TimeTeller saliva test tracks body clocks for personalised care
German startup TimeTeller has developed a saliva test that measures a person’s circadian rhythm, with the long-term aim of helping clinicians time treatments to patients’ internal clocks. Its founder, Angela Relógio, says this could eventually help reduce cancer-treatment side effects and improve outcomes, but the consumer test cannot currently tell patients when to take specific medicines.
TimeTeller began selling the test after interest from longevity clinics, which use circadian data to personalise advice on sleep, nutrition, light and exercise. The company has 10 employees and a partnership with German insurer Techniker Krankenkasse, which reimburses the test for some cancer patients; the partners are considering extending access to more of the insurer’s 12 million members. The startup also sees possible applications in metabolic and neurodegenerative conditions, performance and women’s health.
- TimeTeller sells a saliva test to measure circadian rhythms.
- Its long-term goal is to help clinicians time cancer treatments.
- A German insurer reimburses the test for some cancer patients.
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The body has an internal clock, known as the circadian rhythm, which helps regulate daily patterns such as sleep and hormone levels. These rhythms vary between people and can be measured using signals in saliva.
TimeTeller is a German health startup founded by Angela Relógio. Its test is being used by some longevity clinics to guide advice on sleep, food, light and exercise, and German insurer Techniker Krankenkasse reimburses it for some cancer patients.
Researchers are also studying whether treatments work better when given at particular times of day, an approach sometimes called chronotherapy. Using a person’s body clock to guide care could affect treatment side effects and outcomes, but the test does not currently tell patients when to take specific medicines.
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The case for
Mapping a person’s internal clock could eventually help clinicians time treatments more precisely, potentially reducing side effects and improving outcomes. The test may also give patients and clinicians useful information for tailoring sleep, nutrition, light and exercise advice, while insurer support could make it accessible to more people.
The case against
The clinical benefits remain prospective: the consumer test cannot yet tell patients when to take specific medicines, and claims about improved cancer outcomes have not been established in the report. Expanding use or reimbursement before its accuracy and practical benefits are clear could encourage people to treat circadian data as more actionable than it is.
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Originally published by TechCrunch as “TimeTeller puts our internal clocks at the center of personalized medicine”.