57. Intelligent Lab on Fiber

Making clinical trials for heterogeneous diseases faster, cheaper, and less invasive, this startup showcases some seriously disruptive medical technology.

Founders: Luis Valente, Joana Paiva, and Mehak Mumtaz
Founded: 2019
Website: ilof.tech

Did you know that, over the past 14 years, no new medications have been approved to treat Alzheimer’s? According to iLoF (Intelligent Lab On Fiber), over 400 clinical studies into the disease have failed. Why? Because finding patients who are both suitable and willing to take part in trials for their full duration is incredibly difficult.

This is the big problem that iLoF is looking to fix. This innovative biotech startup is using AI and photonics devices to test patients quickly and easily, and build a cloud-based library of disease biomarkers and biological profiles. Through the platform, hospitals and pharmaceutical companies can screen and recruit ideal patients for clinical trials, ensuring they have the biological profile they’re looking for.

iLoF’s non-invasive blood testing can also be used during trials to track the effect new drugs are having, replacing invasive and expensive methods like scans and CSF (cerebrospinal fluid) tests. The upshot of all this? iLoF has been making clinical trials more convenient and less unpleasant for patients, while cutting costs by 40% and saving time by 70%. 

And iLoF isn’t just disrupting the field of Alzheimer’s treatments. It also has applications in analysing and helping to treat cancer, cardiovascular conditions, neuro-degenerative diseases, and infectious diseases (in fact, iLoF’s tech has been used to predict the severity of COVID-19 symptoms in patients).

With investors and partners including Oxford Foundry, Google for Startups, EIT Health, Microsoft’s Venture Fund, and more, there’s no denying that this startup is doing incredibly important work. We’re excited to see what iLoF achieves next.