Dresden-Based Cancilico Raises €2.5M To Advance AI-powered Cancer Diagnostics

Founded in 2023, the Dresden-based healthtech company is a spin-off from the EKFZ for Digital Health at TU Dresden and University Hospital Dresden.

Cancilico develops AI-driven diagnostic solutions for haematology, automating and improving 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.

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Its flagship product, MyeloAID, uses advanced AI to analyse bone marrow samples with exceptional speed and precision. The technology runs on standard imaging microscopes and scanners enabling laboratories to enhance diagnostic capabilities without replacing existing hardware.

Cancilico’s AI models are trained on a large validated dataset covering multiple malignancies as well as healthy samples. Partnerships with haematopathology centres strengthen the data foundation, while collaborations with pharmaceutical companies are already accelerating biomarker development and new therapies for blood cancers.

"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 including High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF), TGFS – Technologiegründerfonds Sachsen, GEDAD GmbH (the 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.

About Cancilico

Cancilico is an AI diagnostics company transforming image-based medical analysis. Combining expertise in computer science and clinical medicine, the company uses artificial intelligence and computer vision to improve the accuracy and efficiency of diagnosing and researching hematological cancers.