Nano Research & Applications

Opinion

Fibrosis is a pathogenic process that can be found in a variety of organs and disorders. Fibrosis is caused by aberrant tissue repair and is linked to chronic and/or severe tissue injury as well as cellular stress. Various shocks produce epithelial and/ or endothelial injury, which activates interconnected woundhealing pathways to restore homeostasis. Failure to effectively limit or eliminate inciting factors can aggravate inflammation and chronic wound-healing responses, leading to prolonged tissue damage, insufficient regeneration, and, eventually, fibrosis. The numerous fibrotic disorders all contain aberrant and exaggerated accumulation of extracellular matrix (ECM) components, despite their aetiology and causal processes differing.

When lung tissue is injured and scarred, PF develops. Scar tissues degrade the lung over time, making it difficult for patients to breathe and for oxygen to reach the bloodstream. Each year, 40,000 to 50,000 persons are diagnosed with PF, with 40,000 of them dying. Oxygen, a medtech start-up based out of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, was named first place winner and won $50,000 in funding as well as a one-year membership to matter. Their answer is a new, portable oxygen concentrator that tracks, monitors, and automatically changes the oxygen level for each patient, allowing patients to move around more freely and improve their quality of life.

Sydney Montesi, MD, a physician-researcher, was awarded second place for her approach that uses positron emission tomography to detect abnormalities in the lungs before they cause major damage (PET). The third-place award went to recover. The company showcased how a new diagnostic tool may use artificial intelligence and evidence-based data to accurately improve diagnostic time. Winning the competition has been a great opportunity for our team, and it comes at a critical time for us as we improve our concept and lay the groundwork for the company. Winning gives us a financial runway, access to a multitude of mentorship resources, and a network of people ready to help us turn our concept into a viable product,” said Jessica Dakkak, one of the oxyGEN co-founders.