Belgian point-of-care testing spin-off gets injected with 5.1 million euros

An investment consortium, together with some high net worth individuals, has bankrolled the Belgian diagnostic start-up Antelope DX with 5.1 million euros. The new company develops innovative solutions for point-of-care testing. The Antelope technology is the result of ten years of research at the Photonics Research Group of Ghent University. Since mid-last year, it has been further incubated in Mycartis, an immuno-diagnostic solution provider that itself has its roots in Biocartis (link in Dutch). Antelope DX is now established as a spin-off from UGhent and Mycartis, located in the Bioscape incubator in Ghent-Zwijnaarde and employing approximately 15 people.

Antelope DX’s point-of-need diagnostics platform allows patients and professionals to have on-the-spot access to key health parameters. It’s intended to offer clinical lab performance with the ease of use of a pregnancy test at a consumer price tag. The platform is based on innovative lab-on-chip technology and aims to perform high-quality tests on any bodily fluid, without requiring complex user operations or sample preparation. The first solution in development is a home test to diagnose two common sexually transmitted diseases, chlamydia and gonorrhea. The second product is a test for healthcare professionals to determine whether a suspected infection is of bacterial origin and as such is an aid to reduce the over-prescription of antibiotics.

Jan-Willem Hoste, the founder of Antelope DX and COO, commented: “There are a vast number of domains where the technology can be disruptive. In general, we target decentralized settings where immediate information on health parameters is needed. Home management of chronic diseases is definitely a key setting where we can make a big difference for the patient by offering lab performance, ease of use, a low price tag and connectivity. Additionally, we’re looking at testing in retail clinics and doctor’s offices. We evaluate opportunities for over-the-counter tests, for lifestyle solutions and animal health testing.”