Insphero to enter the personalized medicine market with a new spin-off

Despite recent advances in personalized medicine chemotherapy is in 40% of the cases still ineffective due to bad drug reaction or resistance which results in suffering and high costs for the patients and the health care system. InSphero has developed a solution for this challenge: The first in-vitro test kit for the so-called chemosensitivity testing to hospital labs.

And that’s how it works: you take a bit of the patient’s tumor material, put it in cell culture, grow “mini tumors” out of it and test them against a very broad scope of anti-cancer drugs and drug combinations. Thus, instead of doing the testing in the patient, the chemosensitivity test is done outside of the patient’s body, sparing her/him unnecessary suffering and the health care system unnecessary costs. Thus, this test provides the oncologists with valuable insights that help them to make better decisions on the most effective drug therapy for the individual patient.

InSphero’s new “Personalized Tumor Kit” is a cancer type specific kit and based on InSphero’s patented 3D microtissue technology, capable of growing three-dimensional tumors in vitro reflecting the biological mechanisms of the native tumor. Supplied to hospitals, this first all-in-one test kit enables them to provide personalized medicine to their patients.

Since InSphero needs to focus its resources on the core business and the new venture targets different customers and needs, InSphero is in the process of establishing an independent legal affiliate called InSphero Diagnostics led by Melanie Aregger. It is currently seeking for additional financing to kick of the new company.

Although the new sister company of InSphero is not officially founded yet it has already received an award: one week ago InSphero Diagnostics has won the Start-up Battle at the Startupfair.