Heating a tumour to between 40°C and 43°C during radiotherapy or chemotherapy can make the treatment work better, and doing it precisely enough to spare healthy tissue is the hard part. Sensius, a Rotterdam company working with Erasmus MC, is turning the hospital's research device for head and neck cancer, the HyperCollar, into a product that other clinics can buy. A second device, for breast cancer, is in development.
The European Innovation Council backed it twice: a €2.5 million grant towards an €8.57 million project, and €6.7 million of equity from the EIC Fund in 2023. In 2025 Sensius raised another €15 million, with the EIC Fund again among the investors. A phase I study is running at Erasmus MC. The company had aimed to launch its head and neck device in mid-2025; in 2026 its website still says its products are not yet for sale.
Company file
- Legal entity
- Sensius BV, Rotterdam, Netherlands (VAT NL855065023B01)
- CEO
- Paul van den Biggelaar
- Products
- Head and neck applicator (HyperCollar, now the Focus system); breast applicator in development
- Clinical partner
- Erasmus MC, Rotterdam
- Investors
- EIC Fund, GrayBella Capital, UCEA Capital Partners, Exclusa, UNIIQ
- Certification
- ISO 13485 (2024); no CE mark yet
- EIC project
- HyperCollar4D, 1 Jan 2022 to 30 Jun 2025
- EIC funding
- Blended finance (grant and equity)
Where Sensius Stands Today
In June 2025 Sensius announced a €15 million round from GrayBella Capital, UCEA Capital Partners, the EIC Fund and strategic investors, to fund international clinical trials and regulatory approvals, starting with head and neck cancer. In June 2026 it reshaped its board, adding a director from the impact investor Exclusa as it "advances its clinical and regulatory programmes".
Its investor page says a prototype is in use at Erasmus MC and is "in the transition to a commercial product", that the company aimed "for market launch mid 2025", and that "Sensius products are in development and are not yet for sale". We found no announcement of a CE mark.
The Technology: Precise Heat
Hyperthermia uses radiofrequency antennas around the body to heat the tumour. The HyperCollar3D, per the company's phase I announcement, heats tumours and lymph nodes to 40 to 43°C "with minimal damage to surrounding tissue". The phase I study at Erasmus MC, started in November 2024, is testing tolerance and safety at different heating levels and ways to measure temperature. Sensius presents the treatment as improving both survival and quality of life when added to standard therapy.
"Closer to commercializing a new standard of care."
Paul van den Biggelaar, CEO, Sensius, on the €15M round, June 2025What the EIC Project Promised, and What CORDIS Shows
HyperCollar4D, the EIC project, ran from January 2022 to June 2025 with an unusually large own contribution: the EU's €2.5 million covered less than a third of the €8.57 million budget. The CORDIS report describes the Focus system (formerly HyperCollar4D) as "the first device based on hyperthermia for head and neck cancer", with antenna simulations, water bolus tests and functional models completed, ISO 13485 certification obtained, and a first letter of intent signed with Erasmus MC. It reports no CE mark by the end of the period.
- A commercial head and neck deviceIn transitionPrototype in clinical use; commercial version in development.
- Quality systemDeliveredISO 13485 in 2024.
- Clinical studyStartedPhase I at Erasmus MC since November 2024.
- CE mark and market launchNot achievedLaunch aimed for mid-2025; products not yet for sale.
What Has Happened Since the Award
The Money
Sensius announced the EIC Fund's €6.7 million equity investment in February 2023, alongside the €2.5 million grant. With the fund also in the 2025 round, the EU has been Sensius's most important backer. Small Dutch companies file abridged accounts, so its losses and cash are not public.
What cannot be checked
The phase I study's size and results, the new launch date, and the size of the EIC Fund's stake after 2025 are not public.
Why Europe Should Care
Hyperthermia has long been studied in European university hospitals, and Erasmus MC's device is one of the results. Sensius is trying to turn that academic work into a product other hospitals can use, with the EU as grant-giver and shareholder.
What the project promised
A radical improvement in cancer treatment through a commercial hyperthermia device for head and neck cancer.
What the record shows
A phase I study and €15M of new funding, but no CE mark and a launch date that has passed.
The Verdict
Well funded, running late
The EIC has put more than €9 million into Sensius and joined its next round, and the company is doing the clinical work a medical device needs. But the product has not reached the market on the schedule the company set, and the public record says little about how far the phase I study has got. The EU's biggest bet in this company is still waiting on a CE mark.
Sensius has not been asked for comment for this article. It is based entirely on public records, company statements and EU project data, linked throughout.
