Detecting TBbefore it spreads.
A phage-based biotech company turning diseases the world can't see into clear, actionable answers — starting with tuberculosis.
Who we are
HerelleX is built around the genetic engineering of bacteriophages — viruses capable of infecting bacteria with extraordinary specificity.
By modifying these biological systems to generate fluorescent signals, we transform them into powerful tools for tuberculosis detection, drug discovery, and future therapeutic applications.
Global Burden
Tuberculosis has shadowed humankind for over 70,000 years. In 2025 it remains the deadliest infectious disease — held back not by science, but by access to diagnosis and care.
new cases of TB every year
deaths caused by TB annually
people go undiagnosed every year
is how often a child dies from TB worldwide.
Who we are
We make bacteria glow in clinical samples.
Our engineered bacteriophages carry a fluorescent reporter. When they find live Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacteria light up.
An invisible infection becomes a readable fluorescent signal, helping teams identify live bacteria with greater clarity. Because only living bacteria glow, the same read-out reflects viability and drug response — turning a single sample into clinical answers.
– We reveal the invisible –
Live TB hides in plain sight. FluoTB makes it glow.
Under conventional staining, live bacilli are effectively invisible. Our phage reporter turns viability into light.
What 25 million tests could really mean.
A $2.2B diagnostics market runs ~100M tests a year, still 70% culture and microscopy. We're built to capture the shift.
in health and economic value unlocked across high-burden regions.
tests sold — a 25% capture of the global TB diagnostics market.
lives that earlier, accurate diagnosis could help save.
Built on two decades of phage science.
A founding team bridging academia, public health and industry — driven to modernize global TB care.
Agustín Seijo
CEO
Leads strategy, regulatory path and commercial partnerships toward market entry.
Florencia Payaslian
CSO
Heads the science — translating phage engineering into a robust clinical product.
Mariana Piuri
Founder
Two decades in bacteriophage biology and TB diagnostics; the scientific origin of HerelleX.
Board & Advisors
Paul Elberse
Board Director
Guides business strategy and large-scale vision for HerelleX.
Carlos Batthyány
Board Director
Guides scientific and strategic direction as HerelleX grows.
Diego Melazzi
Advisor
Shapes financial strategy through experience in consulting and investment banking.
Vanesa Piattoni
Advisor
Drives innovation strategy through experience in technology transfer.
Get involved
Bring FluoTB to where it's needed.
The potential market is ~200,000 tests a year in Argentina and over 30 million a year across high-incidence countries — a global TB-diagnostics market projected to grow from USD 2.28B in 2024 to USD 3.18B by 2030. If accessible diagnosis is your mission too, let's talk.
Simplified view
One sample. One test, adjusted to routine lab workflows.
A respiratory sample is processed with standard lab methods, incubated with our reagents, then fixed for safe fluorescence reading — even up to 10 days later.
01.
Decontamination
Competing flora is cleared.
02.
Infect and express
Sample meets phage reagents.
03.
Fixation
Fixed — safe to handle and store.