Cellsway

Cellsway, established in 2020 by co-founders Prof. Dr. Haluk Külah (CEO), Dr. Özge Zorlu (CTO), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ebru Özgür (CSO), and Tayfun Akin, is a company focused on developing microfluidic systems for biomedical applications. The firm's core product is a liquid biopsy platform that isolates rare Circulating Tumor Cells (CTCs) from a simple blood sample, offering a minimally invasive alternative to traditional surgical biopsies for cancer diagnostics and research. This method allows for real-time monitoring of cancer, safer and more frequent sampling, and better patient profiling.

The company's proprietary technology is based on a patent-pending microfluidic chip, tagCTC-ENR, that separates intact CTCs from blood cells based on size. This label-free, antigen-independent enrichment process ensures the capture of a wide variety of CTCs, which can then be used for numerous downstream analyses, including DNA, RNA, and protein analysis. Cellsway provides a fully automated device and various test panels, such as those for identifying CTCs and detecting hormone receptors (ER, PR, HER2) and PD-L1 biomarkers, which are crucial for guiding personalized cancer therapy. The system is designed for use in service laboratories, featuring a user-friendly, automated operation.

Headquartered in Nether Alderley, United Kingdom, with operations in Ankara, Turkey, Cellsway targets clinicians and researchers in the oncology field. The company has raised approximately $4.23 million in funding from investors including APY Ventures, the European Union, and Turkey Development Fund. By providing access to the full cellular and genetic information of CTCs, Cellsway aims to improve the understanding of tumor evolution, therapy response, and early detection of relapse.

Keywords: liquid biopsy, circulating tumor cells, CTC, microfluidics, cancer diagnostics, oncology, non-invasive biopsy, cancer monitoring, lab-on-a-chip, personalized medicine, cancer research, CTC enrichment, molecular diagnostics, biomarker detection, tumor heterogeneity, metastasis research, cell isolation, diagnostic equipment, healthtech, life sciences