Company Overview#
LMNTIC Biotech is a diagnostics company that finds cancer in a blood sample. It isolates circulating tumor cells (CTCs) — cancer cells that break off a tumor and float in the bloodstream. The company was spun out of DGIST, a research university, and turns the magnetic cell-sorting technology developed in its labs into a product. The goal is to make liquid biopsy — a cancer test that uses a blood sample instead of cutting out tissue — faster, cheaper, and easier to access than a tissue biopsy or an ordinary blood test.
Technology & Product#
The core product is L:Biopsy, an automated platform built on a single chip. It separates cancer cells from blood using micro-magnetophoresis — a magnetic field that guides one cell at a time to sort them out. In a single step, it collects many kinds of tumor cells, including clumps of cells and unusually small ones, and reaches over 90% purity. The captured cells then go into genomic sequencing — reading their DNA to spot mutations and possible treatment targets. The company says results come back in about one week, at a cost far below a standard liquid biopsy.
Market & Use Cases#
The platform is built for cancer centers, hospitals, and research labs that need a reliable way to isolate CTCs. They use it to catch cancer early, track how a patient responds to treatment, and support research that moves lab findings toward the clinic. It costs less than a tissue biopsy or a ctDNA test (which looks for tumor DNA in the blood), and can be used alongside them. For now it is a research-use tool, so it fits early cancer studies and biomarker work rather than routine clinical care.
Traction & References#
LMNTIC was selected for TIPS in 2022 and completed seed funding the same year, with a lab-startup grant and follow-on investment reported afterward(Hankyung). The company joined the IBK Changgong Guro 13th cohort(Hankyung). It won an Excellence Award at the 2025 Science and Technology Specialized University startup investment competition run with KAIST, GIST, DGIST, UNIST, POSTECH, and KDB(Asiae). Founder Donghwan Ryu was named to the Forbes Korea 30 Under 30 list in 2025(Forbes Korea). The company also runs joint R&D with the Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital Bio Core Facility and holds Korean venture company certification and a corporate research institute(LMNTIC).
Collaboration Relevance#
LMNTIC is a good match for cancer centers and research groups that need very pure CTC samples to validate their work in patients. Its roots at DGIST and its ongoing hospital partnership open clear paths for joint studies. For drug companies, the platform can help build companion diagnostics (CDx) — tests that help pick the right targeted therapy for a patient — and co-develop CTC-based markers, which fits the company’s stated interest in research and CDx partnerships.