The Vall d’Hebron Research Institute (VHIR) and the Parc Tauli Research and Innovation Institute (I3PT) have formally become founding shareholders of the start-up Tesai Care, together with the company’s founding team, Laura Lizama, Sofía Ferreira, Oriol Roca and Jaime Sánchez.

The aim of Tesai Care is to develop Heecap, a smart, non-invasive electrostimulation system to prevent, as far as possible, and treat atrophy to the muscles of respiration in patients on mechanical ventilation in intensive care units (ICUs).

The close collaboration between research institutions and Tesai Care aims to develop the technology and the clinical and commercial validation of the Heecap medical device. Starting this development and validation process was facilitated by the award of a CaixaResearch Validate 2021 grant.

During 2023, the team will complete the manufacture of the functional prototype, which will be validated clinically in a relevant environment at the Parc Taulí University Hospital ICU.

Tesai Care was created in November 2021, as a result of Laura Lizama and Sofía Ferreira’s participation in the HEALTH Barcelona 2020 programme. This innovation and entrepreneurship programme, organised by Biocat, is based on the prestigious Stanford University Biodesign Fellowship programme and aims to train future entrepreneurs in the health ecosystem.

With this operation, the VHIR reaffirms its commitment to promoting the transfer of knowledge and results to society and contributing to the region’s economic development.