Despite the progress medicine has undergone in the last decades, cancer patients are not given equal chances to benefit from the most suitable treatments. For example, immunotherapies do not represent a cure for most patients, and tissue biopsy is not eligible for longitudinal monitoring because of its invasive nature. Parithera developed an integrated in-vitro diagnostic solution for cancer treatments’ response monitoring single blood draws to better understand diagnostics and treatments follow-up for cancer patients. Parithera’s solution comprises 3 innovations, each of them covered by a patent application from ETHZ and EPFL.
After blood collection, Parithera’s ExTrace Controller and Parithera’s ExTrace Consumable kits isolate circulating tumour cells from blood samples and prepare the sample for sequencing. The process involves a new generation of magnetic nanoparticles and an innovative droplet microfluidic technology. After sequencing, the data is analysed to find clusters of potent cells and identify their molecular signatures before an AI algorithm provides treatment recommendations to clinicians. Ultimately, the ExTrace Dx solution is a liquid biopsy diagnostic that monitors tumour evolution. It primarily targets cancer centres that need to adapt treatment regimens according to treatment response and pharmaceutical companies focusing on immuno-oncology to increase their clinical trials and design more efficient treatments.
From blood samples to the report provided to clinicians, Parithera can isolate circulating tumour cells and analyse the main resistance mechanism at the single-cell level. This approach is much less invasive than tissue biopsy and provides a more accurate tumour description. Furthermore, it allows clinicians to adapt treatment protocols and offer the proper treatment at the right time to each patient from a simple blood draw. Parithera aims at developing Circulating Tumor Cells (CTC) monitoring and liquid biopsies to better understand diagnostics and treatments follow-up for cancer patients. In addition, it offers a possibility to understand the mutation and treatment resistance of cancers during treatment cycles.
Parithera has a solid team with its founders, Antoine Herzog and Weida Chen. Both of them have been working since their PhD on Liquid Biopsies. Partithera received numerous funding to develop its technology, such as an Innosuisse grant of 450’000 Swiss Francs, an EPFL Ignition grant and 50’000 Swiss Francs from Venture Kick. Over the next 6 months, Parithera will use the FIT Tech Seed loan of 100’000 Swiss Francs to do an analytical validation of CTC isolation with clinical samples. The objective is to enable a pilot project with different pharmaceutical companies and develop the product.
(Press release)
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