The EMJ Podcast | Episode 221
This week, Jonathan is joined by Cristian D’Alessandro, Chief Technology Officer at RespiQ, Leiden, the Netherlands. Together, they dive into the exciting world of medical technology, and discuss D’Alessandro’s revolutionary AI-enhanced breathalyser for detecting and monitoring COPD and other diseases.
Spotify | Apple | Amazon Music | Download MP3 (34:59 mins)
Cristian D’Alessandro is a medical device professional specialising in leading research and development ventures in the field of medical technology. D’Alessandro earned his bachelor’s and master’s degree in medical engineering from Favaloro University in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He then completed a PhD at the University of Patras, Greece, in cardiovascular and tissue engineering. Specifically, D’Alessandro’s PhD focused on developing static and dynamic in vitro models for assessing the calcification potential of cardiovascular scaffolds.
D’Alessandro then moved to the Netherlands, where he is now Chief Technology Officer at RespiQ. Founded in 2019, RespiQ is developing technology that aims to provide accurate, cost-effective health testing at home. Specifically, they are developing a revolutionary non-invasive, AI-enhanced breathalyser, which they hope will offer a real-time diagnosis and monitoring solution for use at home and at the point of care.
Impressively, D’Alessandro can speak five languages; Spanish, English, Dutch, German, and Greek, which is no surprise when you consider the number of institutions and companies he has worked at!
Timestamps:
- 00:00 – Introduction
- 02:43 – D’Alessandro’s journey into biomedical engineering
- 04:12 – Differences in medical systems across the globe
- 07:00 – D’Alessandro’s PhD in cardiovascular medicine and tissue engineering
- 11:54 – RespiQ’s mission
- 13:30 – How does RespiQ work?
- 17:47 – How is RespiQ advancing the COPD treatment landscape?
- 19:43 – Other diseases detectable in the breath
- 22:13 – Future trends in medical technology
- 24:26 – Challenges and solutions in medical innovation
- 29:22 – D’Alessandro’s three wishes for healthcare
