A new wave of innovation in digital health is emerging from Dresden as Cancilico, an ambitious AI diagnostics startup, secures major investment to advance its mission of transforming blood cancer analysis. With the global demand for faster and more accurate haematology diagnostics growing, the company is positioning itself at the forefront of automated clinical decision support.
A Strong Foundation in Clinical Innovation
Founded in 2023 as a spin off of the EKFZ for Digital Health at TUD Dresden University of Technology and the University Hospital Dresden, Cancilico focuses on applying advanced artificial intelligence to haematological diagnostics. The founders combine clinical expertise, engineering skill and entrepreneurial drive. The team includes Markus Badstübner, Dr Moritz Middeke, Tim Schmittmann, Sebastian Riechert, Dr Jan Eckardt, Dr Karsten Wendt and angel investor Professor Gerhard Ehninger.
The company’s flagship product is MyeloAID, an AI driven system designed to automate the analysis of bone marrow samples. By detecting abnormalities with remarkable speed and consistency, the technology has the potential to improve diagnostic accuracy and support clinicians in managing complex cases.
New Funding to Accelerate Growth
Cancilico has raised two point five million euro in Seed funding. The round was backed by High Tech Gründerfonds, TGFS Technologiegründerfonds Sachsen, GEDAD GmbH and ROI Verwaltungsgesellschaft. Investors see strong commercial potential in the platform’s ability to make expert level diagnostics more accessible and scalable.
The capital will support the company as it navigates US and European regulatory pathways, including FDA and CE IVDR processes. It will also fund further product development and preparation for wider market adoption.
Transforming Lab Workflows with AI
MyeloAID introduces a new level of efficiency by allowing laboratories to upgrade diagnostic workflows without costly hardware upgrades. The system can run on any standard imaging microscope or scanner, offering a seamless integration with existing lab equipment.
At the heart of the technology is a data model built from extensive and validated datasets covering a wide range of blood and bone marrow malignancies as well as samples from healthy individuals. This approach ensures greater accuracy and quicker differentiation between normal and abnormal findings.
Partnerships with haematopathology centres strengthen the dataset further. Cancilico has also collaborated with pharmaceutical partners to support biomarker research and accelerate therapeutic development in haematological cancers.
Addressing a Global Shortage of Specialists
Markus Badstübner, chief executive and co founder, highlights the urgent need for scalable diagnostic innovation. He notes that the world faces a shortage of trained haematologists while diagnostic complexity continues to rise. MyeloAID is designed to fill this growing gap by providing fast, consistent and expert level assessments.
Badstübner adds that the new funding will allow the company to bring its technology to market without forcing hospitals or clinics to invest in new hardware. His vision is to democratise access to high quality diagnostics and improve outcomes for patients worldwide.
Investor Confidence in the Team and Technology
Investor Dr Jörg Traub of High Tech Gründerfonds says the decision to back Cancilico was driven by confidence in both the founding team and the underlying technology. He notes that the company has already gained commercial traction through its research use only data models and has built an AI system capable of faster and more precise classification thanks to the inclusion of healthy datasets in the training process.
Advancing Global Standards in Blood Cancer Care
The new investment will enable Cancilico to expand its diagnostic capabilities and establish MyeloAID as a routine tool for clinics and laboratories. The company’s long term goal is to improve the standard of care for patients with blood cancers and to contribute to global advances in digital biomarker development.
With strong scientific foundations, strategic partnerships and fresh financial backing, Cancilico is poised to influence the future of AI driven haematology and set new benchmarks for accuracy and accessibility in cancer diagnosis.