About Us
Our Story
Phos4nova is an innovative, dynamic deep-tech startup and official spin-off of the University of Twente in the Netherlands. Driven by our purpose and vision—that everyone deserves a life without fear of a severe diagnosis and should have access to efficient diagnostics and therapies—we challenge the status quo of medical materials.
How did it all start?
True innovation often emerges when different areas of expertise converge, and this is exactly how it happened with Phos4nova’s Phos4MR platform.
On that one evening, shortly after a lockdown, when Olga and Frederik went out together, their plan was to chat, have a drink, and enjoy life. They didn’t know that the evening would spark an idea that would shift the paradigm in designing medical materials. Yet, that is exactly what happened. Olga, now CEO of Phos4nova, is an expert in the development of nanomaterials and, particularly, imaging agents, including exotic methods such as hot-spot MRI. Frederik, now Head of Scientific Affairs, is a worldwide leader in bio-inspired, phosphorus-based polymers—which are also a bit exotic.
Back then, his team was working with a material he thought wasn’t performing well. As he was telling Olga about it, she realised that this ‘weakness’ could be transformed into a significant strength, leading to a completely new class of materials with novel imaging properties.
So, they started looking deeper into it and involved Timo, who was working on materials synthesis for his PhD in Frederik’s team. Altogether, they came up with a design concept that Timo eventually brought to life in the lab.
What happened next was the true beginning of Phos4nova: convincing MRI partners (first reaction ‘forget it, this will never work’), doing the first successful imaging experiment, filing a patent, publishing a research paper in Nature Communications, developing a business model, and finally incorporating Phos4nova in January 2024.
Our Values
Quality and Innovativeness
To facilitate the development of the high precision biomedical solutions, we provide high-quality, well-defined polymers. We develop our materials closely connected to university research, pushing the technological boundaries.
Protection and Sustainability
We are committed to protect human health and the environment, and firmly believe that both can be achieved only together. It is essential to develop medical solutions that do not pollute the environment after their release, and are biocompatible, to make sure that humans and our planet both stay healthy.
Performance and Trust
We pursue these ambitious goals as a diverse team, combining different backgrounds, experiences, and views. Working as such a team demands direct communication, adept problem-solving, and balancing a professional and private life. Within our team, we uphold the values of work-life balance, adaptability, openness, directness, trust and performance excellence.
Our expertise
Are you uncertain which polymer suits your application best, which formulation method to use, or how to move on with the analytics? We have the necessary expertise to support you.
As globally recognized leaders in PPE development, we are deeply committed to delivering our customers the most suitable polymer for their specific needs, and provide tailored PPE solutions to address every challenge that our customers are facing.
Furthermore, our exceptional expertise extends to the development of nanoformulations and colloidal structures for both imaging and therapeutic purposes, as well as extensive experience in advanced characterization methods. Backed by years of research, we are ready to support you in finding the solutions for your applications.
