Tethis

Tethis S.p.A. is a biotechnology company headquartered in Milan, Italy, that applies bio and nanotechnology to improve the reliability and scalability of in vitro diagnostics. Its main focus is on the integration of liquid biopsy into clinical and research workflows, with the aim of making advanced cancer diagnostics more standardized and accessible. The company develops and manufactures both instruments and consumables designed to ensure that blood samples can be processed immediately and uniformly at the point of collection, reducing variability and preserving the integrity of cellular and molecular content for downstream analysis.

The company’s flagship solution is the See.d® system, an automated platform that performs pre-analytical processing of whole blood samples. It works in conjunction with Tethis’ proprietary SmartBioSurface® (SBS) slides, which are manufactured using nanotechnology to create a specialized coating that captures and stabilizes rare circulating cells. This approach allows clinicians and researchers to analyze both circulating tumor cells and plasma fractions from a single sample without the need for additional preparation steps. The slides are suitable for multiple techniques, including cytology, immunostaining, FISH, and sequencing, offering a versatile platform for oncological diagnostics.

Tethis collaborates with leading hospitals and research centers to validate and expand the use of its technologies in clinical contexts. Partnerships with institutions such as Sheba Medical Center in Israel and Weill Cornell Medicine in the United States highlight its role in advancing precision oncology. These collaborations explore applications such as monitoring residual disease in breast cancer or tracking treatment response in rectal cancer using circulating biomarkers. The integration of artificial intelligence and machine learning into its analysis pipeline further enhances the accuracy and reproducibility of diagnostic results.

From its founding in 2004, Tethis has built its expertise in nanotechnology, diagnostics, and automation to serve the growing demand for liquid biopsy tools. The company combines research, in-house manufacturing, and international collaboration to position itself at the intersection of medical diagnostics and bioengineering. Its business model is based on selling its own hardware systems and consumable slides to hospitals, diagnostic laboratories, and research institutions. By focusing on the automation of pre-analytical steps, Tethis addresses one of the most critical bottlenecks in translating liquid biopsy into routine practice.

Keywords: liquid biopsy, in vitro diagnostics, nanotechnology, SmartBioSurface, See.d system, circulating tumor cells, oncology diagnostics, bioengineering, medical devices, Milan, automation, pre-analytical processing, diagnostic consumables, sample integrity, cancer monitoring, AI diagnostics