TimeTeller: Revolutionary saliva tests are changing medicine!

TimeTeller: Revolutionary saliva tests are changing medicine!

TimeTeller GmbH has attracted the attention of the healthcare industry with an innovative idea. The Hamburg startup has fought for a place in the top 3 at the German Founder Prize 2025 in the StartUp category. Over 100 applications were evaluated by a jury, which dealt intensively with the future of the healthcare sector. TimeTeller is developing a non-invasive saliva test that is used to determine the individual circadian rhythm of patients. This has the potential to significantly revolutionize medical practice, particularly in the treatment of cancer.

The goal of TimeTeller is to optimally coordinate therapies in order to reduce side effects and increase treatment success. The founders, Dr. Benjamin Dose (COO) and Prof. Dr. Angela Relógio (CEO), on a paramedical approach that focuses on the patients' personal biology. The Management School Hamburg (MSH) supports TimeTeller in this ambitious vision with scientific expertise, laboratory infrastructure and interdisciplinary research that focuses in particular on chronomedicine and personalized therapies.

Chronomedicine and its importance

Chronomedicine, the study of human biological rhythms, is becoming increasingly important within medical research. TimeTeller aims at a paradigm shift away from rigid therapy regimens and towards personalized therapy approaches. The non-invasive saliva test combines mathematical models, artificial intelligence and molecular biological evaluations to measure the body's drug receptivity. The programs supporting the company also pursued regulatory goals in order to ensure the marketability of the system.

The system is particularly important for highly effective drugs that are often associated with high side effects, such as in oncology. Initial clinical studies in Germany and Portugal have shown promising results. But the use of chronomedicine could also help improve quality of life in other diseases such as chronic fatigue or Parkinson's. In addition, the system is also used in elite sports to optimize performance.

Cooperation partners and support

TimeTeller GmbH's time diagnosis is based on the delivery of saliva samples at different times of the day, whose RNA molecules are examined. The results achieved form a personal rhythm profile that enables the optimization of medication, sleep, nutrition, exercise and light. The MSH promotes the meaningfulness of this research through its close collaboration with TimeTeller. What is particularly noteworthy is that the German Founder's Prize is supported by renowned partners such as Sparkasse, ZDF, Porsche AG and the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection also makes significant contributions here.

The award ceremony for the German Founder's Prize will take place on September 9, 2025 in the ZDF capital studio. This will be an opportunity for TimeTeller to showcase their remarkable advances and innovations. [MSH reports] In addition, the potential of chronomedicine is examined, which has already become more relevant in the USA, while Germany is still at the beginning of such approaches [Spectrum reports].

Time management when taking medication is not only important for patients with cancer, but also for many other diseases. Circadian rhythms are crucial for drug effectiveness, which has been proven by various scientific studies. Therapists and patients are encouraged to consider the novel approaches of chronomedicine to maximize therapeutic success. [German Founder Award reports]