The project was born thanks to the collaboration between Claudio Tiribelli and Richard Wennberg. Their goal was to find a simple solution to eradicate kernicterus, a preventable disease that affects thousands of newborns worldwide.
With over 30 years of experience in clinical and scientific research on bilirubin, they proposed a strategy that could end this scourge. From their analysis emerged that most cases of kernicterus are caused by late diagnosis of jaundice and failure to evaluate risk factors and monitoring infants after discharge.
The evidence became clear: these are the key point to solve. In response to these deficiencies, Tiribelli and Wennberg committed themselves to design a quick and portable diagnostic system to measure total bilirubin concentration in newborn’s blood.
Our Team
Diego Sardon
President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
Great entrepreneur with strong professional experience in Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and Data Sciences.
Since he joined Bilimetrix, a solid collaboration started with Prodigys, a company leader in ICT and of which is Founder and CEO.
Carlos Coda Zabetta
Chief Technical Officer (CTO) and Regulatory Affairs
After graduating in Argentina in Biotechnology, he came to Italy to get the Ph.D. in Molecular Biomedicine at the University of Trieste, focusing on the study of bilirubin toxicity mechanisms in neuronal cell models.
From the very beginning of the project he is in charge of the Bilistick® System development. In addition, he follows the training of the healthcare personnel for a correct using of the device.
From the very beginning of my experience at the university, my dream for the future was to play my part in the fight against diseases. I did not know how to do it, but I was convinced that one day I would have had the opportunity to go against one of those conditions affecting so many people in the world. During my PhD, the reasons why bilirubin caused brain damage caught my attention, but I missed the direct impact of my research on people.
When Prof. Tiribelli asked me to start with the development of this project, the first thing that went through my mind was: "This is the opportunity I was looking for!". For me it has become a personal challenge. The first time I saw the Bilistick® System preventing a child from being disabled was the day in which I finally thought:I made it!”.
Chiara Greco
Technical Affairs Specialist and Quality Affairs Responsible
She graduated as a Biomedical Laboratory Technician at the University of Trieste and obtained her Master’s Degree in Science Diagnostic Techniques at the University of Ferrara.
She is directly involved in the development and certification of the Bilimetrix products following the criteria estabilished in the procedure.
This project is very special to me because it is the first research project I was involved in, my "first love" we could say. The Bilistick® System project was in fact the basis of my degree thesis in 2011. At that time, we tried to understand through a research prototype, whether the system conceived by professor Tiribelli and professor Wennberg could be a valid method of measuring bilirubin. Our dream was to produce a low-cost device to save the life of children in developing countries. After finishing my thesis, for a few years I worked for another research institute and for me it was really exciting to come back into the team and see that thanks to the work that Carlos and professor Tiribelli had done over the years, our dream was becoming a reality. I am proud to work for Bilimetrix because I am firmly convinced that " the most worthwhile thing is to try to put happiness into the lives of others" (Robert Baden-Powell) …. and how can you do it if newborns cannot grow and enjoy an healthy life?
Cristina Fernetti
Production Responsible
After graduating in Biology, he carried out her scientific training concluding her PhD in Biomolecular Science at the University of Trieste. For many years she has dedicated herself to scientific dissemination up to reach the Bilimetrix Team to take care of the production of the Bilistick System.
