Cancer Screening Technology wins Student Entrepreneur Award

Christopher McBrearty, studying at National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG) has won Enterprise Ireland’s Student Entrepreneur of the Year Award for developing NanoDetect, an advanced PSA screening technology which could provide GPs and hospitals with improved detection rates of prostate cancer. McBearty was one of 10 Finalists at the awards, which took place at Cork Institute of Technology (CIT) and received €10,000 as part of the Enterprise Ireland student prize. He will also receive mentoring from Enterprise Ireland to develop the commercial viability of the concept.

McBrearty, originally from Killybegs in Donegal, said;“Our core goal is to reduce patient waiting time with quick test results and to help educate and raise awareness around prostate cancer. Our future goal is to be the breast check equivalent for men and to eventually bring our technology into other routine screen procedures for disease types.”

This is the 38th year of Enterprise Ireland’s Student Entrepreneur Awards, which are co-sponsored by Cruickshank Intellectual Property Attorneys, Grant Thornton and the Local Enterprise Offices and are open to all third level colleges across the country. NanoDetect shared in a €35,000 prize fund, with three other finalists receiving awards of €5,000.

The Cruickshank Intellectual Property Attourneys’ High Achieving Merit Award went to CIT’s John Colbert, David O’Connor, Elise Kenneally and Michael Goggin for StomAssure, an implantable alternative to the current stoma treatment method.

The Grant Thornton Emerging Business Award went to Ulster University’s Jenny Gregg for her Crafted Equestrian business. Her first product, a patented pressure relieving girth that prevents girth galls in horses.

The final Local Enterprise Office ICT award went to TU Dublin’s Micron Agritech Limited created by students Daniel Izquierdo Hijazi, Sean Smith, Tara McElligott and Jose Lopez Escobar for their Tastail Kit which allows farmers to instantly test their animals on-site for parasites.

For more details visit www.studententrepreneurawards.com