Imec Spinout Axithra Raises $10M for Chip-based Raman Tech

Axithra, a spinout of imec and Ghent University, has raised €10 million ($10.7 million) in a seed round to develop a chip-based Raman spectroscopy platform to monitor drug concentration in the blood to enable timely adjustments of dosages where necessary. The seed round, which saw backing from Hamamatsu, secures the first two years of research and development.

According to Roel Baets, a professor in the Photonics Research Group, an associated imec lab at Ghent University, the integration of Raman spectroscopy onto a photonic chip makes the technique far more sensitive.

As a first application, the spinoff will deploy its technology to measure the concentration of beta-lactam antibiotics in a patient’s blood. This class of antibiotics is commonly used to treat or prevent bacterial infections and is administered to millions of intensive care patients each year. Axithra’s platform will ensure that treatments can be optimally tailored to the individual patient. Over time, other drug classes will be incorporated in the pipeline.

The round was led by imec.xpand and co-led by Kurma Partners, with support from Qbic, Noshaq, White Fund, Wallonie Entreprendre, Hamamatsu Photonics, and Werfen Diagnostics.