Amplifold Raises €5M to Commercialize DNA Origami Diagnostics

Original from: genomeweb

German diagnostic startup Amplifold said Wednesday that it has raised €5 million ($5.8 million) in an oversubscribed seed financing round. 

The funds will support the commercialization of a lateral flow assay technology that utilizes DNA origami-based signal amplification, the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich spinout said. 

The round was led by Matterwave Ventures and Xista Science Ventures with participation from Bayern Kapital, B2venture, and Labor Becker Group's Becker Ventures. 

The funds will expand product development and regulatory activities aimed at obtaining IVDR approval for the startup's first in vitro diagnostic. Additionally, the funding will support Amplifold's relocation to the Innovation and Start-Up Center for Biotechnology (IZB) in Martinsried near Munich.

Amplifold's DNA origami nanostructures can boost sensitivity of standard LFAs by up to two orders of magnitude while preserving simplicity and low cost, the firm noted. According to a recent proof-of-concept study describing use of the approach to detect cardiac troponin I in blood serum, the nanostructures are used to connect detection antibodies to signal-generating labels.

"Lateral flow tests have transformed access to diagnostics, but their sensitivity has traditionally lagged behind central lab systems," Maximilian Urban, cofounder and managing director of Amplifold, said in a statement. "DNA-origami signal amplification allows low-cost rapid tests to approach instrument-level sensitivity without changing the basic format."

The origami-based tech potentially delivers up to 100-fold higher analytical sensitivity than conventional LFAs "at essentially the same cost of goods," said Enzo Kopperger, cofounder and managing director at Amplifold. "Our architecture is designed to plug into existing manufacturing workflows, which means partners can rapidly upgrade their assays instead of redeveloping their product lines from scratch."

Source: Amplifold Raises €5M to Commercialize DNA Origami Diagnostics