In a world where cancer incidence continues to rise, the urgency to transform its management into a survivable journey has become more crucial than ever. In this critical pursuit, iCellate Medical AB emerges as a game-changer in the realm of personalized cancer diagnostics. With an unwavering commitment to revolutionizing the field, the company is at the forefront of medical technology, paving the way for more effective detection and monitoring of cancer.
Founded on the principle that every patient’s journey is unique, iCellate harnesses the power of advanced liquid biopsy technology to provide unparalleled insights into cancer progression. By leveraging the potential of circulating tumor cells (CTCs), iCellate has developed an innovative platform that enables precise and non-invasive analysis at the cellular level.
With the company’s groundbreaking solutions, healthcare professionals not only gain invaluable tools to optimize treatment strategies and monitor therapeutic responses tailored to each patient’s individual profile, but also feel empowered with unprecedented knowledge. This way, the company is thus shaping the future of cancer care, offering hope and improved outcomes to patients around the world.
In an interview with Insights Care, Pelle Redare, the CEO of iCellate shares in depth about its groundbreaking contributions towards personalized cancer diagnostics, thus transforming the landscape of cancer management, making survival a reality for more people.
Following are the excerpts from the interview.
Kindly tell us about your journey and inspiration behind venturing into the medical device sector.
While iCellate marks the beginning of my time in the oncology space, my career in the medical device field began decades ago. There is something so utterly personal about working for the betterment of individuals’ lives. Diagnostic development is a long journey, but I find endurance in the possibility of making a personal impact.
Brief us about the company. How is it contributing to the existing needs of healthcare? What solution is it bringing to the table?
iCellate strives to reduce cancer mortality through early detection and actionable tumor profiling so that cancer can be treated with precision. The earlier we can intervene in the cancer lifecycle, and the more specifically we can target the cancer cells – while sparing healthy ones – the more likely we are to survive cancer. As cancer incidence rises the key to its management is to make it survivable.
Give us an idea about the company’s services/products. What is the process of innovating medical devices at the company? What demographics is the company serving?
iCellate’s core technology, CellMate®, detects circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in a regular sample of blood. CTCs are known for being the mechanism by which tumors metastasize, or migrate to other parts of the body, but CTCs are even detectable before symptoms arise.
Our long-term goal is to implement our platform for early cancer detection in high-risk groups and, if successful, cancer screening in the general population. Our current focus is to detect CTCs in patients who already have a cancer diagnosis or suspicion of cancer, but whose tumors require further profiling in order to select the most appropriate treatment for the patient. Our ongoing dialogue with clinical oncologists, patient organizations, and the pharmaceutical industry help inform which clinical questions to tackle next.
Can you elaborate upon the core values on which the company is built and what is its mission?
The company’s guiding principle is Patient First. Afterall, our mission to reduce cancer mortality is about prolonging the lives of individuals. Developing and validating an early detection or screening tool is a long journey with a high burden of evidence. With a Patient First-mindset we build endurance and drive to ultimately reach our goal.
What specific endeavors is the company leading at present? Why do you find those essential in the arena of care?
With our CTC platform, CellMate®, we’re developing the first liquid biopsy alternative for the detection of targetable tumor antigens. Many of us are familiar with the promise of and advancements in precision oncology, or the tailored treatment of cancer patients based on their biomarker status. The first wave of precision medicine for cancer patients targets genomic biomarkers we call driver mutations. Pharmaceutical pipelines are now filling up with new assets that target protein biomarkers, for example tumor antigens. The measurement of protein expression has historically required a tissue biopsy, which is difficult to obtain in many cancer types. CellMate® offers multiplexed protein expression analysis with a standard blood draw, expanding diagnostic access to more patients.
What are some of the challenges that the company faces when conducting its operations and how does it turn them into opportunities for growth?
The early development years can feel like a chicken and egg dilemma. Investors want to see clinical evidence, but a lot of development work is required before generating meaningful clinical data. Diagnostic development is resource intensive and requires capital, so we need to translate early development milestones into something that shows early investors our technology is advancing. This has forced us to be thoughtful of how we prioritize our development work and utilize the resources we have – lessons we’ll continue to draw upon as grow and advance.
What advice would you like to give to budding entrepreneurs and enthusiasts who desire to engage into the medical devices sector?
Love what you do! It will take three times as long as you think and be five times as expensive. Know what motivates you and why you’re doing what you’re doing. Talk about it! Revisit your mission statement at every company meeting. Ask new team members what it means to them and share what it means to you. This is hard work and reminders and new perspectives help.
How do you envision scaling the company’s services and operations in 2023 and beyond?
This year our focus is on generating clinical data to secure commercial partnerships with pharmaceutical companies and attract new investment. When commercial volume demands, we’ll prioritize operational scale-up, throughput, and automation.
