Rapid diagnostics guide some of the most time-critical decisions in healthcare. Every day, clinicians rely on simple strip tests to triage chest pain, manage respiratory infections, or make point-of-care decisions in settings ranging from emergency departments to rural clinics. Yet these tests have barely evolved in decades. Their core limitation has remained the same: ease of use comes at the cost of sensitivity.

This gap is especially serious in cardiac care. Current rapid tests typically detect troponin only at elevated concentrations, missing early myocardial injury at the lower thresholds that clinical guidelines require physicians to detect. The result is that too many patients with subtle but dangerous cardiac events receive false reassurance. Similar sensitivity issues affect respiratory diagnostics, toxicology screening, and neurological diagnostics such as stroke detection - a rapidly expanding application area - affecting millions of patients every year.

Despite extraordinary progress in laboratory diagnostics, the world still lacks an affordable, equipment-free test with laboratory-level precision. Amplifold is changing this.

A molecular breakthrough for everyday diagnostics

Munich-based Amplifold has developed the first commercially viable DNA Origami based signal amplification platform for rapid tests. By engineering nanoscale structures that carry precisely arranged labels and bind to antibodies with molecular-level control, the platform boosts sensitivity by more than an order of magnitude while preserving the simplicity of standard lateral flow tests.

This is not another incremental improvement. It is a rethinking of how rapid tests generate and amplify signals.

Amplifold’s platform has demonstrated the ability to detect cardiac troponin at concentrations relevant for early diagnosis and intervention and to reach molecular diagnostic-like performance for respiratory pathogens such as RSV and SARS-CoV-2. All of this works in conventional test-strip formats, with no reader, instrument, or workflow change required.

From breakthrough science to real clinical impact

It is a rare moment when a scientific leap, decades in the making through advances in DNA nanotechnology, crystallizes into a practical product that can scale globally.

DNA Origami has long been a powerful research tool, but it was never practical for commercial diagnostics. Amplifold has changed this by creating a robust, manufacturable nanostructure that integrates seamlessly into existing lateral flow production lines. The result is precise and reproducible signal amplification that can be tuned for different biomarkers and added directly into standard rapid test formats.

This engineering foundation is already translating into real clinical performance. Studies with leading partners show earlier detection of cardiac injury and markedly improved sensitivity for respiratory infections, demonstrating that the platform works reliably in real-world settings. These capabilities unlock diagnostic applications that were previously out of reach for rapid tests, including high-sensitivity cardiac troponin, multiplex respiratory panels, neurological markers, and advanced toxicology screening.

Because the platform fits into established manufacturing workflows and supports both reader-free and reader-enabled formats, the path to scale is unusually fast. Amplifold is not only renhancing the limits of today’s rapid tests but enabling entirely new categories of point-of-care diagnostics.

A team with deep scientific and entrepreneurial strength

From the outset, we were impressed by Amplifold’s multidisciplinary founding team. They combine leading expertise in DNA nanotechnology, immunoassay development, product engineering, and clinical translation, building on scientific work conducted at LMU Munich, where the company originated.

We have known Dr. Federico Bürsgens and several members of the advisory network since our time supporting GNA Biosolutions, which later achieved a successful exit to HP Health Solutions in 2021. This long-standing relationship reinforces our conviction in their scientific rigor and their ability to turn breakthrough research into scalable diagnostic products.

We further value the team’s ability to execute within a regulated environment, building quality systems, securing early validations, and establishing a clear path toward clinical deployment. Their advisory board brings together global experts in point-of-care testing, infectious disease, cardiology, and DNA nanotechnology,  a network strengthened by years of collaboration, providing a robust foundation for scale.

‍A market ready for high-sensitivity point-of-care diagnostics

The immunodiagnostics landscape is undergoing a structural shift. Healthcare systems increasingly rely on decentralized testing, but precision remains limited by technology constraints. Demand is rising for rapid, accurate, multiplex, and digitally connected diagnostics, particularly in cardiac care, respiratory medicine, pediatrics, neurology, and toxicology.

Amplifold’s platform sits at the center of this shift. It provides the sensitivity clinicians need, the affordability and simplicity required for global deployment, and the scalability essential for both clinical and at-home use.

We believe the next generation of rapid tests will no longer force a choice between accessibility and accuracy. Amplifold’s approach makes both possible.

At b2venture, we invest in teams building foundational technologies with the potential to redefine entire markets. Amplifold’s platform has the depth, versatility, and scientific rigor to reset the standard for point-of-care diagnostics worldwide.

We are excited to support the team as they build the future of ultra-sensitive and accessible diagnostics.

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