€8.5 million for photonic biosensor to accelerate early detection of cancer and Covid-19

Get reliable test results quickly and easily

The global Covid-19 pandemic highlights the need for fast and reliable point-of-care diagnostics anytime, anywhere. Even in areas where there is no hospital, clinic or trained medical staff. With point-of-care diagnostics, a sample from the patient is tested on the spot, next to the hospital bed, in the consulting room or even at home. Within minutes, the result is visible and action can be taken. Surfix’ ultimate goal is to create a test that is available to the masses and costs just a few euros.

Unique diagnostic platform

The biosensor developed by Surfix consists of two main elements: the main part is the chip in which detection takes place. In the other part, the sample is processed in microfluidic channels.

In the detection part, light passes through the chip instead of electricity. Biomolecules attached to the surface of the chip can use bio-recognition to “capture” other biomolecules from a sample (e.g. blood or urine). This changes the properties of the light that travels through the chip. This can be detected and read by the sensor system. This change is an indication of the presence of the biomolecule one is looking for.

Each sample must be processed before it enters the detection section (similar to a very small laboratory). This takes place in microfluidic channels that carry the sample to the detection section.

For the sensing part, Surfix has developed unique nanocoatings that enable binding of biomolecules and increase the sensitivity of the sensor, while the microfluidic part is covered with a nanocoating that repels biomolecules and improves the flow of the sample through the microfluidic channels. The “plug-and-play” diagnostic platform can be used to detect viruses, DNA and RNA, proteins such as antibodies and antigens and other biomolecules.

Combination of Dutch technology

The ‘plug-and-play’ diagnostic platform combines the integrated photonic chip from Enschede’s LioniX International with Surfix’s nanocoatings. Integrated photonics is a revolutionary technology that enables the development of chips that can detect, capture and process vast amounts of data using light instead of electricity. Using light means that new types of devices and systems, such as biosensors, can be created that are cheaper, faster, smaller and more reliable when in use, while consuming less energy. Qurin will be the launching customer of the platform in the field of cancer diagnostics. Qurin’s new biomarker technology aims to detect cancers in urine, such as lung cancer and colon cancer.

Maarten Buijs, CEO of Surfix, is enthusiastic about the investment: “With this development we have deepened the relationship with our parent companies LioniX and Qurin, both spin-offs from the University of Twente. With Oost NL and PhotonDelta on board, our drive is to take point-of-care diagnostics to the next level. Combined with the network and experience of the two Dutch public-private organisations, the leading integrated photonics technology of LioniX and the medical knowledge of Qurin, the investment will enable us to take on further industrialisation and to clinically validate the exciting results in biomarker detection obtained so far.”

Senior Investment Manager Tech Pieter Klinkert of Oost NL concurs: “Surfix’s solution supports the important ecosystems around photonics and microfluidics, two key technologies in which our region excels. Surfix can realise a breakthrough in the field of photonics-based diagnostics. Surfix is a spin-off company from Wageningen University & Research and works actively with the three universities in the eastern Netherlands and the photonics cluster in Twente. As a result, it fits perfectly into the network around photonics and MedTech in the East Netherlands.”

Ewit Roos, CEO of PhotonDelta says: “An important strategic goal is to support companies that develop promising and important applications, such as fast and cost-effective diagnostic equipment close to the patient. We are pleased that Surfix has leveraged the potential of our ecosystem with their unique expertise and successfully developed a biosensor that could change the way we diagnose diseases such as cancer and infections. By investing in Surfix, we are helping to accelerate the industrialisation of these affordable biosensors and bring accurate early stage diagnostics closer to patients.”