Startup Chosen Diagnostics won the grand prize in the 2016 BioChallenge competition finals. Chosen is developing a biomarker test to diagnose a common and life-threatening gastrointestinal disease in preterm infants with low birth weights. Dr. Sunyoung Kim presented the winning pitch for the company, a spin-out based on research conducted at the School of Medicine at LSU Health New Orleans that aims to spur earlier treatment and improved outcomes in these fragile patients. A second prize, a $25,000 investment award from the New Orleans BioFund, was presented to Carre BioDiagnostics. The company is developing an innovative, simple blood test to identify those chronic kidney disease patients with coronary artery disease who are at high risk for heart attacks, allowing for earlier treatment, improved outcomes, and reduced costs.

November 17, 2016 — Read more at The New Orleans Advocate