Step Oncology, the technological tool developed by the Guipuzkoa-based company (partially funded by the SPRI Group through a Venture Capital Society), has received the highest award in the hepatocarcinoma category.
This edition of Startup Creasphere saw the participation of a total of 56 startups from Spain and various European countries.
The Guipuzkoa-based company Naru and its technological tool Step Oncology have won the first prize of Startup Creasphere, driven by Roche Farma España, in the hepatocarcinoma category. This award highlights Naru’s commitment to innovation and new technologies aimed at improving the healthcare system. The company is 13.33% owned by the Venture Capital Society of the SPRI Group through the BASQUE Fund, FCR.
Startup Creasphere is a global innovation initiative promoted by Roche Farma España. This year, in collaboration with Plug and Play, it aimed to attract, recognize, and support innovative and disruptive initiatives developed by startups and hospitals to enhance health and improve the quality of life for patients. As highlighted by Roche Farma España in their statement, Naru received the award for its technological tool Step Oncology, “an artificial intelligence (AI) system that reduces serious complications in cancer patients and aims to improve quality of life after hospitalization. The tool ensures data collection and the acquisition of valuable information” without hospitals losing control and ownership of the data.
In addition to Naru, two other projects were awarded. The UK company Novai received the award in the ophthalmology category for the development of an AI-based biomarker to predict the progression of glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration (AMD). In the hospital sector, the awarded initiative was NaIA-DMAE, from the University Hospital of Navarra, an AI tool that automatically detects and measures retinal fluid in patients with AMD and diabetic macular edema (DME).
A consolidated company with a new visual identity
This recognition of the Guipuzkoa-based company coincides with the recent launch of its new visual identity. As explained by its founders, Eider Sánchez, CEO of Naru, and Maider Alberich, CTO of Naru, this new step in the company’s evolution reflects the dynamism and transformation that drive their work in oncology and biomedicine. The new slogan, “The smarter the healthcare, the better,” reflects their commitment to innovation and their vision of a smarter, more efficient, and patient-centered healthcare system.
Naru transforms the management of clinical data for use in different areas of the therapeutic value chain. It is the only validated solution in Europe that generates Real World Evidence (RWE) in real-time by combining Patient Reported Outcomes (PROs) and Hospital Information Systems (HIS) to enhance strategic decision-making. Thanks to its proprietary technology Aiatech and its technological tool Step Oncology, this new care environment contributes to the improvement and optimization of clinical practice, research, and patient life.
Since founding the project in 2017, the company has consistently grown and evolved. To date, the company has over 26 initiatives across 4 countries in more than 50 public and private hospitals and large pharmaceutical companies, with over 1 million patient data records.
New products aimed at accelerating knowledge
Focusing on the applicability of its solutions in different contexts, Naru continues to work on new formats of its technological tool Step Oncology. They are currently participating in two clinical trials with the research and pharmaceutical sector to obtain patient data in a simple and agile manner to generate a direct impact on the acceleration of knowledge regarding cancer treatment.
Unlike other solutions that require complex integrations with hospital IT systems, the new version of the Step Oncology tool connects directly with the institutions managing the clinical trials and treatments. Patients can easily report symptoms, adverse treatment effects, and their health status without needing to travel to the hospitals and using their own mobile devices. The application not only makes life easier for patients but also allows healthcare professionals to obtain a more complete and consistent view of how each person progresses between medical visits. Especially in the case of oncology patients, where treatments can have highly variable effects, this type of monitoring is crucial to accurately adjust care and attention. Moreover, the information provided by patients is protected, fully preserving privacy and guaranteeing the confidentiality of medical data.
Naru intelligence
Smart algorithms, Mobile applications, Severe adverse events (SAEs), Personalised medicine.
