MultivisionDx Secures €1M to Advance AI-Based Cancer Diagnostics

Helsinki-based startup MultivisionDx has successfully secured €1 million in pre-seed funding to enhance its innovative approach to cancer treatment through artificial intelligence. The funding round, led by Antler, also included contributions from Helsinki University Funds, Kaikarhenni Oy, and a Finnish angel investor. This investment aims to develop diagnostic tests that create personalized “cancer fingerprints” from tumor biopsies, predicting individual treatment responses with greater accuracy than traditional methods.

Current cancer treatment often relies on generic therapies based on basic tumor staging, which can result in ineffective treatments or severe side effects for patients. MultivisionDx addresses this challenge with its AI-driven spatial biology platform, designed to analyze tumor biopsies in a way that tailors treatment strategies to the unique biology of each patient.

Transforming Cancer Treatment

Founded in April 2025 as a spin-off from the University of Helsinki, MultivisionDx was established by a team of cancer researchers, medical technology experts, and engineers, including CEO Michael Wittinger and Chief Scientific Officer Karolina Punovuori. Punovuori explained to TFN that the technology emerged from academic research that revealed significant insights into the biology of tumors. “When we developed the image analysis platform and saw early data indicating that we could identify patients at high risk of therapy failure, we realized this technology could be adapted for clinical use to guide therapeutic decision-making,” she stated.

Previously, the team received €680,000 in funding from Business Finland to commercialize their findings. The platform utilizes advanced computer vision techniques to identify “spatial cancer signatures” from multiplexed biopsy images. This approach integrates biological and structural tissue features, achieving superior predictive capabilities validated in a cohort of 650 patients, with findings published in the prestigious journal Cell.

Punovuori elaborated on the platform’s capabilities: “Our biomarker discovery platform analyzes detailed images of tumor biopsy tissue, examining protein expression, cellular sizes and shapes, spatial arrangements, and microenvironment composition for hundreds of patients simultaneously. This information enables us to identify novel cancer signatures that can predict treatment responses more accurately than existing diagnostic criteria.”

Future Plans and Diversity in Tech

This funding will allow MultivisionDx to further develop its diagnostic tests, complete validation studies, and establish partnerships with international hospitals and research institutions. The team is also focused on securing additional public funding for scaling their operations.

Wittinger noted, “Over the next 18 months, our goal is to demonstrate that spatial biology can move from research to routine diagnostics— fundamentally improving how cancer therapy decisions are made.” Antti Törmänen, a partner at Antler, praised the founding team’s unique combination of clinical and scientific expertise, stating, “MultivisionDx has developed a technology that has the potential to completely transform how cancer is treated globally, significantly improving patient outcomes.”

On the topic of diversity within the team, Punovuori highlighted that the founding group consists of five members from different nationalities, with two being female and four holding PhDs. She reflected on her experience transitioning from academia to entrepreneurship, describing it as both exciting and challenging, while emphasizing the opportunities for growth. “If you think you have what it takes, you will only find out if you give it a try,” she advised.

With its innovative approach and recent funding, MultivisionDx is poised to make significant strides in the field of personalized cancer treatment, potentially enhancing the lives of countless patients worldwide.