NEWS Fuse to scale up molecular POC platform
Fuse Diagnostics, a developer of next- generation molecular diagnostics for point-of-need testing, has announced it has raised £1 million to accelerate commercialisation of its proprietary Flip product platform and expand manufacturing capabilities at its headquarters in Cambridge. The fundraise was led by The FSE Group
and joined by existing angel investors alongside new angel investors, including Cambridge Capital Group. The investment will support Fuse’s ambition to make gold- standard molecular diagnostics, currently
Examining Lyme disease antibodies
Nearly one in three patients found to have antibodies against the bacterium that causes Lyme disease also had antibodies against one or more additional tick-borne pathogens, according to a new US study. Published in JAMA Network Open,
the study, titled: Coseropositivity to Tick-Borne Pathogens Among Patients Suspected to Have Lyme Disease, was carried out by researchers from Quest Diagnostics and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The paper analysed de-identified test results from 193,260 individuals across the United States who underwent testing for tick-borne diseases between January 2021 and December 2025.
The researchers found that 29.5% of individuals who had antibodies against Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacterium that causes Lyme disease, also had antibodies against at least one other tick-borne pathogen. By comparison, only 5.5% of those without antibodies for Lyme disease had antibodies against another tick-borne pathogen. The findings reveal potential
paterns of tick-borne co-exposure in a geographically diverse, national sample. Li Y, Tong CH, Givens TS, Boyce RM. Coseropositivity to Tick-Borne Pathogens Among Patients Suspected to Have Lyme Disease. JAMA Netw Open. 2026;9(9):e2634800. doi:10.1001/ jamanetworkopen.2026.34800
October 2026
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limited to use in specialist laboratories, accessible in environments where rapid testing is needed most. Fuse is focused on delivering
simple, rapid and highly accurate laboratory-quality molecular diagnostic tests for pathogens and contaminants, addressing demand for onsite testing in markets where speed, reliability and decentralised access are critical. The investment will accelerate growth of the Flip product portfolio
across six strategic sectors: life sciences research, bioprocessing, food safety, water quality, veterinary diagnostics, and plant agriculture. Supporting the full commercialisation journey, the funding will enable Fuse to advance its assay development pipeline, including validation with strategic industry partners, scaling of manufacturing capabilities and expansion of commercial reach. The Flip platform combines
proprietary amplification technology with an innovative low-cost, disposable test design to enable rapid detection of pathogens and contaminants without specialist laboratory infrastructure. The instrument-
free approach is designed to support a broad pipeline of molecular diagnostic tests that deliver laboratory quality performance.
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