BioInitials

About Us

BioInitials aims to develop non-invasive medical devices, such as a toothbrush, to monitor health by analyzing biomarkers in saliva. These biomarkers, combined with other data, will be analyzed using artificial intelligence. This approach will not only provide insights into oral health conditions, such as periodontitis and its associated systemic diseases (e.g., diabetes and cardiovascular diseases), but also enable the direct detection of diseases like asthma and COPD. The goal is to detect diseases at an early stage and predict their progression. Optionally, healthcare providers can be informed and given access to the data. The device is part of a broader platform for monitoring individual health. It aims to provide users with information about their health status with minimal effort and to alert them to any deterioration.

OUR PROJECTS

In an initial project on periodontitis, we worked with CSEM and EMPA to develop a sensor unit that can measure the pH and glucose levels as well as the impedance of saliva. This project was funded by Innosuisse.

Since two years we focused on asthma because the onset of asthma attacks is usually recognised too late by patients, especially those with so-called uncontrolled asthma. This not only leads to extremely painful but also life-threatening situations, especially for babies. Emergency admission and hospitalisation are usually the consequence, not least in connection with high costs for insurance companies. Together with international partners from the clinical, sensor development and IT sectors, we have submitted a project to European Union programmes. As soon as we not only receive approval for the content, but also funding, we will tackle this ambitious project.

BioInitials

Health monitoring

According to the WHO, the world spent about USD 10 trillion on health in 2021, representing more than 10% of global GDP. Prevention accounts for only 12% of total health spending, while 72% of the costs are associated with inpatient and outpatient care and the respective medication.

Early diagnosis and prevention of chronic diseases such as asthma or periodontitis will significantly reduce healthcare costs. In the case of periodontitis, there are also the associated systemic diseases. The financial impact on healthcare systems will be considerable.

BioInitials

Diseases

Asthma affects 262 million people worldwide. Despite improved treatment options, the control of asthma remains a challenge that is associated with morbidity and mortality. Uncontrolled asthma places a significant burden on both patients and healthcare systems. There are 32 million patients in the EU, 24% of whom visit the emergency department and 12% of whom are hospitalised. Asthma emergencies Asthma emergency admissions cost the EU around EUR 11 billion a year.

Periodontitis is a major public health problem with a prevalence of more than 50%. In the USA and Europe, more than 220 million patients are affected by this disease. The disease, which affects 700 million patients worldwide, is associated with diabetes. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death with a prevalence of 422 million patients worldwide and claims an estimated 18 million lives each year. Periodontitis is a set of inflammatory conditions that affects the oral tissues. In its early stage it is called gingivitis – gums get swollen and bleed. Late-stage periodontitis results in bone and tooth loss. At an early stage of the disease the costs of treatment are relatively low. Left untreated restorative procedures with crowns based on bridges or implants are necessary.

Diabetes mellitus is a group of chronic endocrine disorders characterized by hyperglycemia due to insufficient levels of insulin, a hormone responsible for regulating blood sugar. Epidemiological data confirms that diabetes is a major risk factor for periodontitis. Compared to the general population the likelihood of getting periodontitis is threefold higher in people with diabetes. Diabetic individuals with a severe form of periodontal disease have 3.2 times greater mortality risk than individuals with no or mild periodontitis.

Cardiovascular diseases are a group of disorders of the heart and blood vessels, including coronary heart disease. Heart attacks and strokes are usually acute events that are mainly caused by a blockage which prevents blood from flowing to the heart or brain. Heart attacks and strokes are usually caused by a combination of risk factors, including: tobacco use, unhealthy diets, obesity, hypertension and diabetes.

BioInitials

saliva biomarkers

Saliva biomarkers play a key role in the early diagnosis and monitoring of a number of chronic diseases such as asthma, periodontitis, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. However, as a diagnostic fluid, saliva offers several advantages over serum.

Saliva offers a cost-effective approach with real-time diagnostic values: easy collection of multiple samples, no additional manipulation during the diagnostic procedure, non-invasive collection method with no risk of infection. This approach is aimed at all patient categories, especially those for whom blood collection can be challenging – children or anxious adults.

The global saliva collection and diagnostics market has experienced strong growth in recent years and is expected to continue to grow rapidly. In 2023, the market was valued at approximately USD 3.5 billion and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of over 11% from 2024 to 2032, reaching a value of USD 6.6 billion by 2032. This growth will be driven by advances in non-invasive diagnostics, increasing awareness of the benefits of saliva testing and increased research and development in the healthcare sector.

Bioinitials

Our Team

The founders of BioInitials AG are seasoned professionals active in the life sciences industry. They combine a total cumulative experience of 108 man-years of bringing drug products and medical devices to market, from ideation to final market approval.

Christian Jäggi

Chairman of the Board | PhD in economics of the University of Basel. Christian has experience in the pharmaceutical industry i.a. as Assistant to the Roche President Fritz Gerber. He was CEO of a pharma marketing agency. As founder of the IMK Institute for Medicine and Communication he worked for many Swiss medical associations. During the startup phase of Retrieval AG in the mid-nineties he was involved in the first digitalization/network project in Switzerland for physicians. With Jäggi Communications he edited and published several medical periodicals but was also engaged in the logistics industry (Danzas/DHL/Deutsche Post) and worked for engineering and IT companies. He is co-founder and MOB of Prosalix AG. He is member of the Swiss Association of Science Journalism.

