Each year, millions of women face a life-changing breast cancer diagnosis. Surgery and chemotherapy are often the standard course of treatment—but not every patient benefits from chemo. In fact, over half of those undergoing chemotherapy gain no additional value from it, yet they endure harsh side effects, emotional stress, and a taxing recovery process.
Precision diagnostics have the potential to change this. By helping doctors understand who actually needs chemotherapy, these tests can prevent over-treatment. But there’s a major problem: access. Most of these advanced tests are only available in specialized U.S. labs. They cost around $4,000, require international shipping, and take up to three weeks for results. For many women, that’s time they can’t afford to lose.
That’s where Signatur Biosciences steps in. The London-based startup has just secured $7 million in seed funding to reshape breast cancer diagnostics into something faster, local, and far more accessible. This brings its total funding to $9.9 million, combining equity and grants. The round was led by The Discovery Lab of IBA, with support from Noshaq and other strategic investors.
The funding will help bring Signatur’s first product—OncoSignatur Breast—to life. The team plans to validate the product, tap into public grants, and scale up operations with a new lab in Liège, Belgium. It also plans to grow its R&D and commercial teams to support the product’s rollout.
A Frustration-Driven Mission to Reinvent Cancer Testing
Signatur Biosciences was founded in 2022 as a spin-out from the Stevens Group at Oxford and Imperial College London. Its founding duo, Celestin de Wergifosse and Dr. John Goertz, were driven by a shared frustration: the world’s best diagnostic tools were often locked away in elite labs—out of reach for most.
Celestin, a serial entrepreneur since the age of 14 and recipient of the WIPO Best Young Inventor award, studied bioengineering at Imperial College London. Dr. Goertz, who trained as a physicist and bioengineer, completed his PhD at the University of Maryland and later joined Stevens’ lab. Together, they imagined a world where life-saving diagnostics didn’t depend on geography, budgets, or international shipping timelines.
Their answer? Build decentralised molecular diagnostics that run on standard qPCR machines—the same ones found in most local hospitals and clinics.
OncoSignatur Breast: Precision Diagnostics for Every Hospital
Their flagship product, OncoSignatur Breast (OSB), is designed to be run locally using standard qPCR machines. That means same-day results—no shipping delays, no middlemen, and no inflated costs.
At the core of OSB is PCRchitectur, Signatur’s proprietary tech that simplifies complex molecular testing into a single reaction. This innovation reduces material costs by up to 20 times, making the test not just faster—but one of the most affordable diagnostic options available.
By keeping testing in-house, hospitals can retain revenue and provide more personalized care. And while breast cancer is Signatur’s first focus, the team is already planning to expand the technology to other diseases—potentially transforming diagnostics on a global scale.
The move to Liège—supported by investor Noshaq—also positions the company at the heart of Europe’s growing biotech landscape, providing access to clinical partners, talent, and top-tier infrastructure. It’s a strategic step as Signatur sets its sights on becoming a European leader in diagnostics with a global footprint.
Democratizing the Future of Cancer Diagnostics
Signatur Biosciences isn’t just building a product—it’s rethinking the entire diagnostic pipeline. Its mission is clear: make precision medicine local, fast, and available to all.
This latest funding round brings the team closer to its vision of a resilient and self-sufficient healthcare system—one where hospitals don’t rely on overseas labs and patients no longer wait weeks for results that could change their lives.
“Advanced diagnostics shouldn’t be gated by geography,” said CEO Celestin de Wergifosse. “We founded Signatur to shift the centre of gravity for precision diagnostics. By turning complex lab tests into simple kits, we’re putting control back in the hands of hospitals. This funding helps make that a reality—for Europe, and eventually, everywhere.”
