FASTBASE Solutions, which trades as HAWK Biosystems and is based in the Basque Country technology park in Derio near Bilbao, is built on the science of Professor Peter Parker of the Francis Crick Institute in London. Its QF-Pro technology measures whether proteins are actually interacting inside a tumour sample, rather than only whether they are present. The EIC project, IOO, uses it to predict which patients will respond to immune checkpoint inhibitors that target PD-1 and PD-L1. The project receives an EU contribution of €2,496,113 towards a total cost of €3,565,875 and runs from August 2024 to December 2026, according to CORDIS. The award was a €2.5 million grant with up to €4.5 million in equity, according to the Basque technology park Parke.
The project's first report says the company prioritised a retrospective study of stored samples after concluding that prospective samples are not required for CE marking, had implemented about 80% of its quality management system, and had started evaluating a US FDA 510(k) application, according to CORDIS. In November 2025 Mexico's national cancer institute presented preliminary data showing that PD-1/PD-L1 engagement measured by QF-Pro predicted response even in lung cancer patients classed as PD-L1 negative, according to HAWK Biosystems. No CE mark for the test has been announced.
Company file
- Legal entity
- FASTBASE Solutions SL, Bizkaia, incorporated November 2015
- Trading name
- HAWK Biosystems
- Founder
- Prof. Peter J. Parker
- Technology
- QF-Pro, quantified protein interactions in tissue
- First target
- PD-1/PD-L1 engagement in lung cancer
- Board chair
- Antonio Vicente Ferrer Montiel
- EIC funding
- Grant first, €2.5M
Where HAWK Biosystems Stands Now
HAWK sells QF-Pro to researchers and has announced distribution partners for China, Brazil, India, Malaysia, Australia and New Zealand, Greece and Cyprus, and the Balkans, according to its newsroom. In April 2025 it joined the Spanish stock exchange operator BME's pre-market programme, which prepares companies for a future listing. Its latest filed accounts, for 2024, show 19 employees and annual turnover below €500,000, according to Empresia.
"For the first time, direct quantification of PD-1/PD-L1 engagement measured by QF-Pro has shown predictive value even in PD-L1-negative (<1%) non-small cell lung cancer."
HAWK Biosystems, November 2025The Technology: Measuring Engagement, Not Just Presence
Doctors decide who gets checkpoint inhibitors largely by staining tumours for PD-L1. HAWK argues that what matters is whether PD-1 and PD-L1 are actually bound together, which it measures with a light-based technique on standard biopsy slides. A peer-reviewed study found that functional engagement of the PD-1/PD-L1 complex, but not PD-L1 expression, was highly predictive of response in non-small cell lung cancer, according to PubMed Central. The project report says the test could ensure better treatment choices for about 230,000 lung cancer patients a year in Europe.
What the EIC Award Promised, and What the Record Shows
IOO aims to bring the test into hospitals with a CE mark. It runs until December 2026, so it is too early to judge it. The record so far shows clinical studies under way, a quality system being built and new supportive data, but no regulatory approval.
- Clinical validation studiesUnder wayRetrospective study.
- Quality management system80% in 2025Project report.
- CE markUnverifiedNot announced.
- International distributionDeliveredResearch platform.
The Money
The EIC grant covers 70% of the project, and the company pays the rest. Whether the EIC Fund's equity has been invested is not public. With turnover below €500,000 in 2024, HAWK depends on grants and investors to finish its clinical work.
What Cannot Be Checked
Questions for the EIC
Whether the equity component was paid, when the CE mark application will be filed, how many patient samples have been analysed and what HAWK's full accounts show are not public.
Why Europe Should Care
Checkpoint inhibitors are expensive, and many patients do not benefit. A test that picks out responders more accurately than PD-L1 staining would spare patients useless treatment and health systems the cost. HAWK's data is promising; regulators have yet to accept it.
What the award promised
A CE-marked hospital test predicting immunotherapy response.
What the record shows
A research platform sold through distributors and a clinical test still in validation.
The Verdict
Promising science, test not yet approved
HAWK has strong data and global distributors. The CE-marked test the EIC funded is still to come.
HAWK Biosystems and the EIC have not been asked for comment for this article. It is based entirely on public records and published statements, linked throughout.
