SpectaCell launches with €6 million to transform drug development and bring better immune therapies to patients faster

Ghent and Leiden, 8 October 2026 — SpectaCell, a new company spun out of imec, VIB and Ghent University, today announced its official launch with €6 million in seed financing. The international round was led by imec.xpand, with participation from PMV’s Flanders Future Tech Fund, InnovationQuarter Capital, Qbic and VIB.

Immunotherapies are redefining the future of medicine, opening new ways to treat cancer and diseases of the immune system. Yet predicting which candidates will work in patients and producing them consistently remain major challenges. Developers need a clearer view of what a treatment actually does, earlier in the process. Slow, fragmented testing can leave critical gaps in that understanding and delay decisions while patients wait.

SpectaCell is tackling these testing bottlenecks with a next-generation cell analysis platform that measures how treatments affect individual cells. Applications include cell therapies and T-cell engagers that help immune cells recognize and attack cancer cells. The financing will fund further development and commercialisation of the platform with pharmaceutical and biotechnology partners.

“Breakthrough medicines need breakthrough tools,” said Tony Montoye, CEO and co-founder of SpectaCell. “Researchers need to know much earlier which candidates deserve further investment and why. We are building a new standard in cell analysis: detailed insight, results within hours and a simple workflow that connects research with manufacturing. Together with our biopharma partners, we will turn that vision into a platform for developing better treatments more efficiently. And ultimately, that is what we want to make possible for patients: better medicines, sooner.” 

“SpectaCell brings together disruptive semiconductor technology, an experienced team and a major commercial opportunity in drug development and manufacturing,” said Benoit Devogelaere, Partner at imec.xpand. “We are convinced that SpectaCell can become essential to how new medicines are selected, developed and produced. With applications across cell therapies, T-cell engagers and other advanced treatments, we see the potential to set a new industry standard and build a globally competitive life-sciences business. We are proud to lead this round and back that ambition.”

Tackling a critical blind spot in drug development

Developers of new immune therapies need to understand what happens when a treatment meets its target: does it kill a cancer cell, for example, and how do individual cells respond? Many existing tests provide only part of that picture because they measure indirect signals or averages across a sample. Important differences between cells can disappear in those averages.

SpectaCell combines chip-based imaging with data analysis to track large numbers of individual cells and their interactions directly, at high resolution and over time. The technology does not require fluorescent labels that can interfere with cell behaviour. The company is developing an easy-to-use, cartridge-based instrument designed to deliver these insights in hours rather than days.

A global ambition: one platform from discovery to manufacturing

SpectaCell is targeting pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies and specialist manufacturers worldwide. The company is developing a single platform for use from early research and process development through to routine manufacturing quality checks. It will enable researchers to compare drug candidates, development teams to improve production processes, and manufacturers to assess whether each batch meets the required performance standards.

A common measurement method connects results across teams, sites and stages, rather than leaving them isolated in separate workflows. This approach is designed to reduce testing delays, lower development and manufacturing costs and carry insights forward as a medicine progresses. SpectaCell’s ambition is to set a new industry standard across multiple types of therapy, building a global business around an essential, recurring need.

Built on years of research and industry experience

SpectaCell builds on years of research at imec, VIB and Ghent University, combining semiconductor technology with biological and clinical expertise. Its Belgian-Dutch investor syndicate provides capital, strategic support and access to leading, vibrant life sciences hubs in both countries to support international growth.

The founding team consists of Tony Montoye, Veronique De Vroey, Mathieu Rabaey and Jan Van de Velde. It brings experience in technology development, biotechnology, data analysis and business development. Team members have held roles at VIB, Trinean, Unchained Labs, CellCarta, Comate, Biocartis, Tibotec-Virco, Johnson & Johnson and Galapagos.