Saso Jezernik

Board Member | PhD, was educated and has conducted research at multiple universities including ETHZ, MIT (Schools of Eng. and Sloan School of Management), and Harvard. He has more than 20 y. of experience in the areas of medical and pharma innovation (new product development based on new technologies: comprising mechatronics/robotics, HW, SW, AI/ML, and wireless connectivity). In the life-science area, examples of Sašo 's work comprise development of next generation insulin pumps and medical injectors, combination devices, development of an automated drug reconstitution device, development of the next generation BT-LE connected inhaler, and wireless dental root-canal treatment biofeedback device. Saso brings with himself an extensive experience in the areas of Systems Eng., Modern SW and Cloud Systems, Quality (QMS & QA), Risk Management, and Regulatory Affairs (CE/FDA approvals).

Christoph Schäfer

Board Member | MBA of University of Basel, CEO of CIS Pharma AG. Christoph has developed and brought to market drugs, medical devices and consumer products, mainly in Ophthalmology. He was working with practitioners as a sales rep in the USA and has marketing experience in Life Sciences. Managing innovation, he has a vast experience from ideation with users to approval of products in the market.

Nihat Karaoglu

Partner | MSc in computer science from Vrije Universiteit Brussel (applications of AI in distributed systems), Executive Leadership Oxford Said Business School. Nihat brings over 20 years experience in turning innovative ideas into brilliant products and viable businesses. He was the deputy CIO at Swiss med-tech unicorn Sophia Genetics. Prior to it, he was the solutions manager for Altran Switzerland (Cap Gemini). Nihat founded several tech startups and ran his own consultancy company developing semiconductors, consumer electronics and medical devices. Nihat has been active in patient advocacy. He is the founder of associations for brain tumours and urinary cancer patients. He speaks English, German, Dutch, French, Turkish and Japanese.

Enkelejda Miho

Advisory Board Member | Professor of Digital Life Sciences at FHNW School of Life Sciences, Muttenz; Dr. sc. ETH Zürich, Biotechnology, Biosystems Science and Engineering. Enkelejda is an expert in digital health, bioinformatics, and immunology, with a focus on artificial intelligence for precision diagnostics and antibody discovery. Her research spans autoimmunity, cancer, and infectious diseases, applying data science to improve clinical decision-making and personalized medicine. As a professor, she leads applied research projects in collaboration with industry and academia, pushing the boundaries of digital life sciences. She also serves as Managing Director of aiNET, an ETH spin-off focused on AI-driven diagnostics and therapeutics, where she helps biopharma companies leverage immunogenomics for drug discovery. Her interdisciplinary expertise makes her a key contributor to innovations in biotechnology and health informatics.

Thomas Bauer

Advisory Board Member | Dr. iur. University of Basel. Thomas has decades of diverse experience in the legal and financial sectors. His early career spanned banking law, contracts, tax law, and litigation. From 1994, he joined EY (formerly Ernst & Young), specializing in accounting law and regulatory issues. Thomas led major projects, including projects for the Swiss Bankers Association, and headed EY’s restructuring and insolvency practice for 15 years. He also served as lead counsel in various international insolvency proceedings. Between 2016 and 2020, Thomas was the full-time Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA), focusing on governance and financial market law. His extensive experience includes academic contributions and teaching engagements at the Universities of Zurich and Basel.

Peter Groenen

Advisory Board Member | PhD in Molecular genetics from the University of Leuven, Belgium and an MSc in physiology and biochemistry from the University of Nijmegen, the Netherlands. He has more than 23 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry (Organon, Schering-Plough, Merck Sharp & Dome, Actelion and Idorsia) with increasing responsibilities in discovery, translational research, biomarkers and early clinical development. Peter's vision is to change the way we define diseases and therapies by better molecular characterizations, enabling precision medicine through more efficient discovery translations and biomarkers. He has been involved in international consortia and thinktanks on the topic of biomarker qualification and digital biomarkers. He lectures on translational science and biomarkers at the University of Basel and the ETH in Zürich.

Stefan Stübinger

Partner | Dentist and oral surgeon. Habilitation (assistant professorship) in experimental implantology and oral surgery at the University of Zurich. Stefan holds various patents and is initiator and co-founder of numerous spin-off companies. In several multi-disciplinary and ongoing research projects he is involved in the development of a new standard to evaluate and monitor individual risk factors related to different diseases, based on the evaluation of body fluids. Stefan’s major aim and vision is to go off from delayed reactive medical services to evidence-based predictive, preventive and personalized medicine (3P) with comparing historical baseline data unique to each wearer.

Stefan Schaffner

Partner | Process Engineer FH/MBA. Stefan has a solid background in pharmaceutical engineering and measuring technology for hygienic applications. He accrued vast experience in different management positions in the fields of business development, innovation, product management, marketing and communication in industries such as energy, real estate and mobility.

Fabio Cirillo

Partner | Chemist FH, CEO of Avanti Europe AG. Fabio has developed and successfully introduced to the global market several drug delivery devices, medical devices and drug manufacturing processes in diverse indications and use environments. Having worked with big pharma/biotech and big medical device, Fabio has founded Avanti Europe AG, a consulting and contracting company in the field of combination products, medical devices and pharmaceuticals. With Avanti Europe AG, Fabio supports all sizes of companies from idea to market (and beyond) in their development projects of novel, connected and fully digital products.

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BioInitials AG
Moosackerweg 19
4105 Biel-Benken BL
Switzerland
mail@bioinitials.com