Geneva-based healthtech startup FluoSphera has secured $1.43 million in seed funding to advance its human-relevant preclinical drug testing platform. The funding round was led by Soulmates Ventures and a Swiss business angel, with participation from IndieBio New York. The capital will help the company scale its platform, expand collaborations, and enhance AI-driven automation for high-throughput imaging analysis.
Addressing the High Failure Rate in Drug Development
Developing new medicines remains a lengthy and costly endeavor, often taking 10 to 15 years and billions of dollars per drug. Despite these investments, more than 90% of candidates fail in clinical trials, largely because traditional testing methods do not accurately replicate human biology. Conventional 2D cell cultures are overly simplistic, while animal models frequently fail to predict human outcomes, resulting in late-stage failures and wasted resources.
FluoSphera’s Innovative Multi-Tissue Platform
Founded in 2021 by Dr. Clélia Bourgoint, Dr. Gregory Segala, and Dr. Aurélien Roux, FluoSphera offers a patented 3D multiplexed in vitro platform that allows simultaneous testing of multiple human tissue types. The system can integrate six or seven distinct tissue models in a single well, using fluorescent coding to track each tissue independently. This design enables researchers to observe inter-organ interactions, evaluate drug efficacy, and assess potential toxicity in one experiment.
Enhancing Efficiency and Reducing Costs
By providing earlier and more reliable insights, FluoSphera helps drug developers identify promising molecules sooner, potentially saving between $100 million and $500 million per drug. The platform has already gained traction with biotech and pharmaceutical companies, particularly in antibody-drug conjugate testing, and collaborates with Revvity for high-throughput screening. Its approach aligns with evolving regulatory frameworks, such as the FDA’s Modernisation Act 3.0, which encourages the use of non-animal testing methods.
Strategic Use of New Capital
FluoSphera plans to use the funding to scale commercial collaborations with pharmaceutical companies and contract research organizations, strengthen its business development team, and advance AI-driven imaging capabilities. The company will also expand its presence in the US and EU while beginning to explore the Asian market. These investments aim to accelerate adoption of the platform and integrate it more broadly into drug development pipelines.
Driving the Future of Human-Relevant Drug Discovery
The startup’s long-term goal is to make advanced human tissue modeling more accessible and set a new standard for preclinical testing. By reducing reliance on animal models, FluoSphera aims to enhance drug safety, efficacy, and speed to market, while supporting precision medicine approaches tailored to diverse patient populations. “We’re building the next generation of preclinical tools to bring safer, more effective treatments to patients faster,” said Dr. Bourgoint, CEO and co-founder.
Investor Perspective and Industry Impact
Hynek Sochor, founder and managing partner at Soulmates Ventures, highlighted the company’s potential to disrupt traditional drug discovery. He noted that as the pharmaceutical sector moves away from animal testing, reliable human-relevant models represent a multi-billion-dollar opportunity. FluoSphera’s platform offers an entirely new pathway to develop the next generation of medicines more efficiently, safely, and ethically.
With its innovative multi-tissue platform and fresh funding, FluoSphera is poised to transform the way drugs are tested before reaching clinical trials. The company’s technology promises not only to reduce development costs and failure rates but also to align drug discovery with modern regulatory and ethical standards. As it expands globally, FluoSphera aims to accelerate access to life-saving therapies while advancing precision medicine worldwide.