Prime Highlights
- Kahu SiliconBio secures £1.2m from SPRIN-D for real-time hormone monitoring technology.
- Technology supports endometriosis and PCOS research through continuous hormone tracking.
Key Facts
- Funding is part of the €40m SPRIND Continuous Hormone Monitoring Challenge.
- Work builds on research from Edinburgh’s Centre for Engineering Biology and IBioIC.
Background
Kahu SiliconBio, a University of Edinburgh spinout founded in 2025, has landed a £1.2 million funding package from Germany’s Federal Agency for Disruptive Innovation (SPRIN-D) to push forward its real-time hormone monitoring work for women’s health.
The firm blends engineered biology with silicon chip design, wiring live bacteria straight into chips so biological responses turn into readable electronic signals.
Its prototype aims to track hormone levels around the clock, backing research into conditions like endometriosis and PCOS. Standard hormone tests usually offer just one snapshot in time, missing fluctuations tied to sleep, stress, diet and the menstrual cycle.
The award sits within the €40 million SPRIND Continuous Hormone Monitoring Challenge, a European effort to build biosensors that track multiple hormones over a full week.
The work grew out of research at Edinburgh’s Centre for Engineering Biology, with earlier support from the Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre (IBioIC).
Dr James Flewellen, co-founder and chief executive, said hormones shape health in fundamental ways, yet how they shift over time remains poorly understood. He added that the funding brings the team closer to a biological sensor giving researchers and patients sharper insight into hormone patterns and their link to women’s health.
Kahu SiliconBio has also drawn support from Scottish Enterprise, Innovate UK, Silicon Catalyst UK and the Roslin Institute Campus Innovation Account.
Dr Liz Fletcher of IBioIC pointed to the company as proof that research-driven innovation can grow into real-world solutions through academic, industry and innovation partnerships.
