demcon Archives

Demcon invests in LiGalli’s vaginal MedRing

1 July 2020 by Communication

More effective drug delivery and better diagnostics for women

Incontinence is an extremely annoying condition for which current treatment, in the form of pills, has many side effects. LiGalli has developed a unique vaginal ring that delivers controlled incontinence medicine in a liquid form, as a result, the woman experiences fewer side effects. LiGalli’s MedRing enables more effective drug delivery and better diagnostics, and is controlled via a smartphone app. In this way, incontinence can be treated in a targeted manner, so that women can go through their day with more control. Recently, technology developer and producer Demcon completed the development and first production of the MedRing on behalf of LiGalli. The partners are now working together on new versions of the MedRing, for the delivery of other medicines, and also for diagnostics. This week, LiGalli closed an investment round to finance the market launch of the first MedRing and the development of subsequent versions. In addition, LiGalli and Demcon have intensified their cooperation, as Demcon has also come on board as a new shareholder. “We want to build a Dutch company together”, says LiGalli CEO Willem de Laat, “and ensure that the benefits of our ring become available to as many women as possible.”

As many as one in six women suffer from an overactive bladder. There are medicines available in the form of pills, but these have many side effects. As a result, incontinence continues to be an extremely unpleasant condition for many women, hindering them in their daily lives and social activities. A ring that releases the drug oxybutynin in the vagina in liquid form offers a solution. This drug is expected to give a much better result, with fewer side effects. Due to its excellent perfusion, the vaginal wall is the ideal location for the effective uptake of medicines. There are already many types of vaginal rings, but they only provide the continuous delivery of a fixed dose of medicine. LiGalli has now developed a unique vaginal ring for controlled delivery, diagnostics, and communication. The patient is able to insert and remove the ring herself, and operate it with a smartphone app.

Second-generation vaginal ring
LiGalli was founded by Willem de Laat, who trained as a gynecologist and is the former chief medical officer of Organon. At Organon, he was responsible for introducing the first vaginal ring, the NuvaRing, for the delivery of contraceptives. Now he is the inventor of the second-generation vaginal ring. “As far as we can tell, our MedRing is the first and only one that is controlled from an app and can collect data for diagnostics. We have obtained a patent for this. The human body is not only able to absorb medicines, it also continuously sends out a lot of data about its own condition. Our ring is equipped with a temperature sensor that can measure whether the medicine has actually been delivered. Doctors have a lot of interest in this objective information, because until now they had to rely on patient confirmation. In the future, we will use specific sensors to also measure, for example, glucose or hormone levels. In addition to physiological data, we can collect therapeutic data so that drug delivery can be adapted to the measured values. In this way, with the help of the app, the doctor can tailor the treatment to the individual patient.”

Development partner and investor
LiGalli was looking for a partner to help develop the MedRing into a medical product. “We have searched all over the world for an engineering firm that is good at two things: medical product development and miniaturization. That’s how we ended up at Demcon. It was a very challenging job for them to build this ring with the right layout, the right materials, the correct functioning, and all of this in miniaturized form. They have succeeded in turning the ring into a beautiful product in which a small pump, a miniature medicine reservoir, electronics, an antenna, and a small battery have been correctly integrated. Their people are incredibly motivated to make the ring a success. In our meetings we sit around the table with an extraordinary group of people, featuring engineers and pharmacists, as well as a gynecologist, a biochemist, a patent expert, and more. Demcon CEO Dennis Schipper is a true entrepreneur and visionary. He shares his thoughts about the future of the company and the ring. There is a match between us, because neither of us wish to go for the quick buck – we want to build a Dutch company. The great thing is that Demcon is now also participating in our new investment round. That says something about their confidence.”

This week, LiGalli raised six million euros in new investments from existing and new shareholders, including Demcon as mentioned above. With this capital injection, LiGalli will finance the market introduction of the MedRing for incontinence medication, and the development of new MedRing applications, where Demcon will take care of both the hardware and the software. The operation of the ring has now been demonstrated, and Demcon has almost completed the assembly of the first rings. The first tests with the administration of oxybutynin in patients will follow in a few months.

