One of the most promising developments coming through these trials is radiopharmaceuticals: radioactive medicines that can target tumor cells directly, sparing the rest of the body. Initial research already showed that these medicines can destroy all spread cancer tumors in just 9 months. Quality control already plays a crucial role in these trials. However, as treatments become more advanced, traditional methods can’t always keep pace with the speed and precision required by the radiopharma industry and research institutes.
This is where Lyla steps in. Their technology provides quality control analysts with real-time, reliable insight into whether a radiopharmaceutical is stable and safe to use. Their goal is to make clinical trials faster and safer, bringing these therapies closer to the patients who need them most.
From research to startup
The idea for Lyla started with a collaboration between TU Delft and Erasmus University Medical Center. At Erasmus, researchers were developing new radioactive medicines and realized that current quality control methods weren’t fully suited for these treatments. Meanwhile, at TU Delft’s nuclear facility, a sensor technology showed promise as the missing piece. Ernst van der Wal was one of the original researchers and decided to found Lyla together with Kas Hogeboom and Bauke van Gameren.
As founders, we each bring something different to the table: business, hardware, and software. By combining those strengths, we’ve been able to move from lab research to a commercial product faster than we ever imagined.”
Why quality control matters
Lyla has specifically designed its product for alpha therapies, a new generation of radiopharmaceuticals that are more effective at killing tumors than traditional beta therapies. Because these treatments are more powerful and sensitive, they require advanced quality control measures. Conventional methods have supported radiopharmaceutical development for a long time, but they are not equipped to meet the speed and precision that alpha therapies demand. This gap in quality control is now slowing down, and in some cases even preventing, the industry and hospitals from bringing these therapies to patients.
It has a direct impact on patient safety and treatment effectiveness. With our scanner, quality control analysts know immediately whether the medicine is safe.”
Fast growth and strong validation
From an idea around a researcher’s problem, Lyla has quickly become a fast-growing startup. The team secured funding from UNIIQ and Graduate Entrepreneur, enabling them to expand to 8 FTEs within just 9 months. They have tested their device at Erasmus Medical Center, Radboud UMC, and even with a major international pharmaceutical company, with encouraging results.
The first product was launched in October 2025 at the world’s largest nuclear medicine conference, EANM Barcelona, where Lyla had its own booth. The event was an even greater success than expected. Many visitors came to the stand, recognized the urgency of the problem Lyla is solving, and expressed strong interest in joining the first product launches. At the same time, the team is continuing to develop a broader quality control platform to serve different types of radiopharmaceuticals.
Few people know that the Netherlands produces one-third of the world’s medical isotopes. We’re proud to contribute to this ecosystem and to make treatments accessible worldwide by ensuring their safety and effectiveness.”
YES!Delft’s role
For Lyla, the YES!Delft Accelerator program has been beneficial. It helped sharpen their short-term focus and define the steps needed to get to their big vision: getting the product ready for launch, preparing sales, and planning funding.
One of the biggest assets has been our mentor from YES!Delft: he is someone who challenges us to think ahead, pushing us to the next phase.”
– Kas, co-founder of Lyla
Next steps for Lyla
The upcoming months will be crucial for Lyla. Following the launch of their product in October, they will begin the initial implementations with partner labs. In the long term, Lyla aims to improve the safety and effectiveness of treatments for patients worldwide.
As they enter the market and scale internationally, Lyla is eager to connect with stakeholders in the radiopharmaceutical field, including labs and hospitals, as well as industry partners. They prepare to begin fundraising and are open to connecting with investors who want to be part of this next growth phase.
If you are interested, please get in touch with kas@lyla.systems.
