We aim to validate and commercialize a urine-based test to complement the Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) test, the most widely used prostate cancer screening method worldwide, enabling large-scale screening. Our goal is to identify new biomarkers to enhance accuracy in early detection and diagnostics, while also improving patient survival rates.

While PSA testing is the standard method in prostate cancer diagnostics, it has some challenges. Although an elevated PSA level increases the likelihood of prostate cancer, it is not a very accurate predictor. Based on research studies:

• individuals with a PSA level below 4.0 ng/ml still have a 15% chance of having prostate cancer

• PSA levels 4.0–10.0ng/ml have a 25% risk, and with

• PSA levels above 10.0ng/ml, the probability of having PCa is just over 50%, meaning nearly half of individuals in this category do not have prostate cancer. (Source: The Cleveland Clinic)

Respectively, detecting metastatic prostate cancer is even more challenging, as no cost-efficient methods are currently available. These statistics highlight the limitations of PSA testing in prostate cancer diagnostics, which is why there is an evident need for a complimentary test.

Aqsens phage-biosensor has demonstrated its ability to detect lethal prostate cancer variants (Kulpakko et al., 2022) and its metastasis (Juusti et al., 2024) with high accuracy from urine at a low-cost, making it a promising method to compliment PSA and  enable prostate cancer screening in larger scale. The goal of our ongoing BIOURICA 2.0 project is to validate and build cost-efficient screening for prostate cancer.

Aqsens Health’s patented phage-biosensor method delivers new critical information on specific diseases and it helps in discovering new disease biomarkers. The method enables cost-efficient screening of different diseases from cancers to other severe non-communicable diseases.

Our BIOURICA project team brings together highly skilled professionals from biosciences, data science and AI, and international business management, alongside merited clinical cancer researchers and their institutions. The project team is driven by a common goal: enabling prostate cancer screening and improving patient outcomes.

As a team we are well connected globally and have ongoing research studies and preclinical projects in Finland, China and the USA. We have access to large complementary prostate cancer sample cohorts from Helsinki University Hospital (HUS), Turku University Hospital (TYKS), and Nanjing Cancer Hospital, which ensures that we can perform high-quality preclinical trials to confirm our phage-biosensor method’s accuracy and detection capabilities. 

According to the GLOBOCAN Global Cancer Observatory survey, there are approximately 1,4 million new prostate cancer cases every year. The annual volume for the PSA-test is over 50 million tests, with an estimated annual market value of $4 billion (CAGR 9.8%). However, even though the PSA test is in wide use, it is not suitable for large-scale screening because of its poor predictive value.

Aqsens Health positions its biosensor method as a complementary and affordable test to be used alongside PSA to improve prostate cancer screening and disease classification. The Total Accessible Market (TAM) size for the AQ Prostate test is approximately 2-8% ($80-320 million) depending on the value delivered. 

Within our urinary tract strategy, the company will also target bladder and kidney cancer—each representing billion-dollar market opportunities with no viable screening methods currently available. The first scientific publication on bladder cancer is underway, and sample collections are ongoing, with measurements set to begin in 2026.

Looking beyond 2025, Aqsens Health’s aim is to expand its phage-biosensor method into a scalable platform business. Leveraging the AQ Lab web platform, the company will combine its proprietary pretreatment and measurement protocols with its sensor libraries and biomarker discovery methods to enable new biomarker discoveries across multiple diseases.

The global diagnostic market, valued at over $80 billion annually, relies almost purely on traditional blood analysis. In this context, Aqsens Health offers a radical new phage-biosensor method that utilizes biological samples to identify novel biomarkers for early disease detection, providing cost-efficient screening alternatives for prostate and urinary tract cancers.

Aqsens has built a strong patent portfolio for its phage-biosensor method, covering EPO, North America, and China, with opportunities to expand into complementary methods and disease-specific patents. Currently the company is using two engineered phages (x174 and M13) while also experimenting with purely human related phages with a focus on solving current diagnostic challenges. With this scientific approach, we aim to establish ourselves as a leading deep-tech company in this field.

As a company, we operate in a high growth area in which global diagnostic companies are gradually entering using traditional analytical measurement methods. We believe that the use of phage-biosensors offers a new avenue to understand human metabolism and its changes, whether caused by disease or environmental conditions.

Aqsens' team consists of science-driven professionals in the field of phage-biosensors, AI and data science, business development and in disease detection. We work closely together with dedicated clinical and scientific institutes and advisors, who are world-class medical professionals within their own fields.

As a company we are looking for 5 - 20 x ROI for the coming 3 to 5 years.