eNLife Research raises ₹6 crore to develop AI-based blood test for Alzheimer’s detection

Bengaluru-based deep-tech startup eNLife Research has raised ₹6 crore in a seed funding round led by Piper Serica VC Fund to support the development of its artificial intelligence (AI)-driven diagnostic platform for Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative disorders.

The company, incubated at the Foundation for Science Innovation and Development (FSID), Indian Institute of Science (IISc), said the funding will be used to build and validate its blood-based biomarker platform, expand its Bengaluru-based research and development team, and advance its first diagnostic assay from prototype to clinical-grade validation.

According to the company, eNLife is working to make early Alzheimer’s detection accessible in India before conventional diagnostic methods identify the disease.

Founded by Dr Deepak Kumaran Nair, Professor at the Centre for Neuroscience, IISc; Lt Col Jojo Jacob; and Anish Mathew, former Chief Executive Officer of CAMS Finserv, a subsidiary of the CAMS Group, eNLife is developing a blood test that screens for a panel of five to seven biomarkers associated with the onset of Alzheimer’s disease, including amyloid beta and forms of tau protein linked to Alzheimer’s pathology.

The company is also developing assays capable of simultaneously tracking 25 to 100 biological markers to identify multiple forms of dementia and other neurodegenerative diseases before the onset of clinical symptoms.

According to the company, unlike PET scans, MRI scans and cerebrospinal fluid analysis, which are invasive, expensive and generally used during later stages of diagnosis, its blood test can be administered through routine diagnostic centres and is designed to deliver results within two to five hours. The company’s AI platform is being trained to identify correlations between biomarkers to detect disease progression before clinical symptoms emerge.

eNLife is collaborating with researchers associated with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Hyderabad, and the Centre for Brain Research (CBR), Bengaluru, to develop India-specific biomarker datasets.

The company said the initiative addresses the differences in genetic architecture and lifestyle-related risk factors among Indian patients compared with diagnostic models developed using predominantly Caucasian populations. It also expects to begin filing patents over the next nine to 18 months covering biomarker binders, diagnostic assays and its detection platform.

Commenting on the funding, Dr Deepak Kumaran Nair, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, eNLife Research, said, “The biggest failure of Alzheimer’s care today isn’t the absence of treatments in trials; it’s that we find patients a decade too late to use them. Every diagnostic model the world has built so far was designed on Western cohorts, at hospital price points that don’t work for India. We started eNLife to close both gaps at once: detect the disease at the molecular stage, far ahead of the symptomatic stage, and do it through a simple blood draw that is both accessible and affordable to the whole of Indian population. This funding lets us move that ambition from the lab bench to a validated product, and having an investor like Piper Serica, who understood the science as much as the market, gives us the conviction to forge ahead with our mission.”

Rajni Agarwal, Director, Piper Serica, said, “India will have one of the world’s largest ageing populations within a generation, and neurodegenerative disease is the burden we are least prepared for. Piper Serica VC Fund backs technologically differentiated category creators, and eNLife is the first we’ve seen that changes the quality of life rather than merely extending it. With eNLife, Alzheimer’s can be caught up to 15 years early and from a single blood sample, priced reasonably, it can easily reach people in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities. This will not be diagnostics for a few but true tech for the entire country, for BHARAT, timed well as the country witnesses a demographic shift already underway.”

According to the company, beyond diagnostics, eNLife aims to support patients and families by enabling earlier detection of disease, allowing more time to plan care, seek therapy and make treatment decisions before cognitive decline begins.

Piper Serica VC Fund recently launched an ₹800 crore Bharat Tech Fund to invest in deep-tech startups developing proprietary technologies across semiconductors, spacetech, artificial intelligence, defence technology and biosciences. According to the company, the fund reflects Piper Serica’s focus on deep-tech companies such as eNLife, which is developing AI-based biomarker diagnostics for Alzheimer’s detection.