TimeTeller Uses Circadian Biology to Personalize Treatment Timing and Cancer Therapy

German health technology startup TimeTeller has developed a saliva-based diagnostic kit to analyze an individual's circadian rhythm, aiming to optimize the timing of medical treatments according to biological clocks. Founded by molecular biologist and physicist-engineer Angela Relógio, the company aims to integrate circadian biology into precision medicine, particularly in oncology, TechCrunch reported.

Relógio established TimeTeller after years of academic research focused on systems medicine, oncology, and circadian biology in Germany. During her work, she observed that many cancer patients interrupted or abandoned therapies due to severe side effects. Hypothesizing that administering drugs according to a patient's biological clock could reduce adverse effects and boost treatment efficacy, she developed the core diagnostic method and personally financed its initial patent.

The startup originally spun out of Berlin’s Charité university hospital before moving to Medical School Hamburg. The institution provides TimeTeller with research funding, access to patient cohorts, and backup employment for the startup’s 10-person team if necessary.

While TimeTeller's long-term objective is calculating precise administration schedules for individual pharmaceuticals through clinical studies, the company is already accepting direct orders. Early commercial demand has come from longevity clinics, which use circadian rhythm data to offer personalized guidance on sleep, nutrition, light exposure, and physical activity.

Beyond oncology and preventive health, TimeTeller plans to explore applications in metabolic disorders such as diabetes, neurodegenerative conditions including Alzheimer’s disease, women's health, and athletic performance. However, establishing optimal administration schedules for cancer therapies remains its primary focus.

To drive commercialization, Relógio partnered with cofounder Benjamin Dose, a biochemist and market access specialist. The startup secured an agreement with Techniker Krankenkasse, one of Germany’s largest health insurance providers. The partnership began as a reimbursement deal covering test costs for a subset of cancer patients, with both parties preparing to expand access across the insurer's 12 million members.

Relógio presented the platform in San Francisco at TechCrunch Disrupt's Startup Battlefield competition, emphasizing that biological timing governs nearly all internal physiological processes and that determining treatment timing will be central to precision medicine.