The Medical Cluster of Jalisco (CMJ) visited the Science Park of Madrid on March 6. During the visit, its president, Georgina García, was able to learn first-hand about the innovative work in health of the incubated companies Biohope and Healthy Minds, as well as Servatrix and Spika Tech. These last two companies are not incubated in the Park, but benefit from the services offered by the FPCM through its CaTaPull UP business growth program and the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN). The visit came from the hand of Madrid Investment Attraction, the initiative of the Madrid City Council to attract foreign investment to the capital.
Jalisco-Madrid, tequila connection
The meeting began with an institutional welcome by Mariano Fernández, financial and organizational director of the FPCM. It was followed by a brief presentation of the Park and its role in the health innovation ecosystem, by Daniel García, from the communication unit. This block closed with the intervention of Faustino Díaz, director of MIA and deputy general director of investment and talent attraction of the City Council. Díaz explained the role of MIA in offering softlanding and coworking spaces to already consolidated companies that wish to land in Madrid.
Next, Georgina García went on to detail the main characteristics of the Jalisco Medical Cluster. Born in 2016, the CMJ is really a life sciences ecosystem, as he clarified. As such, the Cluster’s mission is to link the different entities that make it up and influence the policies of the local and federal government of Mexico. Along these lines, the Cluster organizes the MedicalExpo at the World Trade Center in Mexico City and is part of the European Connected Health Alliance.
Innovations in health
It was then the turn of the health companies incubated or that receive services from the Park. Firstly, Nila Castelló, operations director of Biohope, highlighted the recent advances of this company in precision medicine for chronic inflammatory conditions. These achievements include the commercialization of Immunobiogram and its CE marking, as well as its expansion into Mexico.
For his part, Ariel Ernesto Cariaga presented Healthy Minds, of which he is CEO. This company is dedicated to detecting and preventing mental health problems at work. This aspect, which will soon be a directive of the European Union, is also reflected in Mexico through standard 035 for psychosocial factors.
Thirdly, Antonio Cuadrado, CSO, presented the news of Servatrix, a spin-off of the UAM. This start-up focuses on the treatment of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, a pathology on the rise, with high comorbidity and closely linked to the current problems of obesity and type II diabetes in our society.
Carlos Zúñiga, CEO of Spika Tech, closed the presentations, explaining the benefits of his ‘vest’ to monitor and correct cardiac arrhythmias, which cause 4 million deaths a year worldwide.
Coffee, networking and a look to the future
The meeting closed with a brief refreshment and informal conversation, where participants were able to exchange views on possible future collaborations.
