that combines grants and equity type financing to help startups and SMEs scale deep tech innovations. Support typically includes business acceleration services in addition to funding. Successful projects must still navigate regulatory and commercialisation pathways to reach patients.

EIC Seal of Excellence explained:The Seal of Excellence is a quality label awarded to proposals that received high evaluation scores from EIC juries but could not be funded due to budget limits. The label is intended to help companies attract alternative public or private funding. The certificate and evaluation report are digitally sealed to reduce fraud.

Clinical development and regulatory checkpoints

All three projects illustrate familiar stages in medical innovation. Early clinical results and awards help attract investors and partners. However the path from promising Phase 1 or small scale clinical studies to market access typically involves larger randomised trials, regulatory submissions, quality system scale up and a plan for reimbursement and clinician uptake. For software medical devices the EU has its medical device regulation framework and the US requires FDA submission which can include premarket approvals or 510k pathways depending on risk classification.

Comparative snapshot

Company	Technology and target	Key reported results	Funding and support	Near term plans
Better Medicine (Estonia)	AI powered software as a medical device for CT cancer imaging, focus on abdominal tumours	Radiologists 52 percent faster in tumour measurement with AI; up to 99.2 percent kidney tumour detection in study; claim of up to 60 percent reduction in interpretation time	Supported by EIC Accelerator	Fundraising to enter US market and expand into drug research
aptaTargets (Spain)	apTOLL aptamer based TLR4 immune modulator for acute ischemic stroke	Phase 1b/2a reported mortality decrease from 18 percent to 5 percent in trial cohort; claims up to 65 percent reduction in brain damage and 12 hour window	Supported by EIC Accelerator; awarded Programa Cheque Innovación 2024 from Community of Madrid	Developing new Phase 1a trial APTABOLUS and progressing partnership with a pharmaceutical company
SymPhysis (Ireland)	Releaze one touch drainage device for malignant pleural effusion	Designed to allow patient controlled drainage to reduce reliance on caregivers	Seal of Excellence from EIC; raised €2.8m and expects to close additional €3.7m	Preparing US launch targeting FDA clearance by 2026 and aiming for 20 percent US market share by 2030

Critical considerations and unanswered questions

Early trial metrics and awards help secure interest. Still notable gaps remain across the three projects. For Better Medicine independent validation in larger and varied patient populations is needed to establish safety and generalisability. For apTOLL the Phase 1b/2a results are encouraging but do not substitute for larger randomised pivotal trials needed for regulatory approval and clinical guideline change. For SymPhysis the device may improve independence but claims about market share and revenues depend on regulatory clearance, reimbursement, distribution partnerships and competition. None of the announcements addressed long term real world performance, cost effectiveness or detailed reimbursement strategies.

Implications for the EU innovation ecosystem

The three cases show how EIC instruments and local programmes can accelerate development and de risk parts of the innovation pathway. They also highlight the gap between promising pilot results and the commercial and clinical realities of scaling health technologies. For the EU to convert more of these innovations into broadly available clinical tools requires continued public support for clinical validation, clearer pathways for cross border regulatory and reimbursement alignment, and mechanisms to help companies navigate market entry outside Europe, notably in the US. Public funders and investors should also expect to see rigorous confirmatory trials before making large scale commitments.

Bottom line

Better Medicine, aptaTargets and SymPhysis are plausible examples of EU deep tech and medtech innovation addressing real clinical needs. Their early results and funding milestones deserve attention but should be treated as interim. Substantive questions remain about larger scale efficacy, regulatory approval, reimbursement and real world adoption. The EIC and related instruments can help bridge some gaps but they are not substitutes for rigorous clinical evidence and commercial strategy.

Where to find more information

Further details were published by the European Innovation Council community updates and by company announcements. Readers interested in regulatory and funding mechanisms can consult Horizon Europe and EIC materials on the EISMEA websites and the EIC Seal of Excellence guidance.