NCN funds – MedTech Projects to Keep An Eye On!
Every groundbreaking medical innovation needs a solid financial foundation, and NCN funds are often the very first step for researchers in Poland. The National Science Center (NCN) is a government agency supporting basic research, financing the earliest stages of innovation development. While primarily designed for fundamental science, these funds often help build cutting-edge methodologies that later bridge the gap into the commercial market.
Below, we list 11 medical-related projects supported by NCN. While the database contains much more, these 11 research teams generously agreed to speak with us and share their stories for this article.
11 Innovative Medical Ideas Supported With NCN Funds
- The Brain SmartWatch for Continuous Emotional Monitoring
Led by Klaudia Nowacka-Pieszak, PhD Student.
Emotional dysregulation is a growing public health concern, closely tied to the rise in mood and anxiety disorders. Chronic psychological stress leads to long-term changes in the brain, particularly within the prefrontal cortex, which acts as the “command center” for emotional regulation. While conventional neuroimaging methods, like MRI, provide great insights, they are simply too expensive and restrictive for everyday, real-world monitoring.
To overcome these limitations, this project aims to develop a mobile, lightweight alternative: a “SmartWatch for the Brain”. The device analyzes light scattering through human tissue to measure blood flow and oxygenation. The vision is to create a non-invasive, wearable medical device capable of continuously monitoring brain activity outside the laboratory. This could be used in bedside neurological rehabilitation, post-trauma care, and long-term emotional monitoring in a patient’s daily life.
- Vibroacoustic Navigation: Hearing Through Touch
Led by Prof. Michael Friebe and Prof. Gabriele A. Krombach.
Robotic-assisted surgeries have undoubtedly transformed healthcare, but they introduced a hidden drawback: the loss of natural haptic feedback. When performing procedures, surgeons rely heavily on their sense of touch to feel tissue structure. In robotic systems, this tactile sensation is completely absent. Operating blindly through a screen creates a massive clinical challenge, as standard imaging might not warn the operator quickly enough before a hidden artery is disrupted.
To address this challenge, the project supported with NCN funds applies the science of vibroacoustics. It analyzes the unique acoustic emissions generated when medical tools interact with different body tissues (like fat, muscle, or tumors). Instead of relying solely on visual monitors, the technology captures these subtle vibrations and translates them into a simple visual “traffic light” warning system. It is a passive safety net that literally allows robotic systems and surgeons to hear through touch, drastically increasing precision and safety.
- 3D-Printed Biosensors: Bacterial Detection
Led by Ilona Piekarz, PhD, Eng.
This idea evolved from a previous grant when a significant clinical challenge appeared: conventional methods for detecting bacterial infections are highly reliable but painfully slow and expensive. Waiting days for a lab result forces clinicians to rely on empirical treatments, which heavily drives global antibiotic resistance. Furthermore, rapid microwave sensors previously suffered from a lack of precision because their receptor layers missed the device’s most sensitive “hot spots”.
This project aims to 3D-print synthetic “plastic antibodies” directly onto those crucial electromagnetic hot spots. If successful, this interdisciplinary approach could pave the way for cheap, disposable, and fast sensors which doctors could use to confirm a bacterial infection in minutes rather than days, preventing antibiotic misuse.
- Photonic Disease Detection
Led by Muhammad Ali Butt, PhD.
The early stages of an inflammatory disease or cancer have measurable molecular characteristics known as biomarkers, in blood, saliva, or urine. Traditional diagnostic methods require complex laboratory equipment and large sample volumes, making routine monitoring highly impractical.
The project powered by NCN funds introduces a compact solution utilizing photonic integrated circuits, where light acts as the indicator. When target molecules bind to the sensor, the biological event is instantly converted into a measurable light signal. With just a small fluid sample in a disposable cartridge, clinicians could rapidly screen for early-stage diseases directly in their office.
- Machine Learning for Diagnosis of Breathing Dysfunctions
Led by Marcin Lech Gruszecki, PhD.
There is no life without oxygen, yet modern medicine still struggles with recognizing and correctly classifying certain breathing dysfunctions. Patients often report the exact same non-specific symptoms: shortness of breath, a feeling of “air hunger”, or chest tightness. Because these symptoms overlap across various disorders, relying purely on traditional medical interviews makes achieving a correct diagnosis highly subjective.
Can algorithms objectively measure what the patient feels? This project applies advanced machine learning to simultaneously analyze signals from the heart, vascular system, and lungs. By observing how these systems interact dynamically, the AI model can find hidden patterns invisible to the human eye. Ultimately, this technology is designed to help physicians classify breathing disorders and individually tailor respiratory therapies for each patient.
- New Method for Analysing ADHD Brain
Led by Anna Gajos-Balińska, PhD.
