Developed through ULYSSES · EIC Pathfinder, Horizon Europe
Provide a sample
A few drops of urine. Non-invasive, painless, comfortable.
Developed through ULYSSES · EIC Pathfinder, Horizon Europe
Cancer detection,
Cancer detection,
finally as simple as
a urine test.
D-Tails is engineering a non-invasive cancer-detection platform that uses C. elegans olfactory receptors to read cancer-related VOCs from a few drops of urine. Initial laboratory validation has shown accuracy above 90% in controlled experimental settings, pending broader clinical validation.
In development · Not yet commercially availableIn collaboration with leading research and clinical institutions
How it works
Lab-quality results, at the point of care.
The Cancer Detection platform is being advanced through ULYSSES, an EIC Pathfinder / Horizon Europe project coordinated by D-Tails — focused on a non-invasive cancer-detection system based on urine VOCs, engineered biosensors, and AI-driven optical readout.
Non-invasive Urine-based testing for earlier detection
AI-powered Advanced AI finds subtle biological patterns
Designed for early screening Targeting asymptomatic and at-risk patients who need it most
VOC detection
Engineered C. elegans receptors bind cancer-related volatile organic compounds.
Bioluminescent signal
Receptor activation triggers a measurable BRET-based light signal.
AI-interpreted result
Custom algorithms convert signal patterns into a clinically oriented biological insight.
A new health check
It starts with a few drops of urine.
Non-invasive, painless, comfortable. No blood draw, no biopsy. Designed for point-of-care screening.
Engineered receptors
C. elegans receptors, expressed in yeast.
Hand-selected olfactory receptors bind cancer-related volatile organic compounds with extraordinary sensitivity, far beyond conventional biomarker assays.
Signal & AI
From biology to bits, in minutes.
Receptor activation triggers a measurable BRET-based light signal. A custom AI model converts the signal into a clear, reproducible, clinically oriented biological insight.
Portable format
Lab-quality results at the point of care.
A portable microfluidic design, engineered to avoid refrigerated storage and specialized lab infrastructure. Built to bring routine cancer screening to clinics, pharmacies, and public-health programs.
Cost as a feature
Engineered for a target cost of
Engineered for a target cost of
€70–100 per test.
Many advanced early-detection pathways remain costly and infrastructure-heavy. D-Tails is being engineered with a target cost in the €70–100 range — designed from day one for nationwide screening rather than premium niches.
- Cancer-related VOC panel Targeted volatile compounds
- Sample type A few drops of urine
- Time to result Minutes, at the point of care
- Early laboratory accuracy >90% in controlled experimental settings
- Engineered receptors C. elegans + yeast platform
- AI signal interpretation BRET-based bioluminescence
- Storage & infrastructure Designed to avoid refrigerated storage and specialized lab
- Patient experience Non-invasive, painless, repeatable
- Designed for nationwide rollout Clinics · pharmacies · public health
- IP protection Patented receptor + signaling stack
Scientific Advisory
Developed in collaboration with leading researchers.
University of Copenhagen
Dr Sotirios Kampranis
Professor of Biochemical Engineering
Expert in synthetic biology and metabolic engineering. Pioneer in yeast-based platforms for biological sensing.
Sapienza University of Rome
Dr Alberto Boffi
Professor of Molecular Biology
Expert in biochemistry and protein engineering. Long-standing scientific collaborator on receptor design.
Who we are
Disruptive technological advances
Disruptive technological advances
in life science.
A 20+ person team of physicists, biologists, and engineers, backed by a Scientific Advisory Board with experts from Columbia, Berkeley, UCPH, and Sapienza. Together, we're reshaping early cancer detection.
Non-invasive, accurate, fast, and accessible early detection of cancer from a few drops of urine.
Global leadership in scalable, preventive cancer diagnostics, reducing the financial burden of undetected cancer worldwide.
A B2B2C strategy built for rapid scale.
Our biosensor integrates into existing healthcare infrastructure, not around it. That means broader adoption, faster.
01
Clinics & hospitals
Seamless integration into existing diagnostic workflows for rapid, non-invasive screening at the point of care.
02
Pharmacies
Accessible screening hubs that bring routine cancer testing to the high street. Convenient, private, and repeatable.
03
Public health systems
Designed for large-scale, cost-effective national screening programs and underserved markets.
From prototype toward CE-IVD submission.
A staged, capital-efficient path to market, beginning with European clinical validation while the US regulatory pathway remains under assessment.
- 2026
ULYSSES EIC Pathfinder launched
D-Tails coordinates a European consortium under Horizon Europe to advance the Cancer Detection platform from laboratory validation toward clinical feasibility.
In progress - Q1 – Q4 2026
R&D optimization
Receptor optimization, microfluidic prototype v1, VOC profiling, and shelf-life >12 months.
TRL 4–5 - Q1 2027
Feasibility study
First clinical cohort of ≥100 urine samples, with initial sensitivity, specificity, and stability data.
TRL 5 - Q2 – Q4 2027
Manufacturing pilot
Pilot lots for clinical use, QC/QA workflows, and supplier qualification.
TRL 6 - Q1 – Q3 2028
Expanded clinical cohort
300–500 patients across 2–3 centers, for analytical validation and reproducibility at scale.
TRL 7 - Q4 2028
CE-IVD submission
Technical file finalized, conformity assessment with Notified Body, and FDA De Novo dataset prepared.
TRL 8
A focused team building accessible cancer screening.
D-Tails combines company governance with a compact R&D group spanning biology, software, and diagnostic platform development.
Board
Company governance and strategic direction.
Alessandro M. Cremona
Chairman · CEO
Vincenzo Ricco
Founder · Director · R&D Proxy
Viola Folli
Executive Director · ULYSSES Project Lead · Founder
R&D Team
Scientific and technical development of the diagnostic platform.
Silvia Schwartz
Molecular Biologist · Bio Lab Manager, genome editing
Ilaria Francesca Cavallo
Biologist · Lab Operations
Valeria Lucente
Biologist · Lab Management
Enrico Lanza
Software Lead
Operations & Strategic Outreach
Legal, IP, governance, and US ecosystem.
Federico Bellan
Chief Legal Officer · Intellectual Property
Renato Giacobbo Scavo
Non-Executive Director
Anastasia Miron
Strategic Outreach Advisor · US Ecosystem
Science
See more papers
Peer-reviewed foundations.
Publication
Nature Scientific Reports
C. elegans-based chemosensation strategy for the early detection of cancer metabolites in urine samples
Demonstrates how C. elegans chemosensation can detect cancer metabolites in urine, supporting a non-invasive screening approach.
Read paper Publication
Springer Nature
Binding site identification of G protein-coupled receptors through a 3D Zernike polynomials-based method: application to C. elegans olfactory receptors
Presents a computational method to identify C. elegans olfactory receptor binding sites and possible ligand interactions.
Read paper Publication
Wiley Advanced Biology
A Shearless Microfluidic Device Detects a Role in Mechanosensitivity for AWCON Neuron in Caenorhabditis elegans
Introduces a shearless microfluidic device for studying mechanosensitivity in C. elegans neurons.
Read paper
In development · Not yet commercially available
Together, for a