Solution to a social problem
Demcon develops technological solutions to social problems, explains Jemy Pauwels, director investment at Demcon. “An overactive bladder affects more than 600 million people worldwide, most of them women, of whom about 100 million require treatment. In severe forms it can even lead to depression. The major advantages of LiGalli’s MedRing over alternatives are the reduced side effects and greater social acceptance. A further plus is the possibilities for monitoring the patient, also in the future for other conditions. Together with LiGalli we are looking for the ‘holy grail’: controlled drug delivery based on diagnostic measurements. As Demcon, we are happy to contribute to these new treatment options for women with engineering, production, and investment. We do this with confidence, because the current management has earned its spurs, and is supported by a wide range of skilled advisers and an expert supervisory board.”

About Demcon
Demcon (750 employees) develops, produces, and supplies technology and innovative products. The Demcon group has locations in Best, Enschede, Delft, Groningen (the Netherlands), Münster (Germany), and Singapore. The company was born out of the founders’ passion for combining creativity and technical skills aimed at solving complex issues. These issues are of a technological and social nature, and often have a direct or indirect impact on people and their living environment. Whether medical solutions, sustainable innovations for themes such as water and energy, or systems that guard our safety, Demcon contributes – for current and future generations. In addition to developing technical solutions, Demcon is committed to stimulating entrepreneurship, and investing in talent and education.

More information
For more information, please contact Renée Koekkoek op Munsterhuis, public relations & press officer at Demcon, tel. +31 88 11 52 000. See also www.ligalli.nl.

16 November 2020 – ZIE

11 March 2020 by Communication

On the 16th of November Demcon will be present at ZIE, the annual event of Holland Instrumentation. This year the main subject will be ‘People-oriented technology’. The conference brings entrepreneurs, scientists, investors and governments from the western Netherlands together and it shows opportunities for new products, new business, networks and financing opportunities.

For more information visit the website of Holland Instrumentation.

Demcon invests in Mellon Medical’s surgical instrument

15 June 2020 by Communication

Suturing reinvented for better quality of life

Abdominal wall closure after surgery is a time-consuming and critical job. In the conventional method – with needle holder, tweezers, and suture – the surgeon literally and figuratively has his hands full. The faster and more precise the suturing, the better the result, and for the patient that translates into a better quality of life after the procedure. Dutch company Mellon Medical has devised an instrument for fast and precise suturing using one hand: the Switch suturing device. Contact with technology developer and producer Demcon has resulted in a collaboration for the further development of the device and subsequent production. Now Demcon is also taking part in a new investment round, which provides Mellon Medical with the capital needed for entering the medical market with the Switch. “Surgeons worldwide are willing to learn this technique.”

Closing the abdominal wall requires supreme concentration from the surgeon, made more challenging as it has to be done just after performing major surgery. Handling a needle holder and tweezers, with which a semicircular needle is transferred, requires great manual dexterity using both hands. In this way the surgeon applies what are known as “big bites”: sutures that are one centimeter apart. Research led by Erasmus MC, published in top medical science journal The Lancet, has shown that “finer” suturing, with “small bites” five to seven millimeters apart, yields better results. It results in fewer complications – for example, the number of incisional hernias is halved. As a result, the number of repairs required is drastically reduced, and an estimated $2 billion a year in healthcare costs can be saved in the US alone.

Precision and quality
In the conventional way, however, applying “small bites” is difficult. Mellon Medical has come up with a solution: the Switch suturing device. This instrument has two jaws that the surgeon can move toward each other to automatically transfer a straight needle from one jaw to the other using only one hand. The surgeon then has their second hand free to present the tissue to be sutured. This improves the precision and thus the quality of the suture. In addition, the surgeon can suture twice as fast this way. Initial experiences were already very positive, declares Prof. Hans Jeekel, emeritus professor of surgery at Erasmus MC and co-author of the 2015 Lancet article. “At Erasmus MC, highly experienced surgeons have tested this instrument on patients for closing the abdominal wall. Their findings showed that this smooth instrument, even in the prototype phase, can contribute to a simple and precise application of the ‘small bites’ technique, which we think is essential for surgeons around the world to adopt over the coming years.”

