Biotech Booster is a national initiative designed to accelerate the translation of promising life science research into practical applications with meaningful societal and economic impact. Selection for the programme will enable the CardioBoost MI team to strengthen the technology's translational strategy, engage clinical and industrial stakeholders, and explore pathways toward future commercialization and real-world implementation.
Cardiovascular diseases remain a major global health challenge, creating an urgent need for earlier detection, improved patient monitoring, and more proactive approaches to care. Despite advances in cardiovascular medicine, many monitoring strategies still depend on intermittent clinical measurements, potentially leaving important periods without direct insight into changes in a patient's condition.
CardioBoost MI aims to address this challenge through a next-generation wearable microneedle platform designed for painless monitoring of key cardiovascular biomarkers. By exploring a more continuous and patient-friendly approach to biomarker assessment, the technology has the potential to support earlier recognition of clinically relevant changes, inform timely clinical decision-making, and contribute to improved management of patients at elevated risk of myocardial infarction and other cardiovascular complications.
The long-term vision is to bring cardiovascular monitoring closer to patients' everyday lives, helping to bridge the gap between clinical assessments and real-world health monitoring. By combining advanced biomaterials, wearable sensing technologies, and cardiovascular expertise, CardioBoost MI seeks to contribute to a future in which healthcare becomes more personalized, accessible, and proactive.
The platform remains under development, and further research and validation will be required to establish its performance, clinical utility, and potential pathway toward patient use.
CardioBoost MI brings together complementary expertise in biomaterials, nanomedicine, wearable biosensors, translational research, and clinical cardiology. The project is led by Prof. Hélder A. Santos, Project Leader and Scientific Coordinator, whose team at BBT is committed to advancing innovative biomedical technologies from fundamental research toward meaningful healthcare applications.
The multidisciplinary team comprises:
This collaboration connects engineering-driven innovation with clinical perspectives, ensuring that the development of the technology is informed by cardiovascular healthcare needs and the practical requirements of future translation.
Entry into Level 1 of the Biotech Booster programme represents an important opportunity to develop CardioBoost MI beyond its scientific foundations and strengthen its potential for real-world application.
During the programme, the team will focus on advancing the technology's translational readiness, engaging relevant clinical and industrial partners, refining its value proposition, and evaluating intellectual property and commercialization pathways. These activities will help define the next steps toward further development, validation, and potential future implementation.
The achievement also reflects BBT's broader commitment to fostering interdisciplinary research, entrepreneurial thinking, and collaboration across academia, healthcare, and industry. By supporting promising innovations with a clear route toward societal benefit, the department aims to strengthen the connection between scientific excellence and tangible improvements in human health.
The ambition is clear: to bridge advanced biomedical engineering and clinical cardiology, accelerate the translation of scientific discovery, and help shape the future of cardiovascular care.
