Liver disease is finally beginning to make sense to Ilay Marom. Literally.

Having reached epidemic levels in both children and adults, metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) affects one in three people on Earth. It has quietly become one of the main causes of chronic liver disease worldwide and carries a high risk of cardiovascular morbidity, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, and other serious conditions.

Aggressive MASLD can trigger a more serious form of liver disease—metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis, (MASH)—and eventually morph into cirrhosis, which increases liver cancer and liver failure risk. MASH’s planetary prevalence is projected to double by 2030 and leading to an associated two- to three-fold rise in liver cancer and cirrhosis-related deaths.

Despite the countless medical advancements made in recent decades, relatively few to none address early liver disease detection.

Senseless, isn’t it?

Marom thinks so. Thus, he co-founded a company five years ago dedicated to developing an innovative, cost-effective early disease detection tool. Established in 2020 with the help of Technion Israel Institute of Technology and Hadasah Medical Center, NaNose Medical has created an artificial intelligence (AI)-driven tabletop device for early disease detection.

The firm’s current target is liver cancer, and eventually, lung cancer. Blending nanotechnology and AI, Nanosense’s DiaNose test measures the amount of volatile organic compounds in human breath to generates a breath “fingerprint” that clinicians can use to detect liver disease in its early stage. The patented test takes less than five minutes to administer and provides instant, accurate results.

“With DiaNose, we offer a vital, user-friendly tool so patients and healthcare professionals alike can take early action and implement intensive monitoring and care,” the company’s website states. “This will result in lives saved and reduced suffering. We are committed to continuing to push the boundaries of technology to make healthcare more accessible and effective for everyone.”

NaNose Medical pushed a major boundary last week by capturing top honors at the 17th Healthcare Innovation World Cup, hosted at Medica 2025 in Düsseldorf, Germany.

More than 250 applicants from 60-plus countries submitted proposals for this year’s competition. Contest organizers narrowed that total to 13 finalists who pitched their inventions to a seven-member jury and a standing-room only crowd. Judges chose the top three [creations] based on innovation, go-to-market strategy, commercial potential, and sustainability.

Organizers added a new feature to the World Cup this year: a public vote, which was held during jury deliberations. Both the public and judges agreed on the overall winner, prompting WT|Wearable Technologies CEO/master of ceremonies Christian Stammel to quip, “Perhaps in the future, we won’t need judges anymore, we’ll just use the audience…”

For now, World Cup [organizers] still needed judges to choose two other finalists—Acorai (second place) and OxyPrem AG (third place).

Acorai has developed a non-invasive hemodynamic sensing device that enables clinicians to measure blood pressure inside the heart. Such a measurement is crucial for early heart failure detection and personalized therapy. The Swedish company’s solution is reportedly 87% more accurate in heart failure detection than standard methods, and is both quick and easy to use.

In addition to its Innovation World Cup honor, Acorai also was one of five winners at the CHISEL Healthcare InnoMatch 2025 finals, earning a share of the S3 million ($2.3 million) funding pool. The finals were a separate event and not connected with Medica.

Coming in third was Swiss firm OxyPrem, which touted its wearable sensors for continuous brain oxygen levels in newborns. Used at hospitals in 11 countries, the OxyPrem 1.4 sensors ensure accurate continuous monitoring by using harmless light (NIRS) to determine absolute haemoglobin oxygen saturation in tissue.

The NOAH Tissue Oximetry System—still in development—uses liquid phantom validation, a progressive benchmark approach included within the international safety and performance standards for cerebral oximetry monitors. This approach enables reproducible validation over a broad range of oxygenation and haemodynamic neonatal physiology states.

“Sometimes there are things that need fixing, and this is one of them,” OxyPrem CEO Alexander Nitsch stated. “It’s really about the detection of the problem. This is what we’re solving.”