Expert review
After Mellon developed the first design, they called in Demcon for an expert review in 2019. The review covered: whether the design is robust, what needs to be changed for use in general surgery (after first having sought application in vascular surgery), and is the Switch easy to produce? Another important question was, which indication technique can ensure that the sutures are placed exactly five to seven millimeters apart? The results of the expert review and the contact between Mellon and Demcon were so satisfactory that the partners decided to further collaborate on the development of the instrument and subsequent production. “We selected Demcon because they have a broad experience in medical product development,” explains Mellon CEO Jan Benschop. “In the Netherlands, they have everything in house for that: development, production, and quality control.” Demcon production has the necessary assembly facilities in place, and Demcon metal injection molding commands the appropriate technique for making the precision parts of the Switch.

Commitment
To underline the mutual commitment, Demcon is participating in the new financing round of €4 million, which Mellon concluded this month with its current shareholders Thuja Capital, regional development companies Oost NL and BOM, and RvO (Netherlands Enterprise Agency). The new investment will allow Mellon to introduce the Switch to the medical market. The global market for sutures and suturing devices is estimated at $3 billion a year. “Our instrument can accelerate the introduction of the ‘small bites’ technique for suturing,” Benschop says. “This can greatly improve the quality of life for patients and contribute to the reduction of healthcare costs.”

Collaboration
The partnership with Mellon is in line with Demcon’s views on corporate social responsibility, explains Jemy Pauwels, investment director at Demcon. “We develop technology that can provide solutions to social problems. Our conversations with surgeons have confirmed that this new instrument responds to the wishes of the medical world, making suturing much easier and faster, and thus increasing patient well-being and surgeon efficiency. As a result, the surgeon can perform the procedure themselves with more control, and is less dependent on OR assistants. In our expert review, we explored what our developers still have to do to arrive at a market-ready product. We also investigated the relevance of our production capabilities, and the height of a realistic cost price. We are now investing in Mellon because we have confidence in the potential of the product and technology, and in the quality of its management. That’s why we like to present ourselves as an engineering and manufacturing partner.”

About Demcon
Demcon (700 employees) develops, produces and supplies technology and innovative products. The Demcon group has locations in Best, Enschede, Delft, Groningen (the Netherlands), Münster (Germany), and Singapore. The company was born out of the founders’ passion for combining creativity and technical skills aimed at solving complex issues. These issues are of a technological and social nature, and often have a direct or indirect impact on people and their living environment. Whether medical solutions, sustainable innovations for themes such as water and energy, or systems that guard our safety, Demcon contributes – for current and future generations. In addition to developing technical solutions, Demcon is committed to stimulating entrepreneurship, and investing in talent and education.

More information
For more information, please contact Renée Koekkoek op Munsterhuis, public relations & press officer at Demcon via tel. +31 88 11 52 000. See also www.mellonmedical.com.

Demcon industrial systems develops and produces face mask machine

26 May 2020 by Communication

At the moment, due to the coronavirus, there is a shortage of medical face masks. Demcon develops and produces a face mask machine that can contribute to a solution for this shortage. The machine is suitable to produce FFP1, FFP2 and FFP3 face masks for medical purposes in high volumes. In that way it contributes to securing the availability of reliable face masks for healthcare professionals.

For more information about the face mask machine visit the website of Demcon industrial systems.

Ventilation modules from Demcon are vital in the fight against coronavirus

18 March 2020 by Communication

The ventilation modules from Demcon macawi respiratory systems save lives now that the coronavirus is present around the world. Never before has the need for ventilation systems been so great. We are thankful that we can contribute directly to the treatment of thousands of coronavirus patients with breathing problems because we can meet this need.

We are making every effort to continue to meet demand in this situation. The demand is now so great that we are setting up a second production line at Demcon production to be able to double the production. We depend on various (external) factors. The commitment and dedication of our employees is of great value and we keep in close contact with our suppliers about delivery of their components. We all go to great lengths so that we can deliver the equipment to the hospitals as quickly as possible.

Demcon invests in CryoSol technology for acceleration of research into ‘major’ diseases

23 January 2020 by Communication

Rapid freezing of preparations for better microscopy

Technology developer and producer Demcon contributes towards a new technology that can accelerate research into major diseases such as cancer, Alzheimer’s, tuberculosis and Aids. This concerns a new appliance, the VitroJet, for freezing preparations with better quality and a higher yield. Demcon provides for the engineering and production of the VitroJet and invests in CryoSol-World, the spin-off of the University of Maastricht which will launch the VitroJet in the market next year. “We want our contribution to support the scientists who have to develop new treatments for these diseases in the coming years.”

