“We may not change the world, but we will make it a better place.”

He has created a smart lollipop that detects diseases through a saliva sample. How was the project born?

The idea for Smart Lollipop was born in 2017 at the iFest Dream BIG Challenge, an innovation and technology competition organized by Catalunya Emprèn and the Imagine Creativity Centre. I was studying a Master's in Innovation and Business Development at the University of Girona, and they suggested that I partner with three other colleagues and we won with an idea very similar to what it is today. I decided I wanted to try to turn this idea into reality.

What diseases does it detect?

Right now, it's high cholesterol and celiac disease, although we have other lines of research open and also want to bring it to market.

What diseases can be diagnosed?

The goal is to be able to make as many diagnoses as possible, as long as they can be made in saliva.

He presented the project halfway around the world, from Silicon Valley to Turin. How was it received by the medical community?

The response has always been very positive. Doctors are the first to identify the problem: cases of children receiving the diagnosis too late and the body suffers the consequences, because there is no non-invasive test that allows us to get the diagnosis in time. For the target children, the solution is very clear: candy for them is a game and a pleasure. It is not only a matter of medical necessity, but also of time: it is estimated that to perform a blood test on a pediatric patient it takes 20 minutes, two nurses to hold him and another to perform the extraction. It is the time, cost of staff and medical expertise that we will completely shift.

At what stage is the project?

We hope to be on the market during 2025. In the future it will also be possible to go to the pharmacy to do some diagnostics, so that everything does not go through the hospital or the CAP.

Did you get a lot of “no's” before yeses to moving forward with the project?

I had 'no's' or situations that showed 'he didn't know where to go', but I remember people who encouraged me to try it more than those who didn't believe in it. No entrepreneur knows where they're going until they're fully involved.

Has being a woman closed doors for you?

No, but maybe, especially at first, they doubted me more because I was young than because I was a woman. Yes, I have received comments that I probably would not have received if I were a man, but this encourages me even more to do this so that new generations do not face these situations.

Can his invention change the world?

It can represent the before and after in the system of collecting and analyzing samples to make a diagnosis, and this represents a qualitative shift in the health sector. We are replacing blood testing, which was born in the 19th century, and we will transform a negative experience such as drawing blood from a child to giving him candy, in which you will even be able to choose the flavour. We may not change the world, but we will make it a better place.

Do we aspire to change the world?

We should aspire to do things the best we can and do so with what we truly feel compassion for. The pledge moves from the head to the stomach. Everyday life is very rational, but what keeps us awake and motivated is the thought that I am doing this to achieve this change, because I don't want to live knowing that there is some way to solve the problem and not solve it. My effort is in it. Feeling connected to cause and purpose is the best engine to make the world a better place.