Israeli startup OncoHost introduced at present an upsized and oversubscribed $35 million Collection C funding spherical, led by ALIVE Israel HealthTech VC, with the participation of Leumi Companions, Menora Mivtachim, OurCrowd and different current buyers.
Scientific trial outcomes have proven OncoHost’s AI-powered precision oncology platform to have remarkably excessive accuracy in assessing non-small cell lung most cancers (NSCLC) affected person response at three months, six months and one yr. Via one blood take a look at pre-treatment, the corporate’s multi-patented platform additionally gives clinicians with potential mixture methods to beat remedy resistance.
OncoHost CEO Dr. Sharon at work
OncoHost
Final yr, OncoHost CEO Dr. Ofer Sharon informed me that “For immunotherapy, a very powerful remedy modality now we have at present, the response charge on common throughout all most cancers sorts is about 20%. With all of the promise of immunotherapy, when you have ten sufferers ready in your ready room with superior most cancers, solely two shall be alive in two years.”
OncoHost combines proprietary bioinformatics, sign processing, and machine studying to carry precision medication to oncology by way of the comparatively new area of proteomics. Understanding the proteome, the construction and performance of every protein and the complexities of protein-to-protein interactions are crucial for growing the best diagnostic methods and illness therapies.
The proteomic profile ensuing from OncoHost’s evaluation of seven,000 proteins within the affected person’s plasma is extremely predictive of particular person affected person end result, enabling personalised remedy planning. It additionally helps in figuring out potential drug targets, advancing the event of novel therapeutic methods.
In a latest OurCrowd webinar on “Investing in Precision Medicine,” Dr. Sharon noticed that “most sufferers, sadly, will not be responding to remedy, and the issue is that while you begin treating your affected person, you have no idea which affected person will reply or not. Generally as much as six and even 9 months into remedy. So we’re losing plenty of time, we’re losing some huge cash. And most significantly, we’re dropping time for our sufferers.”
OncoHost’s precision oncology platform predicts the trajectory for the primary 12 months of remedy and the corporate exams have proven that the expected response and measured response meshed very carefully. As well as, by mapping resistance, OncoHost can direct physicians to the best remedy pathways, and establish potential new mixtures to mitigate resistance. “Clearly, a 78-year-old girl and a 45-year-old man will not be the identical affected person,” Dr. Sharon says. “For me, the promise of this product is the power to actually discover the best remedy for the best affected person.”
The corporate’s goal market of late-stage immunotherapy-treated most cancers sufferers represents expenditure of about $6 billion, Dr. Sharon estimates. The proteomics market is predicted to develop to $50 billion in 2027 from $21.1 billion in 2019.
“With promising and vital scientific outcomes, OncoHost’s distinctive strategy can create a brighter and higher future for the world of precision oncology, maximizing the probability of choosing the right remedy mixtures and dramatically bettering therapeutic outcomes for most cancers sufferers. We’re assured that Oncohost is about to change into a pivotal proteomics market chief in personalised oncology remedy,” Prof. Ari Shamiss, ALIVE’s co-founder and normal managing associate, stated in an announcement at present.
OncoHost continues to open further scientific trial websites world wide and shall be increasing its analysis to additional most cancers indications. PROphet, its precision oncology platform, is about to launch within the U.S. within the third quarter of 2022.
