Cancilico, an AI diagnostics startup specialising in blood cancer, has raised €2.5 million in Seed funding.
The Dresden healthtech startup was founded in 2023 as a spin-off of the EKFZ for Digital Health at TUD Dresden, University of Technology, and University Hospital Dresden.
The company develops AI-driven diagnostic solutions for haematology to automate and improve the accuracy of blood and bone marrow analysis.
The founding team includes Markus Badstübner, Dr Moritz Middeke, Tim Schmittmann, Sebastian Riechert, Dr Jan Eckardt, Dr Karsten Wendt, and Angel Investor Prof. Gerhard Ehninger.
Its MyeloAID uses advanced AI to analyse bone marrow samples with unprecedented speed and accuracy. The technology can be implemented on any standard imaging microscope or scanner, allowing laboratories to upgrade their current diagnostic capabilities without replacing existing hardware infrastructure.
The underlying data model for Cancilico’s AI diagnosis is based on a large, validated dataset of various malignancies, as well as data from healthy individuals.
Partnerships with haematopathology centres further enhance the data model, and cooperation with pharma partners has yielded initial results in accelerating the development of biomarkers and therapeutic options for haematological malignancies.
"We are facing a global shortage of haematologists, yet the complexity of diagnostic cases is rising," said Markus Badstübner, CEO and Co-Founder of Cancilico.
"Our goal is to democratise access to expert-level diagnostics. This investment allows us to navigate the FDA and CE-IVDR regulatory landscapes and bring a tool to market that integrates seamlessly with existing lab hardware to improve patient outcomes without heavy capital expenditure."
The investment was led by a strong consortium comprising High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF), TGFS - Technologiegründerfonds Sachsen, GEDAD GmbH (an investment vehicle of the Ehninger family), and ROI Verwaltungsgesellschaft (Roland Oetker).
"We are convinced to invest in a winning team and a superior technology that has already gained commercial traction with its 'Research Use Only' data models," said Dr Jörg Traub, Principal at HTGF.
"The team combines entrepreneurial spirit with deep technical and clinical knowledge.
Cancilico has established a convincing AI model using training data that includes not only diseased patient samples but also healthy datasets, allowing for better and faster classification."
The funding will accelerate Cancilico’s mission to establish its AI-based diagnostic software MyeloAID as a routine tool to improve the standard of care for blood cancer patients worldwide and to accelerate digital biomarker development in haematological malignancies.
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