The analysis of EEG signals which contain a vast amount of information about brain function remains difficult to interpret due to its high variability and susceptibility to noise.
Backed by NCN funds, the project tests new machine learning models in analyzing EEG signals, specifically focusing on ADHD. By identifying repeatable patterns across time and spatial distribution on a head, the model seeks to uncover dependencies that were previously unnoticed. It could serve as a supplementary tool to traditional clinical diagnosis. In the future, this technology could highlight interesting brain activity patterns in real-time examination.
- Touchless Digital Palpation
Led by Vitaliy Atamaniuk, PhD. Eng.
Traditionally, doctors rely on manual palpation – literally touching the neck or throat to feel for stiff lesions. However, this method has a critical flaw: it cannot provide exact numerical values of stiffness. Here, the Magnetic Resonance Elastography (MRE) comes to the rescue. It functions as a “digital palpation” that provides precise stiffness measurements. Commercial MRE hardware is rigid and designed mainly for the liver, making it unsuitable for the complex anatomy of the face and neck, which is the focus area for this project.
The aim is to develop completely new, dedicated MRE hardware for examining the thyroid and parotid glands. The team used cheap, flexible, and completely non-magnetic materials to create comfortable vibrating tools that adapt to the patient’s anatomy. This non-invasive technology offers a promising, painless alternative to traditional biopsies by easily differentiating between tumors and inflammation.
- SmartBreath: Sniffing Out Metabolic Syndrome
Led by Anna Paleczek, PhD. Eng.
Did you know that your breath holds hidden chemical clues about your health? While breath tests for diabetes are well-known, using them to detect metabolic syndrome – a risky mix of obesity, high blood sugar, and abnormal cholesterol – remains unexplored.
“SmartBreath” combines e-nose technology with AI. After discovering a surprising link between breath signals and cholesterol during previous studies, the team is now training the device to also detect glucose and triglycerides. In the future it might become a fast, portable early-warning device that anyone can use at home or in the doctor’s office.
- Diagnosing Eye Diseases with Nano-Movements
Led by Ireneusz Grulkowski, PhD.
Did you know your eyes are constantly in motion, pulsating slightly with every heartbeat? Doctors often measure the biomechanical properties of the eye by applying an uncomfortable puff of air to deform the cornea – a method widely disliked by patients. However, the natural pulsation of blood creates tiny deformations in the eye’s tissues, and changes in these “micro-vibrations” are often linked to various diseases.
The project analyzes these natural, blood-pulse-driven deformations. It is able to track dynamic tissue movements with astonishing precision: even a thousandth of a millimeter! By observing how the eye’s tissue behaves over time during a heartbeat, this approach could become a completely non-invasive method for early detection and monitoring of eye diseases.
- Decoding Uncontrollable Emotions in ALS
Led by Prof. Magdalena Kuźma-Kozakiewicz.
Imagine having a fully aware mind trapped inside a failing body – that’s the devastating reality of ALS. Beyond the physical limitations, patients often suffer from a deeply misunderstood symptom: episodes of uncontrollable crying or laughing that simply do not match how they actually feel. Families frequently mistake this for severe depression, which creates immense emotional distress for patients who cannot stop their physical reactions.
The goal is to better detect and understand this condition by analyzing the unique acoustic patterns in a patient’s speech. Identifying the exact physical markers of these emotional outbursts brings hope to improve accurate diagnosis and tailor effective treatments. Ultimately, this research is about bringing profound emotional relief and a much better quality of life to ALS patients and their caregivers.
- One Ventilator, Two Independently Breathing Lungs
Led by Krzysztof Zieliński, PhD, Eng.
Sometimes, a patient’s lungs are so differently damaged that each one needs its own specific breathing support. Traditionally, this requires connecting the patient to two separate life-support machines and trying to keep them perfectly synchronized – a logistical nightmare for intensive care units.
To solve this, researchers developed “Ventil,” a clever splitter device that allows a single ventilator to independently support both lungs at the same time. Now, using advanced computer models and physical simulators, the team is testing how the device handles modern pressure-controlled ventilation. They want to ensure the system safely adapts to sudden changes – like a patient unexpectedly coughing – guaranteeing highly targeted, safe, and effective respiratory therapy.
Innovative Ideas Backed by NCN Funds.
NCN Funds Support Complex Brain Analysis.
Diagnosing Eye Diseases with Nano-Movements.
Summary
Securing funds is a massive milestone for any research team, but transitioning from a brilliant idea or laboratory prototype to a market-ready medical device is an entirely different journey. We keep our fingers crossed for all innovators backed with NCN funds!
If your research team is looking for a partner to smoothly navigate the product development, design, and regulatory hurdles of a medical device – we are here to help!
Source:
https://ncn.gov.pl/
