iLoF and the EIC Accelerator: Light and AI to Screen for Alzheimer's

iLoF (Intelligent Lab on Fiber), registered in Matosinhos near Porto, shines several focused, non-destructive laser beams through small liquid samples such as blood plasma and uses AI to read the resulting light patterns as "optical fingerprints" of disease. It was selected in the EIC Accelerator's January 2023 cut-off for blended finance and received an EU grant of €2.50 million for a €3.57 million project, "AI-augmented photonics to identify and quantify disease biomarkers", that ran from August 2023 to July 2025, according to CORDIS. The project focused on a tool to screen patients for Alzheimer's disease clinical trials.

The project is closed. Its final report states that iLoF obtained ISO 13485 certification and then a CE mark for its platform, met the FDA, deployed the platform in three studies in Europe, the US and Asia, collected thousands of samples from patients with confirmed Alzheimer's, and tested the platform in "one of the biggest and best Neurodegenerative studies in the world, with over +30 clinical sites", according to the CORDIS reporting page. It also reports a manuscript "submitted to a high-impact journel" and a strategic funding round of more than $3.5 million. The report gives no accuracy figures.

Where iLoF Stands Now

iLoF now markets its technology as Optomics, which it says "merges spectroscopy analysis with AI to generate a optical fingerprint of a human plasma or blood sample", and claims "validated use cases in ovarian cancer, lung cancer, and Alzheimer's disease", according to its website. It cites "six years of clinical data". No peer-reviewed validation of the Alzheimer's screening tool has been identified in the sources reviewed.

The Technology: Fingerprints in Scattered Light

Instead of measuring one known biomarker, iLoF's device records how laser light scatters through a sample and lets AI find patterns linked to a disease. The final report calls it "a flexible & agnostic tool that is not limited to a single use or disease". During the project the company automated sample handling with an autosampler in a closed fluidic system and built what it calls one of the largest private biobanks of Alzheimer's patients in the world.

What the EIC Award Promised, and What the Record Shows

The award promised AI-augmented photonics to identify disease biomarkers, focused on screening for Alzheimer's trials. The regulatory and data-collection milestones were reached. What is missing from the public record is the core result: how well the platform actually identifies Alzheimer's patients compared with established tests such as PET scans or spinal fluid analysis.

1. Quality certificationDeliveredISO 13485.
2. CE markDeliveredPer final report.
3. Clinical data collectionDeliveredThousands of samples.
4. Published accuracyUnverifiedManuscript submitted only.

The Money

The EU paid 70% of the project. The strategic round of more than $3.5 million reported in the final report involved investors in the US, Japan, the UK and the EU, who are not named. iLoF's revenue, losses and whether the EIC Fund invested could not be checked from free sources.

What Cannot Be Checked

Why Europe Should Care

The final report pitches the platform as a way to screen patients for Alzheimer's clinical trials, a step that shapes how quickly new treatments can be tested. iLoF has built the infrastructure and a large dataset with EU support. Until it publishes accuracy data, its claims cannot be compared with other screening methods.

The Verdict

iLoF and the EIC have not been asked for comment for this article. It is based entirely on public records and published statements, linked throughout.