The
Boston-based startup ConquerX is developing an innovative medical device that
can detect up to 18 types of cancer. The device, called MetaChip, is an
optimized, proprietary electrochemical biosensor that use a blood sample to
detect microRNAs. A blood sample is simply taken from the patient, placed on
the MetaChip, which is put on a portable sensor-reader to get results within 15
minutes.
The minimally
invasive test is the first pan-cancer blood test that is able to detect tumor
cells before any tumor appears on imaging. It does not require any
amplification or sequencing, allowing the technology to be performed for at
least 3x lower cost than competing technologies. In proof of concept tests in
10 breast cancer patients, the cutting-edge technology presented a sensitivity
of 83%, specificity of 99% and accuracy of 90%.
Currently
available tests are time-consuming, expensive and require trained technicians
to perform, and still cannot detect types like pancreatic and ovarian cancer. ConquerX is developing an accurate, portable and
cost-effective test that enable early detection of multiple cancers at
point-of-care. Their MetaChip technology is a game-changing approach to cancer diagnostics
and screening, which could help diagnose 18 different types of cancers at an
early stage, potentially saving millions of lives worldwide. And since it does
not involve extensive sample preparation by lab specialists or expensive equipment,
it could potentially increase access to proper cancer diagnostics in low-resource
and rural settings.
The startup
was founded by Deborah Zanforlin, Jorge Sánchez López, Jakub Chudik and To Nhu
Huynh, a diverse team with a belief in using innovative technology to benefit
humanity. The partnership grew out of the MITx Global Entrepreneurship Bootcamp
2015, where they won the People’s Choice Startup Award and placed second in the
final pitch competition. They have later been a semifinalist of the MIT Sloan Healthcare Innovations Prize, and a finalist of MassChallenge Boston. ConquerX
is currently looking for partnerships and research collaborations to get
validation data on lung cancer blood samples.