Canatu Plc announces the appointment of Dr Nedal Safwat (PhD in Biochemistry) as Chief Development Officer of Canatu Plc and President of Canatu Inc, effective 9 June 2025. In his new role, Dr Safwat will lead Canatu’s Medical Diagnostics business unit and serve as a member of the Management Team.
Dr Safwat brings over 20 years of industry expertise in medical diagnostics and a strong track record in business development across leading global organisations. Most recently, he served as Vice President, Portfolio and Program Management Office at Cepheid (2025). Before that, he served as the Vice President, Head of Molecular Diagnostics Sales and Marketing – North America at QIAGEN (2021–2024), and Vice President, Marketing and Business Development at ChromaCode, Inc. (2020–2021). He also held multiple leadership roles in product development and commercial functions at bioMérieux (2009–2020).
A key milestone
“Dr Nedal Safwat’s appointment is a key milestone in establishing Canatu as a globally relevant technology company in the medical diagnostics industry. Under his leadership, we will accelerate the development of highly sensitive electrochemical biosensors for unmet needs and, crucially, generate a specific roadmap and products that vividly demonstrate the unique differentiations of Canatu’s CNT technology in medical diagnostics. This roadmap will also highlight how our technology can enable a broader range of diagnostic applications through key partnerships,” stated Juha Kokkonen, CEO, Canatu Plc.
Dr Nedal Safwat, incoming CDO and President of Canatu Inc., added: “I am honoured to join Canatu at this exciting stage of growth and innovation. The technology is perfectly positioned to address the increasing demand for point-of-care diagnostic tools and new medical applications. I look forward to working closely with the team to accelerate the development of breakthrough biosensor solutions and build strong collaborations with key industry partners.”
Medical diagnostics are expected to increasingly transition from laboratory-based testing to point-of-care (POC) solutions in various parts of the care chain. Canatu aims to become a leader in highly sensitive, rapid POC diagnostic sensors and is developing focused applications.
Canatu receives a purchase order for semiconductor inspection membranes
In other news, Canatu Plc has received a purchase order from a leading, existing semiconductor industry customer to supply inspection membranes used in Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) mask inspection. The use of these membranes reduces damage to EUV optics and enhances quality control during EUV mask inspection.
The value of the purchase order for Canatu’s CNT products is classified within the lowest quartile of the “medium” category (EUR 1.0–5.0 million) outlined in Canatu’s disclosure policy. Revenue from the order will be fully recognised in the 2025 financial year.
“We are proud to strengthen our long-standing relationship with this key customer. Since 2021, Canatu has mass-produced inspection membranes, underlining our commitment to delivering reliable, high-quality solutions that support critical quality control in the semiconductor industry,” stated Juha Kokkonen.
Today, Canatu is a leading supplier of inspection membranes for EUV mask inspection. Beyond this application, Canatu inspection membranes have potential for other quality control phases within EUV processes.