2023-04-21 07:54:46
By relying on molecular biology, OncoDiag company teams are now able to develop new, much simpler and more effective cancer screening and monitoring tests. Scientific work that greatly improves patient care, thus saving many lives.
Precise and non-invasive tests for the early diagnosis of cancer
Since its creation in 2013, OncoDiag has been designing and developing “new generation” cancer diagnostic tests. The goal? To allow as many people as possible to have access to less restrictive and less painful tests, in order to increase the rate of early detection of cancers.
«The difficulty of certain tests puts off many people who refuse to take them, which is a real problem in the fight against cancer! Our desire at OncoDiag was therefore to use molecular biology to design non-invasive but equally reliable tests, and thus avoid many early deaths.», explains Claude Hennion, the founder of OncoDiag.
Among its many research projects, the OncoDiag company is currently working on tests related to bladder cancer. With a recurrence rate of around 80% at five years, this cancer must be monitored over time to prevent patients from any risk of relapse. People must then perform a cystoscopy every three months: a restrictive medical procedure consisting of inserting a camera into their bladder. Faced with the arduousness of this repeated intervention, some patients today refuse to carry out this control test, therefore increasing the risk of recurrence and worsening of the cancer. To respond to this problem, the company has managed to develop a urine test allowing patients to carry out this check much more easily.
«Tumor cells are less adhesive to the walls of the bladder than normal cells, which will allow us to find them in a patient’s urine. A simple PCR test then allows us to analyze and determine the genetic signature of the cells in order to detect early the recurrence of bladder cancer.».
Tests for colon and prostate cancer
The OncoDiag teams have also succeeded in developing a screening test for prostate cancer. If the current screening for this cancer consists of analyzing the level of PSA – a hormone secreted by the prostate – in the blood of a patient, this often gives rise to many “false positives”, and consequently a rate of low reliability. Thanks to its research work around molecular biology, the company OncoDiag will soon offer a new blood test that is much more effective, making it possible to detect the disease more easily and above all much more quickly.
Non-invasive tests for the early diagnosis of cancers OncoDiag
Regarding colon cancer, its screening is now considered by many health professionals as a failure. “Patients are asked to collect a sample of their stool to send to the laboratory. Result: only 30% of people perform this test, and two thirds of 50-74 year olds are never screened. However, it is a silent cancer that can develop over several years, early detection can treat it very well!”.
OncoDiag is currently completing the development of a brand new blood test with better acceptability among people, as well as very good performance in terms of screening. “Gastroenterology experts tell us: if our test lives up to its promise, we will have the ability to eradicate virtually all serious cases of colorectal cancer!»
The commercial development of OncoDiag
To continue to develop its research work, a large part of OncoDiag’s activity is now dedicated to seeking funding and new partners around the world.
Here, the company can count on several “business angels” wishing to invest in a project with a strong social and societal impact; but also on the BPI (Banque Publique d’Investissement) and on the Normandy Region, which have supported the structure since the very beginning and on a regular basis, to finance research work and numerous clinical trials. Finally, OncoDiag benefits from the research tax credit (CIR).
«Our goal for the coming months is to strengthen our commercial activity and make these new screening tests known to as many people as possible, so that we can eventually distribute them all over the world!» concludes the President of OncoDiag, Claude Hennion.
While medical advances around cancer screening continue to progress, the French company OncoDiag appears today as a benchmark player capable of developing new non-invasive tests improving the diagnosis and screening of the disease, while providing patients with optimal and much more acceptable testing conditions. Scientific progress at the service of well-being and the preservation of human lives: such could be the slogan of the company with a mission.
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