Staying ahead of the technology curve means strengthening your competitive advantage. That is why we give you data-driven innovation insights into the healthcare industry. This time, you get to discover 5 hand-picked cancer diagnostics solutions.
Global Startup Heat Map highlights 5 Top Cancer Diagnostics Solutions out of 835
The insights of this data-driven analysis are derived from the Big Data & Artificial Intelligence-powered StartUs Insights Discovery Platform, covering 2.093.000+ startups & scaleups globally. The platform gives you an exhaustive overview of emerging technologies & relevant startups within a specific field in just a few clicks.
The Global Startup Heat Map below reveals the distribution of the 835 exemplary startups & scaleups we analyzed for this research. Further, it highlights 5 cancer diagnostics startups that we hand-picked based on criteria such as founding year, location, funding raised, and more. You get to explore the solutions of these 5 startups & scaleups in this report. For insights on the other 830 cancer diagnostics solutions, get in touch.
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SAGA Diagnostics delivers Digital Polymerase Chain Reaction (dPCR)
Technologies for cancer screening require high accuracy and precision to ensure minimal false positives and false negatives. Traditional PCR-based diagnostics evaluate single samples, leading to a large number of false negatives. Increasingly, startups are utilizing dPCR for cancer diagnosis. This separates samples into partitions and performs PCR for each partition. By increasing the range of samples checked, these solutions improve the overall accuracy of the test.
Swedish startup SAGA Diagnostics uses dPCR for cancer detection. The startup’s technology, SAGAsafe, detects and quantifies mutations with sensitivity as high as 0.001% mutant allele frequency. Further, SAGAsafe points out the tissue of origin where mutations occur while reducing false negatives. SAGAsafe enables accurate detection of multiple cancers through a non-invasive in-vitro diagnostic kit (IVD).
Biofidelity advances Sequencing and Assay Technology
With the rise in genomic research, unprecedented amounts of genetic information on diseases and infections are now available. This data allows researchers to run tests comparing gene expression in a sample against the marker data for a particular disease or infection. Startups build solutions to analyze genomic data to detect the presence of cancerous cells. For example, mutant genome assays increase the scope of early detection of multiple cancers using non-invasive procedures.
British startup Biofidelity develops solutions that detect cancers through sequencing technology and assays. The startup’s sequencing method, Allele-Specific PYrophosphorolysis Reaction (ASPYRE) leverages its cancer assay library to detect mutations. As a result, the solution improves the sensitivity of diagnosis of colorectal, head and neck, breast, and other cancers, by detecting tumor markers to 0.1% allele fraction.
Cyclomics develops Circulating Tumor DNA (ctDNA) Solutions
Cell-free DNA allows screening and detecting diseases, including cancers, through liquid biopsies and tissue samples. However, ctDNA provides more accurate insights on the progression of cancer via liquid biopsies. Originating directly from circulating tumor cells, ctDNA is an indicator of both the presence of cancer and the tissue of origin. This is why startups develop cancer screening solutions that detect ctDNA, especially for non-small cell lung cancer and breast cancer.
Cyclomics is a Dutch startup that delivers ctDNA-based assays for detecting head and neck cancers (HNC). Cyclomics’ CyclomicsSeq TP53 technology is an IVD kit integrating a sequencing methodology and analysis software to detect DNA mutations in the TP53 gene. The startup uses proprietary DNA adapters and enzyme blends to capture ctDNA molecules and circularize them. The circular DNA is then amplified by rolling circle amplification. As a result, CyclomicsSeq TP53 allows physicians to monitor cancer treatment response and recurrence of HNC.
AGCT uses Quantitative PCR-based Assay (qPCR)
Non-invasive PCR analyzes the presence of cancer in cells by quantifying the levels of mRNA for particular genes. This leads to misleading or ambiguous results as even trace amounts of contaminant DNA are amplified. Because of this, startups develop solutions using qPCR which monitors the DNA amplification in real-time, decreasing ambiguity. For example, qPCR accurately detects the presence of cancer cells by analyzing relative gene expression at each amplification cycle in the PCR.
Based out of Germany, AGCT is a startup employing qPCR techniques for cancer screening and diagnosis. AGCT’s cyberPCR technology detects mutant genomes at the amplification step of the PCR. Along with sensitive and specific molecular assays, cyberPCR helps in cancer imaging. Moreover, cyberPCR discriminates between mutant and wild-type DNA, decreasing the chances of false positives or false negatives.
Enrich Bioscience provides DNA Methylation Solutions
Cells in primary tumors undergo hypermethylation of different CG sites, which serve as markers for increased risk of cancer relapse. Due to DNA methylation, protein-coding genes reflect these epigenetic changes. These epigenetic biomarkers stand out from the regular CG site methylations that the DNA methylation maintenance machinery generally resolves. Healthcare startups use methylation-specific PCR (MSP) to detect methylation sites in genetic sequences and also predict the presence of cancerous cells.
Enrich Bioscience is a Canadian startup developing DNA methylation detection solutions for cancer diagnosis. Requiring small amounts of sample DNA for testing, the startup’s test detects anomalous DNA methylation and produces accurate and specific methylation data. It selectively analyzes cancer-derived signals as compared to markers for healthy DNA. This allows the startup to perform accurate, non-invasive cancer screening for individuals.
Discover more Healthcare Startups
Healthcare startups, such as the examples highlighted in this report, focus on digital and quantitative PCR technologies, as well as DNA sequencing and assay-based solutions. While all of these technologies play a major role in understanding and treating cancer, they only represent the tip of the iceberg. To explore more HealthTech or MedTech solutions, simply get in touch to let us look into your areas of interest. For a more general overview, you can download our free Healthcare Innovation Report to save your time and improve strategic decision-making.
