Key Investor Signals
PCF-funded research at Johns Hopkins and Lund
The underlying hair-test research received a 2024 Prostate Cancer Foundation Special Challenge Award. Kenneth Pienta of Johns Hopkins and Emma Hammarlund of Lund University lead the project.
Approximately 90% accuracy in prostate cancer prototype
Capillon reported about 90% accuracy for its prostate cancer prototype. PCF-backed preliminary research separately reported about 94% accuracy distinguishing people with and without prostate cancer.
Published patent application covers core detection method
A patent application published in August 2026 covers isotopic hair or nail analysis paired with machine learning for cancer detection. Emma Hammarlund and Capillon team members are named inventors.
Other Positive Signals
- Swedish company filings report SEK 14.4M in revenue for 2025, Capillon’s first full year.
- CLIA registration secured in May 2026, supporting the Lund laboratory’s analysis of samples from U.S. clinical studies.
- More than 4,000 research participants donated hair to the underlying research programme between 2022 and December 2025.
- Selected for IVA’s 2024 100 List for hair-analysis research with societal and commercial potential.
- Joined SmiLe Venture Hub in March 2025, gaining incubation support for company development and laboratory work in Lund.
Team
Emma Hammarlund
Founder, CEO and Chair
- Leads Lund University’s Molecular Evolution team and has 76 research outputs spanning geoscience, evolution and cancer.
- Principal investigator on Swedish Research Council and Sjöbergstiftelsen projects studying isotopic and elemental signatures of cancer.
- Developed the isotopic hair-analysis approach behind IsoTect by adapting methods from her geobiology research at Lund University.
Product
Capillon Analytics operates the analytical laboratory behind IsoTect, a test intended to help physicians assess prostate cancer risk from a small hair sample. The laboratory measures chemical patterns and applies a classification model to identify signals associated with cancer. The initial use is alongside PSA testing, before a decision on biopsy.
Non-invasive hair sampling
Hair preserves a record of chemical changes in the body. Johns Hopkins reports that the method needs only a few strands and no sterile collection environment; samples can be mailed to a laboratory.
Isotope analysis with machine learning
Mass spectrometry measures stable-isotope ratios in elements including copper, sulfur and zinc. Machine learning analyses the resulting pattern for cancer-associated metabolic signals, adapting geochemical methods to a diagnostic setting.
Clinical development and intended use
In May 2026, Capillon said an approximately 800-patient validation study was underway and a second study of approximately 1,000 patients would follow. The test is initially aimed at U.S. physicians evaluating men with elevated PSA.
Market Overview
Prostate cancer is the fourth most commonly diagnosed cancer worldwide. PSA testing can flag possible disease, but benign conditions also raise PSA, leading to MRI, additional tests and biopsy. A more precise pre-biopsy assessment could help clinicians avoid unnecessary invasive procedures while preserving detection of clinically important disease.
Potential buyers include healthcare providers and diagnostic-service organisations offering physician-directed prostate cancer testing. Grand View Research valued the global prostate cancer diagnostics market at USD 8.6 billion in 2023, projecting growth to USD 13.2 billion by 2030.
IARC estimates 1,546,112 new cases worldwide in 2024, making prostate cancer the fourth most commonly diagnosed cancer.
The Lancet Commission projects annual cases to rise from 1.4 million in 2020 to 2.9 million in 2040.
NCI reports that about a quarter of men biopsied because of elevated PSA are found to have prostate cancer.
Grand View Research projects the global prostate cancer diagnostics market to grow from USD 8.6 billion in 2023 to USD 13.2 billion in 2030.
Comparable Outcomes
Exosome Diagnostics
Exosome Diagnostics developed ExoDx Prostate, a urine-based test that analyses exosomal RNA to assess high-grade prostate cancer risk and inform whether a biopsy is needed. Bio-Techne acquired Exosome Diagnostics in 2018 for $250 million upfront, with up to $325 million in milestones through 2022.
Genomic Health
Genomic Health built the Oncotype DX molecular-diagnostics franchise around gene-expression signatures used to guide cancer treatment decisions, later expanding into prostate cancer. Genomic Health listed on Nasdaq in 2005 at $12 per share, implying a valuation of about $292M. Exact Sciences acquired the company in 2019 in a cash-and-stock deal valued at $2.8B.
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Sources
This profile was built from public company materials, ecosystem sources, market references, and professional profiles.