Each year, millions of women are diagnosed with breast cancer. Standard treatment often includes surgery followed by chemotherapy, but not all patients benefit from the latter. Studies show that more than half of breast cancer patients do not gain any additional benefit from chemotherapy, exposing them to severe side effects, physical toll, and emotional stress unnecessarily.
Prognostic tests that predict the risk of relapse have revolutionised treatment decisions, helping clinicians avoid over-treatment. However, access to these tests remains extremely limited. Most current tests are processed in specialised laboratories in the US, with high price tags of around $4,000, and turnaround times stretching up to three weeks due to international shipping. These barriers leave millions of women without timely access to potentially life-saving information.
Precision diagnostics startup Signatur Biosciences, backed by Y Combinator, has announced a pivotal milestone in transforming breast cancer care. The company has closed a $7 million seed round, bringing its total funding to $9.9 million through a mix of equity and grants. The round was led by The Discovery Lab of IBA, joined by Noshaq and other strategic backers.
With the latest funding, Signatur Biosciences is moving swiftly. The capital will be used to finalise and validate OncoSignatur Breast, it’s first flagship product, unlock and match public grants for product development, establish a dedicated laboratory in Liège, Belgium, and expand its scientific and operational team to support R&D and commercialisation.
Founders turn frustration into innovation
Headquartered in London, Signatur Biosciences is a spin-out from the Stevens Group at the University of Oxford and Imperial College London. It was founded in 2022 by bioengineers Celestin de Wergifosse and Dr. John Goertz, with scientific leadership from Prof. Dame Molly Stevens De Wergifosses , a serial entrepreneur since age 14 and recipient of the WIPO Best Young Inventor award, studied bioengineering at Imperial College London. Dr. Goertz, a physicist and bioengineer, earned his PhD from the University of Maryland and completed postdoctoral research in Stevens’ lab at Imperial College.
The idea for Signatur emerged from their shared frustration with the inaccessibility of precision diagnostics. They envisioned creating decentralised, cost-effective molecular tests that could run on standard qPCR machines, making advanced diagnostics globally accessible.
OncoSignatur Breast: Decentralising precision diagnostics
Signatur Biosciences aims to close this critical gap with OncoSignatur Breast (OSB), a decentralised breast cancer prognostic test currently under development. Unlike existing tests, OSB is designed to be run directly in local hospitals and clinical labs, using standard qPCR machines that are already widely available.
This innovation allows for same-day results, cutting costs dramatically while enabling healthcare providers to retain testing revenue and deliver more personalised care. The test is powered by PCRchitectur, Signatur’s proprietary technology that condenses the traditionally complex testing workflow into a single, efficient qPCR reaction.
Notably, PCRchitectur reduces material costs by up to 20-fold, making it one of the most affordable and scalable molecular diagnostics platforms on the market. While breast cancer is the first disease area in focus, Signatur intends to expand the technology into other indications, amplifying its global impact.
The move to Liège, facilitated by investor Noshaq, positions the company within one of Europe’s fastest-growing biotech hubs, enabling closer ties to clinical partners, talent, and infrastructure. It reflects Signatur’s commitment to building a European precision diagnostics powerhouse with global reach.
A vision for the future of diagnostics
Signatur Biosciences is building a product and advancing a vision: a world where precision medicine is local, fast, and accessible to all. By decentralising diagnostic capabilities, the company empowers clinicians and patients with the tools to make timely, informed treatment decisions.
As the company gears up for its next phase, it acknowledges the support of its investors, partners, and team who share its mission to democratise life-saving diagnostics. With a strong foundation and clear trajectory, Signatur Biosciences is poised to reshape the future of cancer care, one test at a time.
“Advanced diagnostics shouldn’t be gated by geography – the centre of gravity for precision diagnostics needs to shift. We founded Signatur to change the way molecular diagnostics are delivered. This funding brings us closer to ensuring that patients can benefit from precision testing no matter where they are. By turning complex lab processes into simple kits, we’re giving control back to hospitals across Europe and beyond. This funding is a step toward a more resilient and self-sufficient diagnostic ecosystem,” said Celestin de Wergifosse, CEO.
