Oncology
9 Startups Bringing New Tools to Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment
DealBio tracks early-stage cancer diagnosis and treatment startups across Europe and North America. These nine are developing tools for breast imaging, biomarker testing, radiotherapy delivery and clinical evidence research.
- Cancer Diagnostics
- Medtech
- Radiotherapy
- Precision Medicine
- Digital Health
DealBio tracks early-stage cancer diagnosis and treatment startups across Europe and North America. These nine are developing tools for breast imaging, biomarker testing, radiotherapy delivery and clinical evidence research.
Cancer care depends on a succession of decisions: identifying suspicious findings, understanding tumour biology, choosing treatment and confirming that treatment has been delivered as intended. Each step creates opportunities for more precise measurements and workflows that help clinicians use the information already available to them.
The startups in this collection are working at different parts of that process. Some are building imaging systems and laboratory tests that add information for diagnosis or treatment choice. Others are developing instrumentation and software for radiotherapy teams, or tools that make oncology research easier to review. Together they show how cancer innovation includes the technology surrounding medicines as well as the medicines themselves.
At a Glance
- MIMA TechnologiesGreece2025Microwave imaging for dense breasts
- Synapsis LabsGreece2024AI second reading for breast imaging
- BolusCareGermany2026Patient-fitted radiotherapy bolus
- expressTECPortugal2022RNA biomarkers for therapy selection
- RTBeamTechPortugal2026FLASH radiotherapy beam monitoring
- ArdosDenmark2022Real-time delivered-dose verification
- Asima HealthCanada2023Cell-free DNA blood cancer monitoring
- RAB DiagnosticsNorway2023Antibody-drug conjugate response biomarkers
- AVOR Medical IntelligenceGermany2025Source-linked oncology evidence research
Developing radiation-free, compression-free 3D microwave imaging for dense breasts
- Country
- Greece
- Founded
- 2025
- Sector
- Diagnostics and Medtech
- Funding stage
- Seed or earlier
- Founders
- Agathi (Angie) Fasoula
- Michael Kerin
- Luc Duchesne
Why MIMA Technologies stands out
MIMA Technologies is developing a new imaging route for breast assessment, particularly where dense tissue makes mammography more difficult to interpret. Co-founder Angie Fasoula brings a TU Delft engineering doctorate in radar imaging and more than a decade of specialist breast-imaging work. The founding team also includes breast surgeon Michael Kerin.
MIMA Technologies’ intellectual-property work includes two European patent applications filed in 2026. The startup was selected for the EGG Accelerator and received a Horizon Europe Seal of Excellence for its IMPACT proposal.
What MIMA Technologies is building
MIMA is developing a 3D microwave breast scanner that does not use ionising radiation or breast compression. The software-led system is intended to highlight regions requiring radiologist attention and support assessment through automated reporting and malignancy scoring.
Developing AI second-reading tools for mammography and breast MRI
- Country
- Greece
- Founded
- 2024
- Sector
- Diagnostics
- Funding stage
- Seed or earlier
Why Synapsis Labs stands out
Synapsis Labs has built early commercial traction around AI-assisted radiology workflows. Signed deals representing €220,000 in annual recurring revenue feature in Elevate Greece, alongside deployment of Sentinel in three Greek diagnostic centres.
A scientific collaboration with Iatropolis provides imaging data and radiology expertise for development. The startup also joined Pfizer CDI’s Start4Health 2025 Acceleration Lab.
What Synapsis Labs is building
Its Sentinel and Nexus products provide AI-assisted second readings of mammograms and breast MRI scans. The tools are designed to flag findings and support radiologists preparing reports, integrating additional image analysis into the existing interpretation process.
Making patient-specific, mouldable bolus material for radiotherapy
- Country
Germany- Founded
- 2026
- Sector
- Medtech
- Funding stage
- Seed or earlier
- Founders
Why BolusCare stands out
BolusCare has brought its patient-mouldable radiotherapy material into the medical-device market with a CE mark under the European Medical Device Regulation. It also established a UK and Ireland distribution agreement with Oncology Systems Limited in July 2026.
Founder Bastian Hollmann brings experience as a radiographer and previously founded Hollmann Medical, a distributor of radiotherapy technology. A university-clinic white paper illustrates personalised fitting and treatment-planning dose comparisons.
What BolusCare is building
BolusCare supplies a two-component bolus material that radiation therapy teams shape directly to a patient’s anatomy. The fitted layer is included in the planning CT and reused through treatment sessions, helping teams maintain the intended surface-dose geometry without a printer or additional software.
Developing RNA-based tests to guide targeted cancer treatment selection
- Country
- Portugal
- Founded
- 2022
- Sector
- Diagnostics
- Funding stage
- Seed or earlier
- Founders
Why expressTEC stands out
expressTEC builds on breast-cancer research connecting expression of PIK3CA mutations with prognosis. Its University of Algarve research origins and two formal Portuguese hospital partnerships give the startup a defined route for developing clinical assays.
expressTEC has secured €1.1 million in public funding documented by Enterprise Europe Network, received Women TechEU support and announced a SAFE investment from COREangels Algarve. Its expressPIK technology also won the startup category at the 2023 Altice International Innovation Award.
What expressTEC is building
expressTEC is developing expressPIK, an RNA-based test that measures expression of PIK3CA and AKT1 mutations alongside total PTEN expression. The approach adds an expression-level view to molecular testing, intended to support oncologists assessing targeted-treatment options.
Developing beam-monitoring instruments for ultra-fast radiotherapy
- Country
- Portugal
- Founded
- 2026
- Sector
- Medtech
- Funding stage
- Seed or earlier
- Founders
Why RTBeamTech stands out
RTBeamTech has advanced FLASHGuard from the particle-instrumentation research of Instituto Superior Técnico and LIP. The FLASHGuard prototype has operated in conventional and ultra-high-dose-rate conditions, supporting further instrument development.
