MADx: Setting the Gold Standard in Allergy Diagnostics

Nuts in a restaurant? Pets at friends’ homes? Or every spring a miserable cycle of sneezing, itching and a runny nose?
Allergies affect around 20–30% of the world’s population, yet many cases remain unclear or are diagnosed far too late. Traditional tests such as the prick test are uncomfortable and often deliver inconclusive results. Other diagnostic methods are costly, time‑consuming or involve medical risks. Vienna‑based Macro Array Diagnostics (MADx) shows how modern allergy diagnostics can be faster, more precise – and far more patient‑friendly.

Founded in Vienna in 2016, MADx addresses this challenge with a clear ambition: using just a small blood sample, physicians can analyse up to 300 allergens at once and obtain a comprehensive sensitisation profile from the very beginning. This saves time, reduces uncertainty and supports more targeted treatment decisions.

What sets MADx apart is its molecular approach. Its flagship product, ALEX, combines allergen extracts with molecular allergens – not as an either/or solution, but as a complementary system. This enables physicians to distinguish between “genuine” allergies and cross‑reactions, assess the risk of severe reactions more accurately, plan immunotherapies more precisely and refine dietary recommendations.

Allergies are among the most common chronic diseases worldwide, yet many patients still do not receive an accurate diagnosis or effective treatment. MADx aims to simplify diagnostic and therapeutic decision‑making and, in doing so, significantly reduce the burden on modern healthcare systems.

Christian Harwanegg has dedicated his entire professional career to developing and commercialising allergy testing concepts. After growing a startup into a globally market‑leading company, he deliberately returned to the startup world by founding MADx.
Over the past nine years, MADx has evolved from a garage project into an internationally established brand, now active in more than 60 countries worldwide.

MADx does not offer individual tests alone, but comprehensive solutions covering the entire allergy diagnostic process. Its portfolio includes three test systems:

• ALEX – multiplex allergy testing
• FOX – diagnostics for food intolerances
• PAX – veterinary allergy testing for cats, dogs and horses

In addition, MADx develops and produces processing systems for laboratories of different sizes, provides software for result management (RAPTOR Server) and diagnostic interpretation (RAVEN), and offers a broad range of services. These include the MADx Academy, an e‑learning platform for physicians, and a patient portal. Through this portal, physicians can derive personalised lifestyle and nutrition recommendations tailored to each sensitisation profile.

MADx follows a holistic approach, covering the entire value chain – from testing and materials to data interpretation and clinical decision support.

For Christian Harwanegg, Vienna can be summed up in one word: home. Born here, educated here and staying by choice – because the city is safe, family‑friendly and particularly strong in the life sciences. As a location for life‑science companies and research, Vienna operates at a higher level than many would expect at first glance: excellent science, highly qualified talent, a central European location and a vibrant ecosystem.

MADx financed its growth through a mix of national and European funding, a business angel and an early, consistent market entry generating initial revenues. Since March 2020, the team has been working at its current site in Vienna’s 23rd district, with more than 1,100 m² of state‑of‑the‑art laboratory and office space.

The Vienna Business Agency supported MADx with advisory services at various stages of development – from location decisions to long‑term growth planning. Targeted funding programmes also helped drive the expansion of the site and strengthen the infrastructure needed for the company’s next growth phase.