The World Cup’s 10 other problem-solving finalists included:

• Clyype: This Spanish firm invented an advanced, reusable, bidirectional respiratory protection system. Clyype claims is product—which spent four years in development—represents a technological evolution in the combined format of medical helmets and respiratory protection systems. Its patented solution is certified as a medical device in Europe, and was designed based on specific requirements from surgeons, emergency personnel, and other healthcare professionals.
• Connected Consumables: Based in Dresden, Germany, the company aims to is to reduce the complexity of oncological infusion by seamlessly integrating connectivity into medical consumables. Its vertically integrated Infusion System enables connectivity from treatment plan to fluid control and identification of medication, patient, and sensor data. Connected Consumables is eyeing a U.S. premiere for its technology.
• E3A Healthcare: Established in 2019 with a foundation in biomedical research, this firm combines biosensing, AI, and compassionate design to protect the health of women and families in all life stages—from prenatal monitoring to chronic care. The company touts Modoo as the world’s first fetal monitor that is passive and free of ultrasound. It listens instead of probing—capturing fetal heart rate, movement, and uterine contractions through advanced acoustic and pressure sensors.
• FaceHeart Corp.: This Singapore-based company created a video-based, contactless vital sign measurement software development kit that can be integrated into devices such as smartphones seamlessly, providing heart rate, respiration rate, blood pressure, and other vital sign readings in 50 seconds. It leverages the remote photoplethysmography technology that extracts subtle facial skin color changes. The firm’s FaceHeart Vitals solution secured U.S. Food and Drug Administration for respiratory rate measurement in April (2025).
• Flywallet: Executives consider the company’s fingerprint and heartprint authentication technology a world-first. Four years ago, the Italian firm introduced the Keyble, which captures fingerprint and heartbeat biometrics for contactless payments and passwordless authentication; the goal now is to certify its wearable a medical device for analyzing cardiac arrhythmias, blood oxygen saturation, and body temperature. Flywallet has raised $1.6 million in funding thus far, secured a U.S. patent, and partnered with Accenture in its home country (Italy).
• Lilio Health: Another potential entrant to the infant monitoring sector, this German company claims to have developed the first all-day wearable (a band) for tracking a baby’s oxygen rate, heart rate, and comfort temperature. Suitable for newborns and children through age 5, the Lilio Band automatically connects to a mobile phone via Bluetooth (outside of Wi-Fi range) to ensure continuous monitoring while traveling. The accompanying Lilio app currently is available for both operating systems, iOS (Apple) and Android. “It’s always better to know if something is up,” CEO/Co-Founder Sven Markschlager told the judge panel.
• Myoact: The company’s mission to view, (better) understand, and treat muscle health is appropriate, considering both CEOs are physiotherapists. Myoact has developed a digital solution for analyzing and treating neuromuscular imbalances through EMG (electromyography), AI, and biofeedback. The German firm reportedly is growing 10% per month and is working toward real-life applications of its technology via university clinics and professional sports teams.
• Neurobit Technologies: Collaborating with  more than 30 university medical centers, this Taiwanese firm has developed an AI-powered neuro-oculomotor diagnostic platform that combines high-resolution infrared eye tracking with real-time analytics. By integrating eye movement data, optical measurements, and AI analytics, this biomedical innovation firm develops solutions for clinical decision support, health risk prediction, and patient-centered care. Its technologies range from neurological and vestibular diagnostics to myopia risk tracking in children, and are certified for medical use across multiple regions.
• ​Rheo: Inspired to relieve nurses of their vital signs measurement duties (50 billion such inpatient measurements are taken manually each year), this Swiss company’s cuffless wearable solution simultaneously tracks five core vital signs. Based on 2,000-plus hours of data, the reusable, sustainable monitoring product reportedly can save hospitals $5,000 per bed annually.
• Watchibia AG: Pairing the timeless elegance of a favorite wristwatch with smart health tracking, the Swiss company’s smart strap turns any traditional watch into a health-monitoring device without altering its design. The strap uses its wearer’s existing watch face but adds all the data and functions of a smartwatch, measuring sleep, pulse rate, stress levels, calories, and steps/distance. Engineered for compatibility, Watchibia connects with a wide range of premium watches. The company is currently scaling toward pilot production next year.