Parithera receives an Innogrant
© 2021 EPFL
The EPFL Tech Launchpad is pleased to announce they have granted an award of CHF100,000 to Parithera – an EPFL-startup which improves the efficacy of cancer treatment through an advanced method of treatment monitoring.
Over 90% of cancer patients die due to treatment resistance – when the cancer cells themselves rewire or reprogram themselves to become resistant to treatments that were previously effective. In order to treat their patients, doctors need to know what form of resistance is present. This is currently done through tissue biopsy – an invasive and restricted technique. Twenty percent of cancer patients are not eligible for tissue biopsy, another 20% run into complications as a result of the procedure.
Coming from the EPFL Microsystems Laboratory 4, the Parithera team, Antoine Herzog and Weida Chen, have developed a method of studying circulating tumour cells (CTCs) – cells which have detached from a solid tumor and are travelling in the blood stream. These cells can be retrieved through a liquid biopsy. Through nano- and microfluidic technology the team have created a process to analyse and process very small samples, opening up the possibilities of quicker and easier diagnosis. The team will use their grant to de-risk their project before their first funding round.