Healthcare and technology teamed up together in the 21st century to serve the growing needs of mankind. The trend is bringing medicine closer to society, equipping regular citizens with modern tools for monitoring their health with the help of cutting-edge solutions, introduced by revolutionary entrepreneurs. In Ukraine, there is a number of emerging and developing healthcare IT startups that are definitely worth attention. In this article, we will introduce the most noteworthy names to you.
Titanovo and DNA Lifestyle Coach
Titanovo is a startup that was founded by a Ukrainian Ph. D. biologist Dr. Oleksandr Savsunenko. A public DNA-testing service, introduced by the company, is intended to help people improve their health and lifestyle based on the analysis of their DNA. Launched in 2014, the company offered a Telomere Testing Kit that allowed customers take samples of their DNA and study them. Currently, the Titanovo project is not functioning in Ukraine. However, there is DNA Lifestyle Coach, developed by the same company. The genetic test comes in set with an advanced interpretation engine that lets users take care of themselves better. For example, according to the results of the test, you one can choose an optimal diet, stress reduction activities, sports, and even skin care products. The successful Kickstarter campaign brought the startup $30,325 pledged of $25,000 goal by this moment, so we should definitely stay tuned for more news in the nearest future.
Mevics
Mevics is startup that created an innovative wearable, aimed at controlling spine movements and physical activities of the wearer and help them improve their health. This Odessa-based company created a first-generation tiny device that vibrates gently when its user slouches. The wearable integrates with a smartphone application that lets the user monitor all the data from the wearable in real time. With the help of the app it is possible to see how active a user’s daily life is, how many calories they burned, how many steps they took and what distance they covered. The minimalistic design of the wearable itself makes it possible to wear it with absolutely any clothes, since the major part of the device remains hidden. Mevics offers to pre-order its device via email subscription. There is no exact date of the Kickstarter campaign launch, but it’s announced on the website. In any case, this wearable for correct posture and much more already received USD 500,000 in funding from a UK-based investment company UB Tower, so we will definitely hear more about them.
Myhelix
This is another digital health startup that allows people study their DNA in order to improve their way of life. Myhelix works as follows: a user fills in a form on their website and gets the kit delivered with a courier, a courier picks up a saliva DNA sample from them and gets it to the lab where it is analyzed. After this, the results are emailed to the user in two weeks. As a result of analysis of 6 genes, a person gets a personal nutrition plan, tailored specially for them. Though it does not include any medical recommendations, personalized nutrition and vitamin intake recommendations can be of great help to people and improve their well-being a lot. To use the benefits Myxelix offers, a user will need to pay around USD 72. Currently, there are two tests available: for meat-eaters and for vegans. As for now, the startup works with the clients from Ukraine only, but it ambitiously plans to grow internationally as well.
Cardiomo
A wearable biosensor that can save lives was created by Cardiomo. The Kyiv-based startup created this miniature device that monitors the vitality of the body based on the heart’s operation with the help of the patch itself, smartphone, artificial intelligence and a cloud service. It can notice any abnormalities in the operation of the heart, gives recommendations and suggests preventative measures. Since it was developed together with a cardiologist, it gives results doctors can trust. Cardiomo lets people detect cardiovascular diseases early, thus it detects early health problems and recommends you to see the doctor before it’s too late. This small device sticks to a body under the heart and sends all the data to the smartphone, which sends it to the cloud for thorough analysis. In case a user has any disfunction, they receive a recommendation. If they do not react to the alert message, their authorized representatives get the alert. With Cardiomo, help can come when it’s needed most. Over 650 people pre-ordered Cardiomo for beta-testing by now, though the price of the product is not viewable on the developer’s website.
Sence from Planexta
Physical and emotional well-being of a person are indissolubly tied to each other. With the current pace of life, people often do not have a minute to just sit down and take a deep breath and ask themselves and their close people if they are feeling OK emotionally. To help with this issue, Planexta, a startup from Ukraine we’ve already written about in one of our previous articles, created a wearable band that can track human emotions and help people deal with them. Sence is one of the most precise emotion-tracking wearables in the world with a medical pedigree. It can detect up to 64 emotions measuring data 250 times more accurately than the rest of the wearables, currently available on the market. With the help of electrocardiography, a technology that monitors the electrical activity of the heat, Sence is able to help you transform your life to the better and also help you prevent emotional distress, burnout and other major health issues. What’s more, data about emotional state of the wearer can be shared with the help of a smartphone app with the ones that are close to you, so that they can always cheer you up when you need it most and vice versa. What’s most important, Sence teaches its wearers to pay attention to their emotional well-being and concentrate on activities that make them feel better instead of the ones that are draining them. Self-love for everyone in a tiny band!
As you see, digital health industry is developing at a great pace. Healthcare is moving from curing the diseases to detecting the first indicators of ailments and eliminating them before they can cause major health issues. In Ukraine, startups are passionate about helping people live a better and a brighter life in a healthy body. Stay tuned to see how the technology develops and what more great ideas Ukrainian digital health has to offer.