Scientific research into the causes of and possible treatments for various diseases is focusing partly on the role that proteins play in the disease processes. Proteins are being studied with electron-microscopy (EM). This takes place at very low (cryogenic) temperatures (cryo-EM), for the proteins are first frozen in order to obtain a sharp image. Proteins must be frozen extremely fast, in a process known as vitrification, to obtain the best quality samples/preparations. The Maastricht researchers, headed by Nanobiology Professor Peter Peters at the Institute for Nanoscopy of the Health, Medicine and Life Sciences faculty, have successfully been able to automate the vitrification process in recent years. The result is a new appliance, the VitroJet, that with a 90% yield, provides better quality preparations. CryoSol will supply the first appliances in April 2020 and this is expected to rise to around 50 per year in due course.

CryoSol spin-off
With the aid of investors, Professor Peters and colleagues then formed a spin-off, named CryoSol. CryoSol focuses on further development of the new technology and on marketing the VitroJet, in the first instance to teaching hospitals and research institutes. For the industrialization, two experienced high-tech entrepreneurs were brought on board, Ben Bormans (CEO) and Emile Asselbergs (COO). Both know the electron-microscopy world inside out and worked at FEI in Eindhoven. There they were involved in the spin-off PhenomWorld, which launched a revolutionary table model electron microscope in the market. Until last year, Asselbergs was CEO of PhenomWorld (now part of Thermo Fisher Scientific).

Breakthrough
“We want to co-invest in the breakthrough that, according to Professor Peters, hundreds of research groups in the academic world are waiting for,” explains Dennis Schipper, CEO of the Demcon group. “In that way, our contribution can support the scientists who have to develop new treatments for diseases such as Alzheimer’s and cancer in the coming years.”

Strategic investment
The partnership with CryoSol is in line with Demcon’s philosophy, says Jemy Pauwels. Since last spring, he has held the new position of Director Investment at Demcon. “We invest with capital but above all, also with people, production capacity and where necessary, facilities such as accommodation. In general, we focus on start-ups for which Demcon can act as an engineering and manufacturing partner. The technology has to fit with Demcon and must be consistent with solving social issues.” Demcon invests in companies that are of strategic importance because they fit within the priorities of the business, Pauwels adds. CryoSol is active at the cutting edge of the medical world and high tech; as a result, it is a good fit with our profile.

About Demcon
Demcon (700 employees) develops, produces and supplies technology and innovative products and systems that offer solutions for technical and societal challenges.
Demcon has a sense of responsibility for helping society further. Creating Shared Value. Value for the company, its employees, the customers, society and the world. The focus areas are high-tech systems, medical systems and robotic systems. Demcon has branches in Enschede, Best, Delft, Groningen, Münster (Germany) and Singapore.

More information

For more information, please contact Renée Koekkoek op Munsterhuis, Public Relations & Press Officer at Demcon, Tel: +31 (0)88 11 52 000.

First ventilation systems delivered by Demcon

23 April 2020 by Communication

Demcon develops, produces and tests complete system in the Netherlands within one month

Technology developer and producer Demcon delivered its first batch of ventilation systems. Within the space of one month, Demcon succeeded in developing, producing and testing a complete ventilation system in the Netherlands that is suitable for the respiration of coronavirus patients in intensive care. The Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport will distribute the system among the nation’s hospitals. Soon, Demcon will supply a total of 500 ventilation systems. “The government took a leap of faith in placing an order for 500 systems with us, because although we already have a lot of knowledge of and experience with ventilation technology and modules, we have never supplied a complete ventilation system before,” says Demcon CEO Schipper. “Our employees have lived up to that trust, with every possible effort, sometimes working day and night. I am pleased that we can contribute to the great challenge of this moment – the optimal treatment of patients. This use of technological knowledge to solve social issues is in our DNA.”

