German spinout raises over €3M to tackle cervical cancer with a test that works anywhere without electricity or a lab — TFN

Intu Diagnostics, a Fraunhofer spinout based in Leipzig, has raised €1.1 million in a bridge round, bringing its total funding to more than €3 million. The round was backed by BSV Ventures and SAB.

The startup has created a PCR-quality HPV test that works without a lab, electricity, or trained staff. Users see results from a colour change in just 30 minutes.

Cervical cancer causes about 350,000 deaths among women each year. Around 85% of these cases occur in countries that lack sufficient laboratory facilities for routine screening.

Every year, about 350,000 women die from cervical cancer, even though most cases could be prevented. The biggest challenge is logistics, not medicine. PCR testing, the gold standard for detecting HPV, requires a lab, trained staff, and specialised equipment that many places lack.

Intu Diagnostics, a company from the Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology in Leipzig, wants to remove these obstacles. The company recently raised €1.1 million in a bridge round, bringing its total funding to over €3 million.