International recognition: a team including two young researchers from the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies in Pisa has won the Genesis Italy Pitch Competition 2025
Nicole Giannotto and Laura Toni, respectively research assistant and PhD student, have designed a device based on transcutaneous electrical stimulation (TENS)
A team composed of Nicole Giannotto, research assistant at the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, Laura Toni, PhD student at the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, and Davide Evangelista, research assistant at the Gemelli Polyclinic in Rome, has won an important international award: the Genesis Italy Pitch Competition 2025, promoted by Nucleate, a non-profit organization founded in the United States and led by students, researchers, and PhD students, with the aim of promoting scientific entrepreneurship in the life sciences sector.
The award was given for a project in the field of femtech: a device based on transcutaneous electrical stimulation (TENS) was designed, a technology already known in physiotherapy but which has been adapted for innovative applications related to gynecological well-being and the non-invasive treatment of chronic pain.
The jury, made up of investors, entrepreneurs, and industry experts, awarded the project for its interdisciplinary approach, the practicality of the idea, its medical relevance, and its potential impact in the field of women's health.
The idea for the project stems from a real, often underestimated clinical need and aims to fill a gap in the women's health market. The device is also accompanied by an app designed to contribute to the faster diagnosis of gynecological and reproductive health conditions such as endometriosis, providing support to patients and specialists in monitoring symptoms and structured collection of clinical data. The team was supported in the design phase of the project by Hannah Teichmann, co-founder and vice-president of MMI, Medical Micro Instruments SpA, an Italian company that develops robotic solutions for microsurgery.
The project was carried out as part of the activities of the MINE lab, the joint laboratory on Modular Implantable Neurotechnologies, established through collaboration between the Biorobotics Institute of the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies and the Vita-Salute San Raffaele University (scientific advisors Silvestro Micera, full professor of Bioengineering at the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, and Pietro Mortini, full professor of Neurosurgery at UNISR).
