Edinburgh spinout awarded £1.2 million to advance hormone monitoring technology
Dr James Flewellen and Prof Teuta Pilizota
An Edinburgh-based spinout developing a new way to measure hormone levels in real time has secured £1.2 million to explore how its technology could provide new insights into women’s hormone-related conditions and support improved diagnosis and treatment.
Kāhu SiliconBio, founded by scientists Dr James Flewellen and Prof Teuta Pilizota and incorporated in 2025, is commercialising research from the University of Edinburgh’s Centre for Engineering Biology, building on earlier work backed by the Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre (IBioIC).
The funding, awarded by the German Federal Agency for Disruptive Innovation (SPRIN-D), will support the development of the company’s next prototype as it adapts its technology for women’s health applications.
Unlike traditional hormone tests, which typically provide a single measurement at one point in time, Kāhu SiliconBio’s technology is designed to track hormone levels throughout the day, creating a more detailed picture of how they change in response to factors such as sleep, stress, nutrition and the menstrual cycle.
The system combines engineered biology with silicon chip technology. Bioengineered bacteria respond to specific hormones, while electronic components translate those biological responses into measurable signals that can be analysed instantly.
For many hormone-related conditions, limited access to detailed hormone data can make diagnosis and treatment more challenging. By capturing changes over time, the technology could support research into conditions such as endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), helping researchers better understand the relationship between hormones and health.
Dr James Flewellen, co-founder and chief executive of Kāhu SiliconBio, said: “Hormones play a fundamental role in health, but we still have limited visibility into how they change throughout our lives and how those fluctuations relate to disease. This funding will help us take an important step towards creating a new type of biological sensor that could give both researchers and patients a much deeper understanding of hormone patterns and their impact on women’s health.”
The technology was initially developed to monitor chemical compounds in liquids for applications beyond healthcare. Its flexible design means it can be adapted to detect different chemical targets, creating potential opportunities across sectors such as environmental monitoring, food and drink production and advanced manufacturing.
Since launching, Kāhu SiliconBio has secured support from a range of innovation funding programmes, including Scottish Enterprise, Innovate UK, Silicon Catalyst UK and the Roslin Institute Campus Innovation Account. Looking ahead, the company plans to continue refining its prototype, expand its team and establish new research and clinical partnerships.
Dr Liz Fletcher, impact director and deputy chief executive at IBioIC, added: “Kahu SiliconBio is a strong example of how research-driven innovation can evolve into technology with the potential to address real-world challenges. The company’s progress demonstrates the value of collaboration between academia, industry and innovation organisations, and it’s exciting to see its work gaining international recognition as it moves towards new healthcare applications.”