Silicon Biosystems

About Silicon Biosystems

Silicon Biosystems, founded in 1999 by Gianni Medoro and Nicolò Manaresi, operates as a specialized developer of technologies for rare cell analysis. The company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Menarini Group, a multinational pharmaceutical and diagnostics firm, following an acquisition on September 12, 2013. This strategic acquisition integrated Silicon Biosystems' expertise into Menarini's broader oncology and biotechnology programs. The company maintains dual headquarters in Bologna, Italy, and Huntingdon Valley, Pennsylvania, USA.

The core of the company's business is providing clinical researchers and biopharma companies with end-to-end solutions for the enumeration, isolation, and molecular characterization of rare cells. This is crucial for applications in oncology research, personalized medicine, and non-invasive diagnostics like liquid biopsies. The business model centers on the sale of its proprietary instruments, related reagent kits, and offering lab services through its CLIA-certified laboratories.

Silicon Biosystems' technology portfolio is built around two main platforms: CELLSEARCH® and DEPArray™. The CELLSEARCH® Circulating Tumor Cell (CTC) System is an FDA-cleared and CE-marked in-vitro diagnostic test. It automates the detection and enumeration of CTCs from a simple blood sample using an immunomagnetic process, where magnetic nanoparticles coated with antibodies capture target cells. This provides valuable prognostic information for patients with metastatic breast, prostate, and colorectal cancers.

The DEPArray™ platform complements CELLSEARCH® by enabling the isolation of pure, single, viable rare cells from heterogeneous samples for detailed downstream molecular analysis. This technology uniquely combines imaging with dielectrophoresis (DEP), using software-controlled microelectrodes to create 'DEP cages' that trap and gently manipulate individual cells. By integrating these two systems, the company offers a complete workflow: CELLSEARCH® enriches and enumerates the rare cells, and DEPArray™ isolates them with 100% purity for precise genomic and molecular characterization, which is critical for developing personalized therapies and companion diagnostics.