Despite growing demand for precision medicine and targeted therapies, existing proteomics tools fall short when it comes to detecting and characterizing modifications on individual proteins. This bottleneck limits progress in drug discovery, diagnostics, and therapeutic development — particularly for diseases where early intervention could make a decisive difference.
UNOMR addresses this gap with its patented serial nanopore sensor, capable of detecting protein modifications at the single-molecule level. Unlike conventional approaches, its interface nanopore (iNP) technology offers direct, in-depth insights into protein structures — starting with glycosylation — requiring only small sample volumes, low protein concentrations, and basic sample purification. This differentiating feature allows researchers and companies to identify unknown protein properties early and accurately, opening new possibilities for personalized treatment strategies, earlier disease detection, and accelerated biopharma development.
The global protein characterization market is worth USD 21bn experiencing an annual growth rate of 16%, with life science R&D, clinical & diagnostic, as well as food & beverage sectors representing more than three-quarters of the applications. UNOMR works with customers in all three sectors, enabling medical food innovation and faster development of more effective therapies against glycosylation-related diseases including epithelial tumors. The startup ambitions to capture up to 50% of the market with its disruptive technology, being one of the enabling technologies of next-generation proteomics.
The ETH spin-off plans to employ the CHF 150,000 from Venture Kick to hire additional talent to accelerate its business development and scale up its technology to start on-site customer testing within the next two years.
The UNOMR team combines years of expertise in nanopore sensing, deep tech, and venture development. Co-Founders Til Schlotter (CEO) and Julian Hengsteler (CTO) developed the core technology during their PhDs at ETH Zurich, while Dr. Julia Wagner, advisory COO, brings experience in mathematics, venture capital, and operational strategy to support the company’s growth.
“With the majority of all successful Swiss deep tech startups in their program, Venture Kick offers a unique opportunity within Switzerland and beyond helping us to focus our business development and opening new doors to investors, customers, and most importantly experienced founders. We are very happy that UNOMR is now a part of this family,” highlighted CEO Til Schlotter.
(Press release/RAN)
Image: UNOMR Co-Founders: CTO Julian Hengsteler, COO Julia Wagner, and CEO Til Schlotter