Aegea provides patented Switch‑Blocker nucleic acid chemistry that suppresses wild‑type DNA while selectively amplifying rare mutations, enabling detection of variants at frequencies below 0.01%. The technology can be added to existing PCR and NGS workflows without new equipment, improving assay sensitivity for applications such as cancer liquid biopsies, infectious disease testing, and transplantation monitoring.
Funding
$17M raised to dateRaised to date based on public sources. This may differ from the amount the company actually raised and is based only on what is publicly available on the internet.
Founders
Product
Problem
Detecting low‑frequency genetic variants in clinical and research samples is hampered by the overwhelming presence of wild‑type DNA, which limits the sensitivity and specificity of standard PCR and NGS assays. This makes it difficult to identify rare somatic mutations, SNPs, insertions or deletions in degraded or low‑quantity samples such as liquid biopsies, leading to missed diagnostic and therapeutic opportunities.
Solution
Aegea’s Switch‑Blocker™ technology is a patented nucleic acid chemistry that selectively suppresses wild‑type sequences while enriching rare mutant alleles. By integrating directly into existing PCR and next‑generation sequencing workflows, it reduces background amplification and enhances signal clarity without requiring new instrumentation. The approach enables detection of variants at frequencies below 0.01%, supporting applications in oncology, infectious disease testing, transplantation monitoring, and personalized medicine. Aegea offers research‑use‑only kits and custom assay development services that can be tailored to specific targets, including clinically relevant mutations such as EGFR, KRAS, and ESR1. The technology is compatible with highly fragmented DNA, making it suitable for liquid biopsy and other challenging sample types.
Target Audience
Primary customers are clinical laboratories, pharmaceutical and biotech companies, and life‑science researchers developing diagnostic or monitoring assays that require ultra‑sensitive detection of rare DNA mutations.
Features
- Patented Switch‑Blocker chemistry that blocks wild‑type amplification and preferentially amplifies mutant DNA
- Enables detection of SNPs, insertions, deletions and low‑abundance somatic mutations at <0.01% allele frequency
- Seamless integration with standard qPCR and NGS platforms; no additional hardware required
- Compatible with degraded or fragmented DNA samples, including liquid biopsies and cell‑free DNA
- Available as ready‑to‑use RUO kits and as custom assay development for bespoke targets
- Supports rapid assay adaptation for emerging infectious disease variants (e.g., COVID‑19 strain differentiation)