Four Mexican researchers, leaded by Dr. Dora Luz Flores-Gutiérrez, professor and researcher at UABC,
won first place in the InnovaHealth Challenge 2023, a national competition where the contestants
presented 72 projects.

The contest, held within the framework of the National Congress of Biomedical Engineering 2023 at
Tabasco, Mexico, received various projects focusing on solving technological problems in Mexico’s
health sector and biomedical industry. The proposals were evaluated by an expert jury in biomedical
engineering who considered multiple aspects, including innovation and commercialization possibilities.
The winning project was Watch QT, a prototype of a simple-to-use bracelet that obtains
electrocardiogram and pulse signals to estimate a cardiac indicator known as the QT interval, the
contraction and relaxation of the ventricles.

The prototype was developed by Dr. Dora Luz Flores, along with Dr. Rafael Eliecer González Landaeta,
researcher at the Autonomous University of Ciudad Juárez and doctors Aldo Rodrigo Mejía Rodríguez
and Guadalupe Dorantes Méndez, researchers from the Autonomous University of San Luis Potosí, in
México.
Dr. Flores Gutiérrez explained that there are cases where the QT interval is longer, producing what is
known as long QT syndrome, which can be congenital or induced by some drugs; if not treated
promptly, it can cause some effects such as fainting, seizures, and in the worst case, cardiac arrest.
Although Watch QT looks like most everyday watches, but it has the characteristic of being able to
automatically estimate the QT interval in just 30 seconds without having to be in a hospital
environment. It subsequently sends the collected data to the cloud, which can be processed using
artificial intelligence algorithms since it has an internet connection.

Dr. Flores mentioned: “So far, there is no product like Watch QT on the market because it is meant to
solve a specific health problem, and no product offers these advantages. In addition, this bracelet will
use artificial intelligence to identify those patterns that may be a warning sign.”

The team of researchers will continue developing the prototype, and to do so, they will use the prize
valued at half a million pesos that they received and look for other financing options. The final goal is
to achieve the commercialization of this product.

Finally, Dr. Flores Gutiérrez urged those who work in engineering to always communicate with experts
from other areas, such as biomedicine. “In this way, we can build ideas and prototypes that we can commercialize and thus solve different health problems,” she pointed out.