Cellens

Founded in 2018 and based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Cellens is developing the Octosense platform, a diagnostic technology that uses atomic force microscopy (AFM) to scan cell surfaces at the nanoscale and machine learning to analyze the biophysical data. The company's lead application is a non-invasive urine test for monitoring bladder cancer recurrence, with preliminary clinical data showing 94% accuracy. Backed by a $6.5M funding round and strategic partnerships, Cellens is positioning itself at the intersection of mechanobiology and AI to create a new class of cancer diagnostics.

Octosense Platform: A diagnostic platform combining atomic force microscopy (AFM) for nanoscale biophysical cell surface scanning with proprietary machine learning algorithms to detect cancer based on physical cell fingerprints.

Cellens competes in the liquid biopsy space but with a unique biophysical approach, differentiating it from dominant players using genomic (e.g., Guardant Health, Freenome) or proteomic methods. Its direct competition includes other companies exploring cellular mechanics for diagnostics, but it faces broader competition from all non-invasive cancer detection technologies aiming to replace invasive procedures.