TCD Campus Company, Miravex, Wins Irish Technology Leadership Group Award
Posted on: 19 November 2010
Miravex, a Trinity College campus company specialising in the areas of optics and image analysis for the cosmetic investigation of skin conditions, was announced as the winner of the first Irish Technology Leadership Group (ITLG) University Innovation Challenge Award this week (November 17th). The award, which includes a prize to the value of €30,000 and access to the ITLG network, will support Miravex raise its profile internationally and expand at an operational level.
Miravex beat off competition from campus companies based in nine Irish universities to take the top prize. The award was presented during the 3rd Annual ‘Silicon Valley Comes to Ireland’ event led by Dr Craig Barrett, Chairman of the ITLG and past Chairman of Intel Corporation, and a delegation of technology executives and investors from Silicon Valley. Having won the award, which is sponsored by Eircom, representatives from Miravex will have the opportunity to travel to the next ITLG Awards Event in the spring of 2011 in Silicon Valley, where they will be able to network with the ITLG group and receive follow up mentoring through the Irish Innovation Centre in San Jose, California.
Presenting the award to Dr Guido Mariotto, CEO of Miravex, was Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation, Batt O’Keeffe with Ronan Kneafsey, Director eircom Business.
Miravex was founded in 2009 by two Trinity College post-doctoral students in the School of Physics, Dr Guido Mariotto and Dr Roman Kantor under the guidance of Professor of Applied Physics, Igor Shvets. The company produces a hand-held imaging device which can be used in cosmetic medicine providing 3D computer-generated images of a patients’ skin with accompanying data analysis, including pigmentation and colour analysis. These images are analysed using specialised software to accurately measure a range of parameters such as skin roughness, wrinkles and abrasions prior to any potential surgery. This capability provides practitioners with an effective benchmarking tool where data can be compared before and after treatments and their efficacy demonstrated to clients. In addition, the device can also map the amount of melanin and haemoglobin in the skin which could be used to quantify skin damage or used to monitor other skin conditions such as acne or rosacea.
Based in California, USA, the ITLG is a group of high-level technology leaders in Silicon Valley who are Irish or Irish-American. The ITLG includes senior executives from some of the Valley’s leading corporations, each of whom are committed to helping Ireland face up to the issues and challenges of embracing new technology opportunities. Speaking at the award ceremony, founder and president of the ITLG John Hartnett said: “We would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Miravex on their creativity and dedication. We were very impressed with the extremely high quality applications we received for the award and we look forward to supporting Miravex and welcoming them to Silicon Valley next year.”
Trinity in the News: