Two companies based in Münchner Technologiezentrum (MTZ) are working on solutions that can help in times of coronavirus: Loewi offers an IgG antibody test that shows whether people have been infected with COVID-19 and are likely to have developed immunity. Advitos' patented medical devices, in turn, can support three organs simultaneously and regulate blood pH balance. These devices are currently being used to support patients suffering from COVID-19 in several hospitals in Germany, such as the Klinikum rechts der Isar in Munich.
The Munich Technology Center in the north of the city is currently home to around 100 high-tech companies from a wide range of industries, including virtual reality, IT, security, robotics, and medical technology. Two companies from the MTZ are currently working on innovative solutions to the coronavirus crisis: Loewi and Advitos.
Loewi is a scientific spin-off from the Technical University of Munich and supports athletes in optimizing their performance during training and competitions. Using a blood test and a detailed medical history, the company determines the athletes' potential for improvement and then provides personalized nutritional recommendations. Nutrition doesn't necessarily have anything to do with COVID-19, but the founders have responded innovatively to the current situation and developed a capillary blood test for IgG antibody detection to promote widespread testing. Patients and customers can thus check whether they have been infected with COVID-19 and are likely to have developed immunity.
With this concept, Loewi aims to help both private individuals and companies provide decision support regarding office attendance or business trips. The test can be performed at home, like a diabetes test, with just a few drops of blood. The sample is registered online, sent by mail to a certified specialist laboratory in Germany, analyzed, and the results are communicated via encrypted email.
Large-scale testing to prevent further spread
Prof. Dr. med. Johannes Scherr is Chief Physician and Head of the Center for Prevention and Sports Medicine at Balgrist University Hospital and co-founder of Loewi. He says:
"As chief physician and head of the University Center for Prevention and Sports Medicine at Balgrist University Hospital, I quickly came into contact with the virus. Therefore, it is particularly important to me to support widespread testing so that we can better understand the extent of the pandemic and the dynamics of the virus."
Prevent multiple organ failure
In addition to Loewi, Advitos has also launched a solution that could play an important role for COVID-19 patients in intensive care. Advitos' patented medical devices can simultaneously support three organs—liver, lungs, and kidneys—while simultaneously regulating blood pH balance. PD Dr. med. Bernhard Kreymann, nephrologist and inventor of this technology, explains:
"Most people who die from COVID-19 are of a certain age and ultimately suffer from multiple organ failure (MOF). Simply put, these patients' kidneys, heart, liver, and lungs are malfunctioning, adding severe pathology to the respiratory failure caused by the coronavirus. To help these patients, it makes sense to use a device capable of treating all of these organs simultaneously to achieve better outcomes."
The devices have already been used in 20 hospitals in Germany over the past two years. Treating patients' organs with a single procedure is intended to ease the workload and complexity of treatments for doctors and nursing staff. The results of ongoing clinical trials with COVID-19 patients are promising. However, according to Advitos, it will take several more weeks for the final results to be available. Furthermore, publication of the results in medical journals will take several more months.
“Nevertheless, the development of another innovative procedure involving further digital technologies is underway to be ready in time for future outbreaks of such nasty viruses,”
says Kreymann.
