Axithra

Axithra is a medical diagnostics company developing a platform for rapid and accurate therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) at the point of need. The company was founded in 2023 as a spin-off from Ghent University and the Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre (imec) in Belgium. The founding team includes CEO Dr. Leander Van Neste, CSO Dr. Haolan Zhao, and System Architect Dr. Nuria Teigell Beneitez. The concept originated from a clinical need identified by Prof. Jan De Waele of Ghent University Hospital to better manage patients receiving beta-lactam antibiotics.

In September 2023, Axithra secured €10 million ($10.7M) in a seed funding round. The round was led by imec.xpand and Kurma Partners, with participation from Qbic, Noshaq, White Fund, Wallonie Entreprendre, Hamamatsu Photonics, and Werfen Diagnostics. This funding is intended to support the company through its first two years of research and development, focusing on producing a prototype.

Axithra's core technology is a 'Raman-on-chip' spectroscopy platform that uses proprietary optics and photonics. This method leverages laser light to identify the unique molecular fingerprints of drugs in a patient's blood, allowing for precise quantification. A key feature is its ability to measure the free, unbound fraction of a drug, which is the pharmacologically active component, providing more clinically relevant data than methods that measure total drug concentration. The platform is designed to be a fast, easy-to-use, sample-in-to-result-out system, reducing turnaround times compared to traditional TDM approaches like mass spectrometry.

The initial application targets the monitoring of beta-lactam antibiotics for patients in intensive care units (ICUs). In critically ill patients, standard drug dosing is often inadequate due to physiological changes, making personalized dosing crucial to ensure efficacy and avoid toxicity. Axithra's platform aims to provide clinicians with actionable results within minutes, enabling timely dosage adjustments. The company plans to expand its pipeline to include other drug classes for applications in oncology and with antifungals.

Keywords: therapeutic drug monitoring, photonics, Raman spectroscopy, personalized medicine, point-of-need diagnostics, critical care, beta-lactam antibiotics, medical diagnostics, drug concentration, Raman-on-chip