Polish company’s technology set to revolutionize diagnostics
Founded in 2013, SDS Optic is poised to make a significant mark in the history of medical diagnostics with its technology. Based in Lublin, the company develops, manufactures, and commercializes innovative diagnostic devices. One of its most promising advances is in improving and accelerating breast cancer detection through its novel use of fiber optic technology. This effort has gained support from medical device manufacturing giant, Philips.
The global fiber optics market, valued at USD 7.56 billion in 2023, is projected to grow significantly, reaching USD 17.84 billion by 2032. Fiber optic technology, which uses light to transmit data, has revolutionized telecommunications and continues to find applications in industries such as automotive, energy, aerospace, and, importantly in medicine.
Fiber optics in medicine
Fiber optics have already been successfully used in various medical fields, including cardiovascular research, ophthalmology, angiology and dentistry. Due to its inert nature, fiber optics is resistant to chemicals and electromagnetic interference (EMI), allowing it to have been used in surgical environments. SDS Optic has taken this technology a step further by developing a faster, more accurate, and less invasive breast cancer diagnostic device.
Rapid detection of tumor markers
"Why fiber optics?" says Marcin Staniszewski, co-founder, CEO, and Senior Engineer at SDS Optic in an interiew with Evertiq. "Current diagnostic methods in oncology, like thick-needle biopsies, are invasive. Fiber optics, which are only a little thicker than a hair, offer a much more comfortable examination experience for patients.”
While fiber optics won’t replace biopsies, the technology can serve as an excellent complement, providing numerical results within minutes. Mr Staniszewski says that SDS Optic’s technology is also more accurate.
“Testing for HER overexpression, or other markers we are currently working on, is much more comfortable for the patient than current methods. In addition, our test, using a fibre-optic biosensor, provides results within minutes, and the outcome is numerical,” explains the co-founder. “Our technology allows us to eliminate the issues of false negative and false positive results. With our device, there’s no need to penetrate the tumour itself. Instead, we focus on the tip of the fibre optics, positioned about 1 cm away from the tumour, aided by an ultrasound scanner. The HER2 biomarker circulates around the tumour, enabling us to determine whether the tumour is HER2+ (positive) or HER2– (negative), which is crucial for diagnosis and subsequent treatment.”
Early beginnings
The idea for SDS Optic’s solutions originated in the United States. In the early 2000s, Marcin Staniszewski moved to the U.S. with his wife, Magdalena Staniszewska – who later co-founded SDS Optic S.A. and became its R&D Director. After completing her Ph.D. in molecular biology at the Polish Academy of Sciences, Dr. Staniszewska was invited to continue her research at a prestigious U.S. laboratory.
“We settled there, had our children, and began our work. I completed my engineering studies at the University of Akron, in collaboration with NASA, where we developed advanced techniques for jet engine parts,” recalls Staniszewski.
During his time in the U.S., he gained expertise in encapsulating optical fibres, used for high-speed data transmission.
“These fibres must be connected to the laser in a highly hermetic way. I was able to develop such a technology that outperformed existing technologies on the market by an order of magnitude.”
I developed a technology that extended the lifespan of sealed gas systems from three to thirty years, outperforming existing methods,” he explains.
Staniszewski draws a parallel to illustrate the impact of his innovation: "Imagine a sealed can of gas, which would typically start leaking after three years using standard methods. With the technology I developed, we extended that time to thirty years."
His technology attracted a lot of interest from potential partners and companies, and while seeking investors, Staniszewski found better opportunities in Poland than in the U.S.
“In Poland, there was more capital available and fewer innovative projects, unlike in the U.S. where competition for investment was higher. So, I secured Polish investors on better terms,” he says.
This led the couple to return to Poland and also to combine their expertise. Mr Staniszewska’s knowledge of optical fibres and his wife’s experience in developing technologies – mainly related to eye diseases – inspired the idea for a new innovation. Together, they founded SDS Optic with the goal of developing a rapid detection technology for breast cancer biomarkers.
“We decided to join our forces. We expanded the company's nucleus, which originated in the United States, with a biological component. My wife and I came up with the idea that my solutions – which were still incomplete at the time – could be integrated with biological elements to develop technology for detecting cancer markers. We decided to focus on creating a technology for the rapid detection of breast cancer biomarkers.”
Collaboration with Philips
The company’s innovative solutions caught the attention of Philips, following a presentation of the technology during a conference, leading to a collaboration.
"It was so interesting to Philips that they proposed a collaboration to develop a dedicated device for us in the form of an analyser for our probe," Mr. Staniszewski reveals about the partnership established with the giant in 2023.
Currently, SDS Optic sources analysers from external companies, but these devices are not specifically designed for their needs and are later customised. The collaboration with Philips changes this dynamic.
“We got Philips so interested in our technology that, along with the Swiss CSEM Institute, they decided to sign an agreement with us. Through the MedPhab program, they are helping us develop a device dedicated entirely to our needs. This device will not only be 100 percent owned by us in terms of intellectual property but will also be fully designed for our fibre-optic technology.”
This partnership has resulted in the creation of a new, original device. The analyser features a laser light source and a detector, into which SDS Optic will connect its biosensors to analyse the results.
Karol Maryniowski, Manager of Investor Relations at SDS Optic, and Dr. Marcin Zybert, Head of the Optoelectronics Department at SDS Optic, will give a lecture titled, "From Fast Molecular Diagnostics to Discoveries in Thin Fiber Technology" at the Evertiq Expo in Warsaw, October 24.
