Two Aarhus-based companies secure more than DKK 50 million to advance new approaches in diagnostics and treatment

Access to capital remains one of the key challenges for research-driven startups. At the same time, companies based in INCUBA in Aarhus continue to attract significant funding to move new technologies forward.

In 2025 alone, startups in INCUBA raised more than DKK 555 million in capital, according to the latest IMPACT analysis. Among the companies attracting major funding are ARCEDI and Draupnir Bio, which have now secured more than DKK 50 million from Innovationsfonden for projects addressing two very different areas of healthcare: prenatal diagnostics and Parkinson’s disease.

At ARCEDI, the focus is on developing a new type of non-invasive prenatal screening. The approach is based on analysing intact fetal cells from a blood sample taken from the pregnant woman. Today, early risk assessment in pregnancy relies heavily on statistical calculations. The ambition here is to provide direct genetic insight into the health of the fetus at an earlier stage.

The project builds on years of research and is carried out in collaboration with researchers from Aarhus University and Aarhus University Hospital. Moving from probability-based screening to cell-based analysis could enable more detailed diagnostics and provide a stronger basis for informed choices during pregnancy.

Draupnir Bio is working in a different field. The focus here is Parkinson’s disease and the biological mechanisms behind it.

The project centres on the protein alpha-synuclein. In patients, this protein forms toxic aggregates in the brain that damage nerve cells. Draupnir Bio is developing a treatment approach that can identify and break down these aggregates. The aim is to act on the disease process itself, rather than only treating symptoms.

The project is being developed in collaboration with Aarhus University and is based on research into protein science and neurodegenerative diseases.

The projects are supported by Innovationsfonden through the Grand Solutions programme. The funding supports the next phase of development and will help advance both technologies towards their next milestones.

Both companies are based in INCUBA in Aarhus. Here, access to talent, research environments and investors plays an important role in helping companies move from research to application.

Aarhus University, Aarhus University Hospital and Draupnir Bio are all a part of Health Innovation Aarhus.