Blood-based diagnostics for neurodegenerative diseases

Detecting neurodegenerative
disease before symptoms
take hold

Excelligent is developing a breakthrough blood test for Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and related conditions — enabling earlier intervention, better outcomes, and wider access to accurate diagnosis.

Explore our technology → Investor information
55M+ people living with dementia globally
~10 yrs average delay to Alzheimer's diagnosis
Blood non-invasive, scalable, affordable
About us

A new era in neurological diagnostics

Excelligent is pioneering a revolutionary blood-based diagnostic platform — transforming how neurodegenerative diseases are detected, managed, and ultimately treated.

"By enabling early and accurate detection, we are paving the way for a future where patients receive timely diagnoses and the interventions that can genuinely change outcomes."

We are addressing one of medicine's most urgent unmet needs: the challenge of diagnosing neurodegenerative disease at a stage when treatment can make a meaningful difference.

Current diagnostic pathways are invasive, expensive, and often too late. Our platform changes that — bringing accurate screening into routine clinical practice.

  • Detect diseases early — identifying biomarkers associated with Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and other neurodegenerative conditions at their earliest stages.
  • Improve accessibility — providing a non-invasive alternative to lumbar punctures and costly PET imaging, making early screening widely available.
  • Enhance treatment outcomes — enabling earlier and more effective interventions to slow disease progression and improve quality of life.
Our technology

A platform built on
extracellular vesicles

Our proprietary approach harnesses extracellular vesicles — tiny particles shed by cells into the bloodstream — to detect disease-specific molecular signatures years before clinical symptoms emerge.

01 — SAMPLE

Blood draw

A routine venous blood sample — collected at any standard pathology clinic, with no specialist preparation required.

02 — ISOLATION

Vesicle isolation

Extracellular vesicles are isolated from the sample. These carry molecular cargo reflecting the current state of brain health.

03 — ANALYSIS

Biomarker profiling

Proprietary analysis detects protein and RNA signatures linked to Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and related conditions at preclinical stages.

04 — RESULT

Clinical output

A clear, actionable result is returned to the clinician — enabling earlier intervention and more informed patient management.

Alzheimer's disease Parkinson's disease Lewy body dementia Frontotemporal dementia Further conditions in pipeline

Non-invasive

A simple blood test replaces painful lumbar punctures or costly PET scans currently required for accurate diagnosis.

Preclinical detection

Detects molecular changes years before clinical symptoms appear — the window where treatment has the greatest potential impact.

Globally scalable

Designed to be affordable and deployable through existing pathology infrastructure — no specialist equipment required.

Multi-disease platform

A single test architecture extendable across multiple neurodegenerative conditions — unlocking a broad and expanding diagnostic pipeline.

Our team

Founded by world-leading
researchers

Dr Lesley Cheng — placeholder headshot

Associate Prof Lesley Cheng    

Inventor · Co-Founder · CEO

A/Prof Cheng is a leading researcher in extracellular vesicles and liquid biopsy, with over a decade of work focused on identifying blood-based biomarkers for neurodegenerative diseases. She leads the scientific and commercial strategy at Excelligent, translating laboratory discoveries into a scalable diagnostic platform.

Her research has been published in high-impact journals and attracted competitive national funding. She brings both deep technical expertise and a clear vision for making early diagnosis accessible globally.

Extracellular vesicles Liquid biopsy Biomarker discovery Molecular Diagnostics
Prof Andrew Hill — placeholder headshot

Prof Andrew Hill

Inventor · Co-Founder · Board Chair

Professor Hill is a world-renowned expert in extracellular vesicles and neurodegenerative disease mechanisms, with a particular focus on prion-like spreading of misfolded proteins in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. He has published extensively and led major research programs across Australia and internationally.

As Board Chair, he provides scientific leadership and governance, drawing on his experience bridging academic research and applied diagnostics. His foundational science underpins the Excelligent platform.

Neurodegenerative Diseases Extracellular Vesicles Molecular Diagnostics Leadership
Investors

Investing in the future
of brain health

Excelligent sits at the intersection of an urgent global health need and a rapidly maturing field of liquid biopsy diagnostics. We are seeking strategic partners and investors to accelerate our path to clinical validation and commercialisation.

$2.8T estimated annual global cost of dementia by 2030
$8B+ global neurodegenerative diagnostics market by 2028
Pre-clinical current development stage — seeking seed & Series A partners

Strong IP position

Patent-protected biomarker signatures and proprietary vesicle isolation methodology, developed through our world-class research programs.

Large addressable market

Over 55 million people live with dementia globally, with diagnosis rates critically low. A scalable blood test addresses an enormous unmet clinical and commercial need.

Platform extensibility

The same test architecture can be extended across multiple neurodegenerative and other diseases — creating a pipeline of diagnostic products from a single platform investment.

World-class founders

Led by two internationally recognised researchers with deep expertise in extracellular vesicle biology, biomarker discovery, and neurodegenerative disease mechanisms.

Regulatory pathway clarity

Liquid biopsy diagnostics have established regulatory precedents in oncology. We are applying these frameworks to the neurodegenerative space with TGA and FDA in view.

University partnership

Ongoing access to university research infrastructure, clinical networks, and commercialisation support — accelerating development timelines and reducing capital requirements.

Request investor deck → Email investor relations

For investment enquiries, please contact us directly. An information memorandum is available to qualified investors under NDA.

Press & media

In the news

View all news → Media enquiries →
PRESENTATION La Trobe University

"Lesley Cheng presents at the Eagleworks Innovation Centre Launch"

Lesley Cheng, CEO and Co-Founder of Excelligent, spoke on the Female Founders Panel at Eagleworks LIVE — a high-energy afternoon bringing together over 280 industry professionals, researchers, students, and entrepreneurs to explore the power of partnerships and innovation.

March 2026 Read →

AWARD La Trobe University

"Lesley Cheng awarded Women of Colour in STEM Award"

Dr Lesley Cheng, CEO and co-founder of Excelligent, has been named among winners in the 2025 Women of Colour in STEM Awards — celebrating achievements across 15 STEM categories including leadership, scientific research, engineering excellence, and academic rising stars.

October 2025 Read →

LAUNCH La Trobe University

"Excelligent launches with $1M investment from the Eagle Fund"

Excelligent was announced as one of the first two recipients of support from the Eagle Fund — a $1 million grant through La Trobe University's partnership with government agency Breakthrough Victoria, accelerating development of the blood-based diagnostic platform.

March 2025 Read →

PATENT Excelligent

Excelligent Patent Granted

A patent covering Excelligent's key technology for neurodegenerative disease diagnosis has been granted in Australia and Europe, strengthening our intellectual property position as we advance toward clinical validation.

March 2026 Read →

CONFERENCE Bio2026

Excelligent CEO and Board Chair attending Bio2026

Lesley Cheng (CEO) and Andy Hill (Board Chair) will be attending Bio2026 in San Diego, USA from 22–25 June. Reach out via our contact form if you would like to arrange a meeting with us.

June 2026 Learn more →

COMING SOON  

More news on the way

We're growing fast. Check back soon for the latest updates, or get in touch to find out what we're working on.

 

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Media enquiries
For interview requests, backgrounders, or press assets, please contact us at info@excelligentdx.com
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Contact us

Let's start a conversation

Whether you're a clinician, investor, researcher, or potential partner — we'd love to hear from you.

Email info@excelligentdx.com
Based in Melbourne, Australia
Investor relations info@excelligentdx.com
Supported by

Excelligent is proudly supported by La Trobe University and Breakthrough Victoria through the Eagle Fund — accelerating the development of blood-based diagnostics for neurodegenerative diseases.