Deep insights into the brain and other organs – with unprecedented resolution and minimal invasiveness: this is what DeepEn GmbH – a spin-off from Leibniz IPHT in Jena – makes possible. Their technology opens up new opportunities for neuroscience research and medicine. For this innovation, DeepEn has been awarded the 2025 Leibniz Founders’ Prize, endowed with 50,000 euros.

The startup, founded in 2024, plans to use the prize money to prepare for the market launch of its microendoscope, NeuroDeep®, at the end of 2025. “We are planning a major marketing campaign and participation in trade fairs across Europe, Asia, and the U.S.,” says Hana Čižmárová, who leads customer development at DeepEn. “The prize money will be extremely helpful for this.”

Using precise holographic light control, optical fibers as thin as a human hair can function as powerful imaging tools in deep body regions. Initially, these ultra-minimally invasive instruments are intended to accelerate neuroscience and biomedical research, particularly in understanding aging processes, degenerative changes, and neuroplasticity. “Our advanced imaging technology aims to help researchers develop new therapeutic strategies for neurological disorders,” explains Dr. Sergey Turtaev, CEO and co-founder of DeepEn. “In the long run, once additional technical hurdles are overcome, these hair-thin endoscopes could shape a new generation of clinical devices.”

The foundation for this development is the internationally leading research of the Holographic Endoscopy group, led by Prof. Tomáš Čižmár at Leibniz IPHT. In collaboration with the Faculty of Medicine at Charles University in Prague, the Institute of Scientific Instruments of the Czech Academy of Sciences in Brno, as well as the Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology and the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases in Magdeburg, the DeepEn team developed a prototype of a high-resolution holographic endoscope.

DeepEn will initially focus on marketing its NeuroDeep® laboratory system, targeting private and public research labs. Additionally, the company offers matching disposable endoscopic probes for use in living tissue, as well as customized services and training.

DeepEn has already received funding through the EXIST Research Transfer program of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action and was officially founded as a GmbH in January 2024. In spring 2025, the startup successfully closed a multi-million euro seed investment round. The NEUROGATE project, a collaboration between DeepEn, Leibniz IPHT, and two European research institutes, received 2.5 million euros in funding from the EIC Transition program of Horizon Europe, the European Union’s research and innovation framework program, in January. Together, the consortium is further developing the minimally invasive technology for even more advanced applications.

Background: The Leibniz Founders’ Prize
The Leibniz Founders’ Prize supports spin-offs from Leibniz institutes in their preparation and startup phase. The 50,000-euro prize is earmarked for support services that help validate and implement business concepts—especially in overcoming challenges such as market entry, securing funding, or developing marketing and sales strategies. The award is granted by a jury of internal and external members of the Leibniz Association.

Press release of the Leibniz Association 06/2025; March 26, 2025
Image: David Ausserhofer/Leibniz Association