The DemcAir ventilation system is based on the unique ventilation technology that Demcon macawi respiratory systems has developed for use in the treatment of every patient, from preterm to adult. The individual ventilation modules have been in production at Demcon for many years, but until now, Demcon was supplying these modules to manufacturers of respiratory systems in Germany, the US, Mexico, China and Japan. Demand from China had already increased strongly at the end of January, and now production has been scaled up considerably. Various measures have been taken to facilitate this: the expansion of the number of production lines, more intensive collaboration with suppliers, and the training of production employees, from Demcon and fellow companies.

Fully-fledged ventilation system
In addition to these modules, Demcon has now developed a fully-fledged ventilation system, in the Netherlands, for the treatment of (young) adults. Demcon started preparations on Thursday, 19 March, and on Sunday, 22 March, the ministry ordered 500 systems to be delivered. After successful clinical testing on several patients, the first units have now been delivered – within one month.

Medical product development
That one-month period is exceptionally short, says CEO Dennis Schipper. “Even though we had the ventilation module available and we built the complete system as simply as possible, it is and will remain complex. Such a ventilation system is vital for ICU care, must be 100% safe for the patient and easy to operate by doctors and nurses. We have therefore paid a lot of attention to its safety and ease of operation, and have tested it carefully. In doing so, we were able to build on the experience that we have gained over the past ten years with medical product development in projects that usually last many months to several years. In particular, our expertise in quality assurance and experience in certifying medical products were now crucial.”

National expert group
Speed and care must continue to go hand in hand, agrees Lieke Poot, clinical physicist at the Isala hospitals in the Zwolle region and president of the Dutch Association for Clinical Physics. Clinical physicists are responsible for the reliability and safety of medical equipment in hospitals. On behalf of the Federation of Medical Specialists, Poot is a member of the national expert group for respiratory equipment at the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS). “The expert group lists which devices from outside hospitals are suitable for intensive care, assesses offers from existing suppliers and guides manufacturing initiatives. A lot of smart people and companies want to help and come up with inventive ideas. It’s nice to observe that everyone is in solution mode. This is life-supporting equipment, so as an expert group we have to see whether something works well and contributes to patient treatment.” In that respect Demcon has a big lead, according to Poot. “They have a lot of experience with the mechanical part, the ventilation module that has been used in practice for years. We were confident that they could build a housing and software around it in a short time; that’s why we advised VWS to order 500 systems.”

Pressure cooker procedure
A manufacturing process for a medical device, including clinical tests and certification, can normally take up to a year or more, Poot explains. “Now we are following a kind of pressure cooker procedure, in which we cannot fully follow the applicable laws and regulations, yet we have to arrive at a safe and functional product. We developed this procedure gradually, in an intensive collaboration with Demcon. We are mutually very transparent and at our request they have had Dekra (the notified body, ed.) take part in the preparation of the technical documentation and risk management. As a result, some sort of certification has already taken place, while usually the documentation only goes to Dekra when a design has been completed. Everyone acknowledges the importance of speed, so we can realise things that normally cannot be realised in such a short time. We also asked Demcon to conduct the clinical tests in three hospitals, of course with the consent of the patients. This allowed people from different angles and with different protocols to participate in the tests. That broader view of end users is necessary, particularly now; they have to confirm whether a product can be used clinically.”

Intensive collaborations
The DemcAir ventilation system was created thanks to intensive collaborations, Schipper emphasises. “Firstly, within our company between numerous colleagues spread over different locations.” The same applies, as Poot declares, to Demcon’s close collaboration with the government as its commissioner. Schipper says, “Communication lines are short; we can consult quickly with the people of the National Consortium for Resources [Landelijk Consortium Hulpmiddelen] and the expert group at the ministry.” Poot adds, “Everyone puts their shoulders to the wheel; there is trust and openness towards each other. Normally, a company like Demcon would think more about the confidentiality of its documentation. This is not possible at this stage, because of the speed. That sharing of information is very nice.” In addition, a large number of partners have contributed to the realisation of the DemcAir. From the medical side, these are the Erasmus Medical Centre in Rotterdam, the Isala in Zwolle and the Catharina Hospital in Eindhoven.

