Cairo-based molecular diagnostics company Reme-D has closed a $1.45m pre-Series A funding round as it seeks to widen access to infectious disease testing in Africa by eliminating the need for refrigerated transport and storage.
The investment was led by Anara Impact Capital, with participation from Global Innovation Fund, Africa Health Ventures and several other backers. Reme-D will use the capital to boost production capacity tenfold, broaden its range of tests and push deeper into African markets where broken cold chains have long hampered the rollout of advanced diagnostics.
The company’s core technology is a portfolio of freeze-dried, temperature-resistant molecular diagnostic kits that can detect pathogens such as tuberculosis, HIV, hepatitis and human papillomavirus — the primary cause of cervical cancer — using standard polymerase chain reaction equipment. By lyophilising the reagents, Reme-D has made tests stable at ambient temperatures, removing the logistical burden of temperature-controlled logistics that adds cost and complexity to healthcare delivery in remote or under-resourced areas.
“For us, success means that high costs or a lack of availability of advanced molecular tests do not prevent a patient in Africa or the Global South from receiving a potentially life-changing diagnosis,” said founder and chief executive Salma Tamam. “That is the primary goal.”
The fundraising comes as governments and global health bodies increase their focus on local manufacturing of health products, a shift accelerated by supply-chain disruption during the pandemic. Tamam added that the company was “proud to highlight what African science and African women can offer to the business world and the global community”.
Since 2023, Reme-D has developed and launched 30 molecular diagnostic products from its manufacturing facility in Cairo, delivering more than 550,000 tests across Egypt, Kenya and Sudan to public and private laboratories, hospitals and research institutions. Its tests have been used in a number of international scientific publications, and the company has filed a patent application in the United States for its proprietary stabilisation technology.
In a recent project, Reme-D supplied a solar-powered mobile laboratory commissioned by the World Health Organization’s Egypt office to support the Ministry of Health in monitoring vector-borne diseases in remote areas — an illustration of how off-grid diagnostics can function without reliable electricity or refrigeration.
With the new funding, the company plans to add tests targeting genetic diseases and certain cancers, and to deepen its presence in African markets while also enhancing regulatory compliance and quality assurance systems. It will move into a new 1,500 square metre facility and upgrade equipment, increasing its headcount from 50 to support the expansion. The workforce has grown from five employees at inception.
Mohammed Hussein, managing partner at lead investor Anara Impact Capital, said the firm was “impressed by Salma and the Reme-D team’s ability to combine deep scientific expertise with a practical understanding of the challenges of delivering diagnostic services in underserved markets.” He added that the company had “already demonstrated the potential to develop and manufacture high-quality molecular diagnostic solutions locally” and that Anara looked forward to backing its expansion in the Middle East, Africa and beyond.
Africa accounts for a disproportionate share of the global infectious disease burden but has the weakest diagnostic infrastructure. Temperature-sensitive reagents and dependence on centralised laboratories often mean that samples must travel for days before results are available, delaying treatment and undermining disease surveillance. Heat-resistant tests that can be deployed in basic clinics or mobile units tackle a critical barrier to timely diagnosis.
Analysts caution, however, that scaling across Africa’s fragmented regulatory landscape and winning trust from national procurement bodies will require sustained investment in clinical validation and manufacturing quality. Reme-D is betting that locally produced, affordable kits designed for the conditions in which they will be used can carve out a niche against multinational competitors, many of whose products still require cold storage.
The company is now preparing to expand manufacturing capacity tenfold and will pursue certifications that could open doors to public tenders and multilateral procurement channels. Its ability to deliver diagnostics that withstand heat could prove decisive as climate change intensifies cold-chain challenges in the world’s hottest regions.