Blue Box, recently honored in the Inicia category by El Periódico de Catalunya, a member of the Prensa Ibérica group, continues its early journey since being named Company of the Year 2021. The origin story centers on Judit Giro, a biomedical engineer who is only 25 years old, whose path began well before the public recognition. After earning a degree at the University of Barcelona and completing further studies at the University of California, Irvine, Giro emerged as the driving force behind the project.
The concept mirrors a dog’s nose in its essence: humans can leverage the canine sense of smell to identify cancer through urine. The project combines Giro’s scientific insight with an AI-powered algorithm that learns and improves diagnosis over time, creating a fast, self-improving system.
The little blue box that shares the company’s name aspires to redefine how breast cancer is diagnosed. Giro emphasizes that breast cancer is among the most common and highly treatable cancers when detected early. At the same time, the venture seeks to lessen the imbalance in research attention that has historically favored other conditions over women’s health, particularly in cancer care.
According to Giro, the device can deliver results in about 30 minutes. It offers a non-invasive, painless, and more affordable early-detection method. In practical terms, a patient would download a mobile app, follow three simple steps: obtain a urine sample, place it in the box, and wait for the analysis. The device conducts a chemical analysis and transmits the data to the cloud, where an AI-based algorithm issues the diagnosis. The overarching principle is clear: prevention saves lives, and this tool centers that approach.
From a youthful curiosity about mathematics and medicine to a formal biomedical engineering education, Giro found the intersection where science can prevent illness and quantify risk. He has consistently argued that women face health disadvantages that extend into cancer care, inspiring him to pursue prevention and early detection as the project’s core mission.
The idea crystallized in 2014 when Giro began biomedical engineering studies at UB and learned that dogs can detect lung cancer through breath analysis. This discovery sparked a practical goal: emulate a dog’s olfactory prowess with an Arduino microprocessor and a handful of sensors, translating the brain’s olfactory processing into AI-based Python code. He often quotes the sentiment that while humans excel at sight, dogs excel at smell. The Blue Box aims to drive active prevention, engaging all women in a reliable, painless diagnostic approach and reducing reliance on radiation-heavy screening methods.
First prototype
Work on the initial prototype began in 2017 as a degree project within the Biomedical Engineering program at the University of Barcelona. That effort laid the groundwork for an innovative device. After preliminary tests with patients with advanced tumors, plans proceeded to recruit around 300 women for early-stage detection trials, including both diseased and healthy participants.
Once results are available, Giro plans to launch a funding round of approximately 1.5 million euros in mid-year, extending into November. The timeline hinges on regulatory approvals from authorities such as the European Medicines Agency and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. If approvals proceed, a market launch could occur in hospitals in Europe in 2024, with a potential price around 200 USD in the United States in 2025, according to Giro’s projections.
Although the company is anchored in Vallmoll near Valls (Tarragona), Giro and his partner on this venture, Joan Vieyra, another biomedical engineer, split their week between a Barcelona coworking space and their home base. They are looking to add a third collaborator who will support urine sample collection and related activities alongside a group of students and other contributors in the near term.
Public funding remains a hallmark of the company’s early-stage approach as it advances toward commercialization. The founders lean on the support network built by family and friends during the initial days of this venture. The team remains focused on consolidating capabilities and expects the technology to be fully ready by the end of the year, with gradual steps toward market introduction.”
Notes: This article references public information available at the time of publication alongside statements from the company’s founders and observers within the startup ecosystem. (Source: Inicia category, El Periódico de Catalunya, part of the Prensa Ibérica group, cited in contemporaneous coverage.)