4fold.bio is developing a low-cost, highly accurate diagnostics platform that analyzes protein and DNA markers in a single test to catch cancers that other tests miss and reduce false alarms. The fully automated, sample-to-answer device requires minimal training, making it usable at GP surgeries or pharmacies while scaling to centralized labs. The system detects hundreds of targets simultaneously and delivers results in under 30 minutes.
- Biotechnology
- Hardware
- Healthcare Technology
- Medical Devices
Funding
Founders
Product
Problem
Millions of cancer patients receive late or incorrect diagnoses each year, leading to invasive, unnecessary treatments that devastate lives and drain healthcare resources. Current cancer screening tools force an unacceptable compromise: they are either too expensive for widespread use or too limited in the biomarkers they measure, resulting in missed diagnoses and false alarms.
Solution
4fold is developing a low-cost, highly accurate diagnostics platform that analyzes protein and DNA markers in a single test, catching cancers that other tests miss while dramatically reducing false alarms. The fully automated, sample-to-answer device requires minimal training, making it simple enough for staff at a GP surgery or pharmacy to use, yet engineered to scale for massive volumes in centralized labs. Through novel detection chemistry, the platform enables simultaneous detection and quantification of hundreds of nucleic acid or protein targets in parallel, delivering vastly more data than traditional molecular diagnostics. By leveraging consumer-electronics supply chains and a modular design, the company is building a rugged, highly-accessible instrument that lowers the barrier to entry for clinics and labs while delivering actionable results in under 30 minutes.
Target Audience
Primary customers are healthcare providers including GP surgeries, pharmacies, and clinics needing rapid on-site cancer testing, as well as centralized clinical testing laboratories seeking high-throughput diagnostic capabilities.
Features
- Ultra-multiplexed chemistry enabling simultaneous detection and quantification of hundreds of nucleic acid or protein targets in parallel
- Cost-effective hardware built using consumer-electronics supply chains and modular design for rugged, accessible deployment
- Frictionless sample-to-answer workflow with an ultra-simple consumable requiring minimal training and delivering results in under 30 minutes
- Self-contained instrument nodes that operate independently at the point of need or cluster together for high-throughput centralized testing
- Nodes attach in seconds, automatically sharing power and data with no complex wiring or configuration