Germany’s Amplifold raises €5 million to unfold rapid, affordable diagnostics using DNA-origami nanotechnology

Amplifold, a Munich-based BioTech startup developing rapid diagnostic tests using DNA-origami nanotechnology, has announced the closing of an oversubscribed €5 million Seed round. This spin-off from Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU) aims to use this capital to industrialise its DNA-origami–based signal amplification platform for lateral flow assays (LFAs). 

The round was co-led by Matterwave Ventures and XISTA Science Ventures, with participation from Bayern Kapital, b2venture, and Becker Ventures (part of Labor Becker Group).

“What makes Amplifold unique is that we can deliver up to roughly 100-fold higher analytical sensitivity at essentially the same cost of goods as conventional LFAs. 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,” said Dr Enzo Kopperger, co-founder and managing director of Amplifold. 

The in vitro diagnostics (IVD) and life sciences sector is challenging to navigate due to the substantial upfront investments required, driven by the high costs of R&D, clinical trials, and regulatory compliance. However, despite the challenges, the industry has continued to attract strong investor confidence and interest, especially since the pandemic. 

Just last month, arcoris bio, a Swiss life science research tools and in vitro diagnostics company, secured €6.7 million to advance its biomarker detection platform. Similarly, earlier this year, Cologne-based BioTech startup Detechgene raised €3.2 million in its second Seed round to make lab diagnostics mobile. 

It’s interesting to note that the investors are increasingly stepping in at the Seed stage to provide the essential early capital needed for startups to survive and progress in this highly capital-intensive sector.

Circling back to Amplifold, its technology was developed by Dr Maximilian Urban and colleagues in the lab of Prof Dr Tim Liedl, Professor of Experimental Physics at LMU and head of the nanoengineering lab. To realise their goal of combining high sensitivity with low-cost testing, the team has developed DNA-origami nanostructures, tiny structures made from DNA designed to detect specific molecules with extremely high accuracy. They have demonstrated that DNA-origami nanostructures can enhance the sensitivity of standard LFAs by up to two orders of magnitude, while remaining simple and affordable.

“Lateral flow tests have transformed access to diagnostics, but their sensitivity has traditionally lagged behind central lab systems. DNA-origami signal amplification allows low-cost rapid tests to approach instrument-level sensitivity without changing the basic format,” said Dr Maximilian Urban, Amplifold co-founder, co-inventor and managing director. 

The company will use the capital to expand product development and regulatory activities and to bring Amplifold’s first in vitro diagnostic product to IVDR approval in Europe. With this funding, the company will relocate to the Innovation and Start-Up Centre for Biotechnology (IZB) in Martinsried, a key hub for European life science startups. 

It has also garnered support from GoBio Initial, the Medical Valley Award, and EXIST Forschungstransfer. 

In a leadership update, Amplifold has also announced that Dr Federico Bürsgens, who has held senior leadership roles in the in vitro diagnostics space for more than 15 years, will join the company as CEO next year. 

Additionally, Benedikt Kronberger of Matterwave Ventures and Stephan Huber of XISTA Ventures will join Amplifold’s board of directors.

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