Team of UAlg researchers wins competition "Born From Knowledge - Ideas"

BfK Ideas is a competition that gathers the best business ideas "born from knowledge" in science and/or technology. With an annual edition, this initiative aims to disseminate and distinguish business ideas from Portuguese Higher Education Institutions, encouraging and supporting the work developed by these institutions and their Technology Transfer Offices.

The group of researchers from CINTESIS, led by Ana Teresa Maia and Joana Xavier, won the final of the competition with the product patent idea "expressPIK", a test that will identify women with advanced breast cancer who may be offered an innovative and revolutionary therapy approved last year.

The test will thus identify which women have a certain genetic mutation and to whom a more personalised and targeted therapy can be applied.

For Ana Teresa Maia, winner of the award, this technology allows "signing the personalisation of a therapy". The recognition, in turn, represents an "opportunity to learn to develop the business side and the transfer of technology, something that scientists are little used to".

The team from the University of Algarve will now have direct access to "BfK Rise" - a Science and Technology acceleration programme that aims to transform the business potential of the idea presented into a product and/or service.