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Meet our startup: Proteins.1 aims for a breakthrough in early disease detection

Published: 16.4.2026

Biotechnology startup Proteins.1 is developing a technology that could enable the detection of diseases such as cancer months, or even years, earlier than is currently possible. The key lies in identifying individual proteins from a blood sample.

The Proteins.1 team smiling at the camera. 3 men wearing dark shirts smiling at the camera — Proteins.1 founders Harri Hallila, Tuan Nguyen and Prateek Singh are developing technology that enables disease research and detection with an entirely new level of precision.

In many serious diseases, including cancer and Alzheimer’s disease, disease-related proteins are already released into the body at an early stage, but in such low concentrations that they cannot be detected with blood tests. As a result, diseases are often identified only when prognosis has already worsened.

With the technology developed by Proteins.1, individual proteins can be detected from blood, saliva, or urine samples. This breakthrough enables disease research and detection with an entirely new level of sensitivity.

“Treatment outcomes improve significantly when cancer is detected early. For most cancers, the probability of recovery exceeds 90 percent if the disease is identified at an early stage,” says company co-founder Harri Hallila.

“The same applies to neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s. The earlier the disease is detected, the better its progression can be influenced. Early identification can significantly extend a person’s full functional capacity and reduce the impact of the disease on everyday life.”

A new way to make the invisible visible

At the core of the technology is a simple yet powerful insight: the protein itself is used as a carrier. By transporting multiple light-emitting particles to the detector, the signal of a single protein can be amplified and made visible.

The technology originated at VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, the country's leading applied research organisation, and was proven under the European Innovation Council's Pathfinder programme, which awarded €2,99 million in breakthrough funding to the VersiLib project consortium (2022–2026).

The biomarker collection method has been granted patents in both the EU and the United States, with international fiIlings pending. This provides a strong foundation for commercialization.

The Proteins.1 team sitting and smiling at the camera — Proteins.1 founders Harri Hallila, Tuan Nguyen and Prateek Singh

Building toward clinical applications through global collaboration

As the path to clinical diagnostics in medicine is long, Proteins.1 is beginning commercialization through collaboration with leading research laboratories specializing in cancer and neurological diseases.

“PCR technology once enabled the understanding of the human genome, a global effort involving thousands of laboratories. We are pursuing a similar breakthrough on the protein side — toward a deeper understanding of the human proteome.”

Since tens of thousands of different proteins can be studied, the company aims to build a broad international partner network, enabling researchers worldwide to conduct studies using Proteins.1’s technology.

“Our vision is to develop a test that can identify which diseases may already be developing in the body, already before symptoms appear.”

Accelerating growth with Aalto Startup Center

Proteins.1 was founded in July 2025 by Prateek Singh, Harri Hallila, and Tuan Nguyen. The team is united by a strong vision and passion for developing cutting-edge technology with the potential to create global impact.

The founders bring deep expertise in biochemistry, microfluidics, and deep-tech system engineering, combined with extensive entrepreneurial experience. For example, Harri Hallila previously co-founded and served as CEO of medical device company Synoste Oy, which was acquired by one of the world’s leading industry players in 2020.

In the first quarter of 2026, Proteins.1 secured €4,7 million pre-seed funding from Lifeline Ventures, Cloudberry VC and Business Finland.

“Our short-term goal is to grow the team and bring technology development fully in-house. We aim to establish our own laboratory and product development environment and to build our first prototype already during 2026.”

Proteins.1 considers the Aalto Startup Center Business Generator program an excellent launch platform for building the company. For Hallila, Aalto Startup Center was already familiar from Synoste’s early days.

“Early-stage startups need people around them: experts and fellow entrepreneurs with whom they can discuss ideas, challenge assumptions, and gain new perspectives.”

The team has also found an environment at Aalto Startup Center where all essential facilities and resources are available to support a company’s early growth.

“It’s an excellent concept that provides exactly the kind of support a startup needs at the beginning of its journey.”