Xyall, an Eindhoven-based MedTech startup offering an automated tissue dissection solution designed to support molecular pathology workflows, has secured an investment of €7.6 million to globally roll out its molecular pathology laboratory solutions.
The investment was secured from a consortium led by Capricorn Partners via their Capricorn Healthtech Fund II, alongside existing investors Sioux Technologies, Brabant Development Agency (BOM), Health Investment Partners, and several private investors.
Guido du Pree, CEO of Xyall, commented, “Over the past decade, PCR and next-generation sequencing technologies have advanced rapidly. However, the critical step of selecting tumour tissue for molecular analysis has remained largely manual, subjective, and imprecise. With our fully automated tissue dissection solutions, Xyall provides the missing link between morphological and molecular diagnostics.”
Founded in 2018 by Guido du Pree and Hans van Wijngaarden, Xyall digitises and automates the tissue dissection workflow to support pathologists obtain more reliable molecular diagnostic test results.
Dick Sietses, Investment Partner at Capricorn Partners, declared, “Xyall enables pathology labs to operate more efficiently, and the evidence reveals that it also supports more accurate diagnoses — particularly in fields like oncology where personalised treatment plans are essential.”
According to the company, tissue dissection remains a largely manual and labour-intensive process, relying on subjective assessment and carrying a significant risk of error and cross-contamination.
Xyall explains that in current clinical practice, pathologists manually mark Regions of Interest (ROIs) on hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) stained slides. Laboratory technicians then visually translate these markings to dissection slides, manually scraping the tissue and collecting it for downstream analysis. The Dutch startup notes that this workflow is time-consuming, difficult to scale, and further constrained by a global shortage of laboratory technicians.
Xyall claims to transform this critical workflow step by combining high-resolution slide imaging, precise image registration, workflow optimisation, and high-precision robotics into a fully automated solution. According to the company, its Automated Tissue Dissection solution enables accurate ROI determination and dissection, reduces the workload of lab technicians, allows rapider case processing, and eliminates the risk of cross-contamination.
The company’s first solution, the Tissector High Throughput System, was launched in 2021 and is designed for large molecular laboratories. It is ideal for high-volume molecular diagnostics and can hold 1,800 slides and dissect over 80 slides per hour with an accuracy of better than 0.1 mm. It can run for 3 hours unattfinished.
Later, in 2023, Xyall introduced its compact Tissector Table Top (TT) solution, which is designed for the workload of compact to medium-sized molecular pathology laboratories. It can hold 72 slides, dissect over 30 slides per hour with an accuracy of ≤ 0.1 mm, and can run for more than 2 hours uninterrupted.
With this funding, the company aims to support the global rollout of its Tissector Table Top, an automated tissue dissection system. Xyall notes that Tissector TableTop is already in utilize at more than 15 molecular pathology laboratories, including laboratories in tier-1 commercial, academic, pharma and research institutes in the United States.
“Molecular diagnostics play a key role in determining the most appropriate treatment, particularly in oncology. Laboratories are under increasing pressure to deliver results rapider and more accurately, while facing a global shortage of specialised staff. The fact that the Tissector Table Top is already deployed in more than fifteen high-standing laboratories confirms that we are addressing a real and urgent required,” added Du Pree.
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