Industrial partners
Suppliers must ensure the timely delivery of the essential components and submodules – the complete system, including the central module, contains over 200 different components. “We obtain them from a large number of suppliers. Together with our project buyers, the suppliers have used all possible creativity to ensure an adequate supply. Here I would like to mention especially Allied Motion, SPIE, VDL, 2E Interconnection, Hoerbiger, tbp electronics and CE Persluchttechniek. Dekra’s test knowledge is also indispensable. Our thanks go to all of our forty-plus partners. The support we have received from other companies and individuals is also heart-warming.”

About Demcon
Demcon (700 employees) develops, produces and supplies technology and innovative products. The Demcon group has locations in Best, Enschede, Delft, Groningen, Münster (Germany) and Singapore. The company was born out of the founders’ passion for combining creativity and technical skills aimed at solving complex issues. These issues are of a technological and social nature, and often have a direct or indirect impact on people and their living environment. Whether medical solutions, sustainable innovations for themes such as water and energy, or systems that guard our safety, Demcon contributes – for current and future generations. In addition to developing technical solutions, Demcon is committed to stimulating entrepreneurship and investing in talent and education.

More information
For more information, please contact Renée Koekkoek op Munsterhuis, public relations & press officer at Demcon, tel. +31 88 11 52 000. See also www.demcon.com/macawi and www.demcon.com/newsroom for photos.

Super Surf wins German-Dutch Award for the Economy

8 November 2019 by Communication

The project Super Surf won the German-Dutch Award for the Economy 2019 last Monday. This European Interreg project has focused on improving the inspection of fuels cells for hydrogen. Demcon realised a measuring system for the quality control of bipolar plates. Thanks to this project the production of hydrogen fuel cells can be scaled up.

For this project, Demcon cooperated with Consulting GmbH, Zentrum für BrennstoffzellenTechnik (ZBT) GmbH, Nedstack Fuel Cell Technology, HyMove B.V. & NanoFocus AG. The project will possibly evolve into a new project in which work is being done on the production and deployment of hydrogen buses in public transport.

More information about our contribution can be found in the showcase. The project is part of the program ROCKET. More information about this can be found on the website of this program.

Demcon part of European drone project COMP4DRONES

23 October 2019 by Communication

In October the kick-off of the EU project COMP4DRONES took place in Madrid. Demcon unmanned systems is part of this project, in which key technologies for safe and autonomous drone applications will be developed. A total of fifty parties from eight different countries are a part of this project. Fedor Ester, managing director of Demcon unmanned systems, feels positive about this collaboration: “It is good that we will work on the industrialisation of unmanned system technologies and the development of industrial standards on a European level. This fits well with the goals of Demcon unmanned systems.”

Many drone based services and products are hindered by applying immature technologies and the risks it brings with it for people, other vehicles and properties. The focus of this multi-year project is primarily on the industrialisation of essential system functionalities like autonomous decision-making, embedded onboard data processing and the communication between systems and from system to the ground. Together with the Dutch and Belgian consortium partners Thales, Delft University of Technology, imec, Almende, Airobot, Eindhoven University of Technology and AnyWi Demcon unmanned systems will focus on applications for the safety & security and inspection & maintenance sectors.

“At Demcon unmanned systems there is a special interest in the developments in the area of gps degraded and denied navigation functionalities without fixed infrastructure solutions. This functionality is essential to achieve higher levels of autonomy in an economical way that are necessary for a broader adoption and integration of unmanned systems in society. They are relatively new solutions that are not widely available in the market. In this project it needs to be demonstrated that there can be operated safely in gps degraded and denied circumstances,” says Fedor Ester.

Project Super Surf nominated for German-Dutch Prize for the Economy

3 October 2019 by Communication

The European Interreg project Super Surf is nominated for German-Dutch Prize for the Economy. For this project Demcon developed and realised a measurement system for the quality control of bipolar plates. These are used in the production of hydrogen fuel. In this project Demcon is part of a consortium with five other parties, namely ADREM GmbH, Hymove B.V., NanoFocus AG, Nedstack B.V. en het ZBT – Centre for Fuel Cell Technology.

The winner will be announced on November 4. Voting for nominees is currently possible via this website. In addition to Super Surf, Sennder and Swapfiets are nominated.

You can find more information about this project and the role of Demcon in our showcase.