Rapid lateral flow tests are inexpensive and simple to use, but they often struggle to detect low levels of viruses or biomarkers. This issue limits their effectiveness outside of centralised labs, which became especially apparent during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Many healthcare providers and test developers are looking for ways to improve the accuracy of lateral flow tests while keeping them easy to use and affordable.
The Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU) spin-off has developed a DNA-origami–based amplification technology that can make standard lateral flow tests up to 100 times more sensitive without increasing cost or changing how the tests are used. This approach aims to deliver lab-level performance in simple, strip-based tests that anyone can run.
To bring this technology to market, Amplifold has raised an oversubscribed €5 million in a seed round. The investment was co-led by Matterwave Ventures and XISTA Science Ventures, with Bayern Kapital, b2venture and Becker Ventures (part of Labor Becker Group) also joining the round.
Bringing ultrasensitive lateral flow diagnostics
Amplifold’s technology was developed by Dr Maximilian Urban and colleagues in the lab of Prof. Liedl and published in a recent Nature Communications paper. They demonstrated that DNA-origami nanostructures can boost the sensitivity of standard LFAs by up to two orders of magnitude while preserving their simplicity and low cost.
The company’s vision is captured in its slogan: “Affordability meets Accuracy”.
“Lateral flow tests have transformed access to diagnostics, but their sensitivity has traditionally lagged behind central lab systems. DNA-origami signal amplification allows low-cost rapid tests to approach instrument-level sensitivity without changing the basic format,” said Dr Maximilian Urban, Amplifold co-founder, co-inventor and managing director.
Amplifold will further strengthen its leadership team when experienced diagnostics executive Dr Federico Bürsgens joins as CEO in 2026.
What’s next?
The new funding will support product development, regulatory work, and preparations to secure IVDR approval for Amplifold’s first in vitro diagnostic product in Europe. As a part of the funding, Benedikt Kronberger of Matterwave and Stephan Huber of XISTA Ventures will both join Amplifold’s Board of Directors.
Benedikt Kronberger, Partner at Matterwave Ventures, says, “Amplifold is exactly the kind of industrial deep-tech company we look for: a fundamental breakthrough applied to a massive, existing market. The fact that this round was significantly oversubscribed speaks for the quality of the team and the commercial clarity of the opportunity.”
As part of its next phase of growth, Amplifold will move to the Innovation and Start-Up Center for Biotechnology (IZB) in Martinsried, a central hub for European life science startups with close ties to leading academic and clinical institutions.
Dr Stephan Huber, Venture Partner at XISTA Science Ventures, adds, “The lack of sensitivity is the one issue that has held the technology back. Amplifold addresses exactly this point with a DNA nanotechnology approach that lifts sensitivity while keeping the simple format that makes rapid tests so practical and scalable.”
