Paris, France, May 22, 2024 – En Carta Diagnostics, a deeptech company developing rapid point-of-care (POC) molecular diagnostic kits, today announced that it has raised €1.5 million in pre-seed funding. This funding allows En Carta to obtain preclinical data with its prototype diagnostic kit for its flagship indication, Lyme disease. It also ensures its ability to prepare for the industrial phase.

CentraleSupélec Venture led the round with participation from several leading business angels. Additional funds may still be raised to finance further development of the diagnostic platform.

En Carta is developing a rapid POC diagnostic platform in the form of a frugal cassette. It offers high accuracy thanks to a technology derived from more than 10 years of research: aptamers, capable of binding with high affinity and specificity to a predetermined target. This "signature" can be programmed to detect any genetic, pathogenic, or veterinary indication, thus presenting numerous application cases.

The first test developed by En Carta targets Lyme disease, the most common vector-borne epidemic in the Northern Hemisphere, which is constantly increasing. There are 1.2 million cases each year and a growth rate of 22.5% per year between 2000 and 2018, according to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).

“We are delighted to have secured financial support from CentraleSupélec Venture, as well as from business angels who have deep expertise in the healthcare field and a solid understanding of POC market needs,” said Guillaume Horreard, President of En Carta. “Today, we have a very robust technology platform, which has been optimized to be accurate, fast, and inexpensive—critical criteria in this sector. Initially, we are focusing on Lyme disease. The large patient population, the exponential growth of the problem, and the need for rapid diagnosis following a tick bite make our product indispensable.”

En Carta will use the funds to develop a diagnostic kit that can autonomously detect Lyme disease in minutes. The funding will also enable it to build a robust ecosystem and implement its go-to-market strategy.

"CentraleSupélec Venture is pleased to support this first phase of development in the POC diagnostics sector, which meets both the expectations of patients and those of the healthcare system," emphasizes Cédric Curtil, Executive Director of CS Venture.

The platform enables early diagnosis of Lyme disease. It's a tool that was missing from available Lyme disease tests and was long overdue. Current Lyme disease tests are designed to detect antibodies produced by the body in response to infection. Because antibodies can take several weeks to develop, tests performed on newly infected patients can produce a negative result. En Carta's molecular diagnostic platform is the first to avoid this pitfall, paving the way for more accurate and faster diagnosis. The company expects to present its preclinical data in early 2025.

“En Carta Diagnostics’ technology, product, and team are very promising. Their go-to-market approach for POC diagnostics could address an unmet need in the U.S. consumer sector, where practitioners struggle to make early diagnoses of Lyme disease and its co-infections,” added Jean-Pierre Millon, CVS Health board member and En Carta advisor.

The strong growth of the POC molecular diagnostics markets (a $27 billion market with a 24% CAGR between 2019 and 2024) and telemedicine (+24% CAGR between 2024 and 2030) attracted investors to this round. Another highlight was the demonstration of the robustness of En Carta's technology, originally developed by researchers from the Harvard Wyss Institute, the Institut Pasteur, and École Centrale Paris.

Legal advice for En Carta Diagnostics: Jade Ruscev, Stamina Law