Key Points:
- €24M raised by female-led ShanX Medtech to combat antibiotic resistance.
- Rapid 1-hour diagnostic identifies effective antibiotics, faster than traditional methods.
- Funding to accelerate clinical rollout and improve patient care while reducing antibiotic misuse.
A female-led Dutch medtech startup, ShanX Medtech, has secured €24 million in funding to advance its mission of combating antimicrobial resistance, one of the most pressing global health challenges. The Eindhoven-based company is developing rapid diagnostic technology designed to help clinicians identify the most effective antibiotics within an hour, significantly faster than traditional methods that often take several days.
The funding package includes a €15 million seed investment from a consortium of venture capital firms, public investment bodies, and strategic angel investors, alongside an €8.85 million European Commission contract awarded under a health emergency preparedness programme. The combined investment reflects growing confidence in ShanX’s technology and its potential to improve patient outcomes while reducing unnecessary antibiotic use.
Founded in 2019, ShanX Medtech is led by CEO Dr. Sophia E. Shanko, whose vision was shaped by real-world clinical challenges associated with delayed diagnosis and inappropriate antibiotic treatment. The company operates from the High Tech Campus Eindhoven, a hub for advanced healthcare and technology innovation.
Technology Designed to Change Antibiotic Prescribing
At the core of ShanX Medtech’s innovation is a rapid antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) platform that determines how bacteria respond to antibiotics in near real time. Traditional AST relies on growing bacterial cultures, a process that can take between two and seven days, often forcing physicians to prescribe broad-spectrum antibiotics as a precaution.
ShanX’s approach uses proprietary chemistry to monitor bacterial metabolic activity directly, allowing laboratories to assess antibiotic effectiveness in approximately one hour. This speed enables clinicians to make earlier, evidence-based treatment decisions, reducing the misuse of antibiotics and limiting the spread of drug-resistant infections.
The technology is particularly relevant for common infections such as urinary tract infections, where antibiotics are frequently prescribed without immediate confirmation of susceptibility. By delivering rapid, precise results, the platform has the potential to lower healthcare costs, shorten hospital stays, and improve overall patient care.
Investors backing the company highlight the strong clinical demand for faster diagnostics and the scalability of ShanX’s platform across multiple infectious disease applications.
Path to Market and Broader Impact
With the new funding secured, ShanX Medtech plans to accelerate clinical validation, regulatory approvals, and commercial rollout of its diagnostic system. The company is already collaborating with hospitals and academic institutions to test the platform across various sample types, including urine, blood, and cerebrospinal fluid.
Beyond product development, the funding will support manufacturing readiness and expansion of the company’s scientific and engineering teams. ShanX aims to bring its first diagnostic solution to market in the coming years, targeting both hospital laboratories and future point-of-care settings.
As antimicrobial resistance continues to threaten global health systems, innovations that enable faster and more accurate diagnostics are increasingly viewed as critical tools. ShanX Medtech’s progress positions it as a notable player in Europe’s growing effort to modernise infectious disease diagnostics and preserve the effectiveness of existing antibiotics.
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