Periodic Reporting for period 1 - Metachip (A pan-cancer diagnostic platform based on nanobiotechnology and machine learning for simple and accessible early cancer detection)
Reporting period: 2019-02-01 to 2019-05-31
CQX LAB Ltd (ConquerX) is a UK Biotech Company established in 2016 and pioneering the development of a disruptive technology for in-vitro screening of cancer at early stages. Their Metachip pan-cancer diagnostic platform for early cancer detection will revolutionize the healthcare system for cancer screening, enabling for the first time to screen multiple cancer types simultaneously, at the pre-symptomatic stage, from a simple blood sample. The team is now working towards the optimisation of the system for accurate and reliable detection of the most common cancer types. The key objectives of the development are to optimise the Metachip platform; to set-up an industrial assembly line; to clinically validate the system in collaboration with hospitals and cancer centres; and to obtain CE mark certification of the Metachip as an in-vitro diagnostic device.
Throughout the duration of the project, ConquerX defined the users’ requirements for Metachip hardware and software implementation, reviewed the product development plan, defined the scale-up activities, and scouted for hospitals to support in the clinical validation stages. The market segments and opportunities have also been evaluated, defining the TAM and SAM, and a commercialisation strategy has been established. The Phase 1 feasibility assessment showed that a development plan for Metachip is technically and commercially viable, and that implementation of a commercialisation plan should be pursued. SME Instrument Phase 2 funding could provide the correct amount of funding and support to allow the stated activities to be implemented successfully.
Cancer is the second highest cause of death in the EU, with more than 1.3 million deaths attributable to cancer each year. Early detection of cancer is crucial to increasing the chances of survival for patients. For example, the average cancer survival rate is 83% when caught early and only 17% when diagnosed at an advanced stage. This is compounded by the difficulty and expense of screening for early stage cancers: in fact, there is still no commercially available general test for detecting any type of cancer before symptoms present themselves. Staggeringly, 52% of cancer deaths are due to a lack of preventative tests. The EC has made screening and detection of early-stage cancers a crucial part of a coordinated policy to reduce the impact of treatment and early death. Metachip will be the first solution for healthcare systems offering a cost-effective test that can be incorporated into screening programmes, thus enabling early diagnosis and prompt interventions before the clinical situation becomes highly compromised. This will contribute substantially to reducing the €51 billion that the EU spends on cancer treatment annually and save millions of lives across the continent and the globe.