Diagnostics

Biocartis CSO Geert Maertens gives an overview of the progress and future prospects of the company.

Up to 1 billion people in the world suffer from neurological disorders. Currently, many brain scans are still evaluated by visual inspection. Quantification of different biomarkers in these brain scans can improve diagnosis, patient monitoring and, eventually, patient outcome. The Leuven-based company Icometrix provides software to bring quantification of brain scans into clinical trials and clinical practice. We should stop eye-balling images of brain scans and step into the world of quantitative analysis.

Grail has vowed to change the field of cancer diagnostics via simple blood tests and ctDNA analysis. Their Big Data approach, in which the company will build an atlas of DNA found in the blood, convinced major investors, such as Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos, of the technology’s potential. A whopping $1 billion was gathered in the company’s series B financing round. Yet, do Grail and its technology deserve this huge ticket?