As one of eight international teams in the first phase of a SPRIND Challenge, sThesis GmbH will receive up to 1.5 million euros to develop new sensor technologies for continuous hormone monitoring. The Munich-based spin-off of Helmholtz Munich and portfolio company of technology transfer partner Ascenion prevailed against 68 other teams.
sThesis, together with its partners Helmholtz Munich, TUM Klinikum Rechts der Isar, and LMU Klinikum, emerged victorious in a Europe-wide competition organized by the Federal Agency for Breakthrough Innovations (SPRIND). A total of 68 teams had applied. Under the project name “Non-invasive Continuous Endocrine Phenotyping,” the Munich-based team is working on a non-invasive technology designed to continuously monitor hormone levels in everyday life. The funding is non-dilutive and is intended to enable further technical development.
To date, hormone levels are typically determined at specific points in time through blood or urine samples. In contrast, sensors that measure continuously could more accurately track hormonal fluctuations throughout the day and across cycles, as well as reactions to stress, sleep, or diet, and help detect diseases earlier.
The goal of the SPRIND Challenge is to develop biosensors that continuously measure at least four hormones over a period of seven days. Potential biological samples include sweat, saliva, and tissue fluid. In the future, the collected data could open up new possibilities for diagnostics, precision medicine, and AI-supported analyses.
The challenge comprises three funding stages. In the first, 12-month phase beginning in July 2026, the eight selected teams can each receive up to 1.5 million euros to further develop their technology into a validated proof of concept. A jury will then decide which teams advance to the second round, which is funded with up to two million euros per project. In the third phase, up to four teams can each receive an additional 2.5 million euros.
sThesis GmbH is a spin-off from Helmholtz Munich, in which Ascenion – a long-standing technology transfer partner of Helmholtz Munich – holds a stake.