The founding project received €50,000 from CaixaImpulse Health Innovation in 2025. RTBeamTech was also selected for Tech Foundry Portugal and won the 2026 STEM4Health competition.
What RTBeamTech is building
FLASHGuard is being developed to measure radiation beams delivered at ultra-high dose rates. It combines particle-detector methods and high-speed electronics to provide beam measurements for FLASH radiotherapy research and future treatment delivery.
06
Ardos
Developing software to verify radiation doses during cancer treatment
- Country
Denmark- Founded
- 2022
- Sector
- Medtech
- Funding stage
- Seed or earlier
- Founders
- Thomas Ravkilde
- Per Rugaard Poulsen
- Lene Ploug Bülow
Why Ardos stands out
Ardos has built its DoseTracker software on radiotherapy research originating at Aarhus University Hospital. Published validation work has compared real-time dose reconstruction against dosimeter measurements, and a clinical evaluation covered 20 prostate radiotherapy patients with online and retrospective dose reconstruction.
The startup is backed by Delphinus Venture Capital and secured a Japanese patent for its dose-guidance technology in July 2026. Co-founder Per Poulsen brings more than 20 years of medical-physics research leadership.
What Ardos is building
DoseTracker calculates and verifies delivered radiation dose while accounting for anatomical changes and patient motion during treatment. It is intended to give radiotherapy teams more immediate visibility into treatment delivery and support decisions when doses deviate from plan.
Developing a blood test for multi-cancer detection and recurrence monitoring
- Country
Canada- Founded
- 2023
- Sector
- Diagnostics
- Funding stage
- Seed or earlier
- Founders
Why Asima Health stands out
Asima Health has produced early human-sample evidence for its blood-based approach. A retrospective evaluation of Asima Rev involving 46 colorectal cancer cases and 33 controls found 95.65% sensitivity and 93.94% specificity in that study set.
The startup has partnered with Ontario Tumor Biobank for samples, worked with Arete Biosciences on research instrumentation and joined Creative Destruction Lab’s Cancer Stream. Its founder Shalini Gupta brings a chemical-engineering PhD and previous diagnostics startup experience.
What Asima Health is building
Asima Health is developing an assay that reads changes in cell-free DNA methylation from blood without gene sequencing. The platform is designed for local laboratories, with an initial focus on recurring cancer monitoring in colorectal and lung cancer.
Developing biomarkers to predict response to antibody-drug conjugates
- Country
- Norway
- Founded
- 2023
- Sector
- Diagnostics
- Funding stage
- Seed or earlier
Why RAB Diagnostics stands out
RAB Diagnostics emerged from the Rab5 biomarker research programme at Oslo University Hospital. Founding research connected RAB5A expression with response to the antibody-drug conjugate T-DM1 in breast-cancer patients studied in the I-SPY2 and KAMILLA trials.
The startup secured investor backing from Aleap, Startuplab and individual investors, received innovation funding for its biomarker platform, and was granted a US patent in July 2026 covering RAB5-guided patient selection.
What RAB Diagnostics is building
RAB Diagnostics is developing Rab protein biomarkers that reflect how cancer cells handle antibody-drug conjugates internally. Its biopharma research services and assay-development work aim to improve understanding of drug processing and support therapy-response prediction.
Organizing oncology and haematology evidence into source-linked answers
- Country
- Germany
- Founded
- 2025
- Sector
- Digital health
- Funding stage
- Seed or earlier
- Founders
- Enver Aydilek
- Max Schüler
- Friedrich Schwarz
- Florian Weißinger
Why AVOR Medical Intelligence stands out
AVOR Medical Intelligence brings clinical and technical expertise to navigating oncology research. The founding team includes physicians working in haematology and oncology, while co-founder Friedrich Schwarz led a 2026 machine-learning study related to treatment risk in multiple myeloma.
The startup received support from Life Science Factory’s ELSA accelerator and won the ELSA Pitch Bowl audience award in 2026. It also received recognition at Göttingen University’s LIFT-OFF competition and the HSBI Startup Award.
What AVOR Medical Intelligence is building
AVOR offers a research prototype that brings oncology and haematology evidence into source-linked answers. The platform organises guidelines, European Medicines Agency material and studies so medical professionals can locate and review the underlying sources more efficiently.
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Investment perspective
The nine startups highlight distinct ways of creating value around a cancer-care decision. Breast-imaging tools aim to improve how radiologists detect and interpret findings. Molecular diagnostics seek to add information about tumour biology or how a patient might respond to a particular therapy. The clearest evidence for these products comes from analytical performance, clinical workflow use and studies that connect a measured signal to a decision.
Radiotherapy tools address a different part of care. Patient-fitted materials, high-dose-rate detectors and delivered-dose software each depend on precise integration with treatment equipment and clinical practice. Early device adoption, validated measurement performance and distribution arrangements can therefore be meaningful milestones alongside research publications.
The common investment question is whether a technology adds dependable information at a point where clinicians can act on it. Across imaging, biomarker tests, radiotherapy and evidence research, the strongest early signals connect a clearly defined user with the measurement or workflow the startup is building.
Methodology
DealBio selected these nine early-stage startups for their distinct contributions to cancer diagnosis, treatment selection, radiotherapy delivery and oncology evidence access. The collection brings together imaging, molecular diagnostics, medical devices and clinical software, with a focus on product definition and documented early progress. DealBio builds its Startup Briefs using publicly available startup materials, ecosystem sources, market references and professional profiles.