Paris-based Stilla Technologies has raised €16M in a Series A round to sell and develop a high-precision PCR system for DNA quantification

Paris-based Stilla Technologies has raised €16M in a Series A round to sell and develop a high-precision PCR system for DNA quantification with promising applications in diagnostics.

The round was led by Illumina Ventures, the investor arm of the gene sequencing giant Illumina. With the funds, Stilla Technologies plans to accelerate sales of its PCR technology, launch a second product and begin the clinical validation of its diagnostics applications.

Founded in 2013, Stilla Technologies has developed a system for DNA quantification based on digital PCR technology, which is known for higher precision and sensitivity than other PCR methods.

“Digital PCR is the method of choice to analyze known targets in a complex sample. That is typically the challenge for liquid biopsies where the biomarkers of interests, like tumor DNA, are diluted in a complex mixture of wild-type DNA,” Rémi Dangla, CEO and co-founder of Stilla Technologies, told me. “[With digital PCR] it is easy to detect a rare mutant in a high background of wild-type DNA, like a 0.1% mutant to wild-type fraction.”