Tell us about your background.
My background is in computational biology and bioinformatics, which I studied at ETH Zürich. I then went on to combine my fascination for cancer research and my data analysis skills and joined the research group of Prof. Bernd Bodenmiller for my PhD. We used highly multiplex tissue imaging in order to characterize tumors and better understand their biology, the different tumor subtypes and the complex interactions between tumor and immune cells. Throughout my PhD I analyzed datasets of large patient cohorts and was able to show the remarkable potential of this type of data in explaining different patient outcomes such as drug response or survival.
What gap did you and the team identify that led to the founding of Navignostics?
Thanks to advances in oncology drug development, there are close to 200 already approved targeted therapies against cancer. Most of these drugs target specific proteins on tumor cells or the interplay between tumor and immune cells. Whether an individual patient will respond to a given drug therefore depends on which proteins are expressed on the tumor cells and how the immune cells interact with the tumor.
Without the proper tools to understand each individual tumor in detail, it becomes a daunting task for clinicians to decide which one of these many drugs or even which combination will optimally benefit their patient. This is why we bring our novel tumor analysis approach into clinical diagnostics to inform personalized treatment decisions for patients.
Was it a seamless transition from academia to entrepreneurship? What motivated you to pull the trigger?
The transition was gradual. Still part of academia, we had the chance to demonstrate the usefulness of our workflows and data in the routine clinical setting when we took part in the Tumor Profiler study. This was a large collaborative project that included several research groups at the University of Zürich and ETHZ, Roche and the university hospitals Zurich and Basel.
During this trial, we received tumor samples of advanced cancer patients, analyzed them and returned a summary report to the molecular tumor board that considered our data in their treatment decision. The feedback that we received from these clinicians about our data was so incredibly positive that it prompted us to start our company Navignostics in order to develop a product to inform treatment decisions and benefit cancer patients more broadly.
Navignostics is at the forefront of precision cancer diagnostics. Could you explain in layman’s terms what spatial single-cell proteomics is? How is it different to traditional cancer diagnostic methods?
Cancer drugs typically target proteins on tumor cells or the interplay between tumor and immune cells. Given the large number of available cancer drugs targeting different proteins, many possible targets must be measured in a tumor to decide on the optimal drug for each patient.
Standard immunohistochemistry tests require a separate tissue section per each tested marker, which becomes a problem when cancer tissue is scarce. Consequently, these tests are only used to recognize a small fraction of tumor features that can be targeted by drugs. On the other hand, genomic tests assess hundreds of markers, but they provide only an indirect indication of the drug targets, which are proteins. These currently available tests simply don’t provide enough information for clinicians to make optimally informed therapy decisions for each patient.
This is where Navignostics comes in. We use highly multiplex protein imaging meaning that we can simultaneously measure up to 50 different proteins in a single tissue section at single-cell resolution. This allows us to understand in detail which drug targets are expressed on tumor cells, which drug evasion mechanisms are active and how tumor and immune cells are interacting in each tumor. The latter is particularly important for immunotherapy treatment decisions. Immunotherapies have shown great promise and long-term benefit to certain patients but unfortunately, the response rates are as low as 20%. Given the high costs of immunotherapies and the severe side effects, it is particularly important to use tests like ours to better identify responders.
What do you see as the biggest challenges in integrating spatial proteomics into mainstream cancer treatment protocols?
Introducing a novel type of data to clinical diagnostics comes with inherent challenges:
- Clinicians, regulators, health insurers and other stakeholders have to be educated and get acquainted with a new data type.
- As there is currently no similar test available on the market, it is up to us to establish the path to validate our approach and convince regulators of it.
- Establishing reimbursement for novel types of tests that do not fit pre-existing categories can be a very lengthy process.
Having said that, I am convinced that we are able to overcome every one of these challenges. Particularly the overwhelming support of the clinicians that we are experiencing tells us that we are developing a product that is desperately needed. We are already providing clinicians at various large clinics in CH and EU with our data as part of clinical trials. And our first diagnostic product is scheduled to reach the CH market in 2025.
With the rapid pace of innovation in biotech, what are the next milestones for Navignostics in terms of product development and market expansion?
As we are bringing our first product to the CH marker, we are already planning our US expansion. Currently, we are establishing collaboration projects with the largest US clinics and are planning the build-up of our first US lab to service the US market upon achieving FDA approval for our test. We have already been engaged in pre-submission discussions with the FDA and are excited to take this next big step in our company development.
What were the top two challenges you faced while building the Swiss team?
Originally, we were 4 co-founders of Navignostics. Now, 2.5 years later, we are a team of 16 people and still growing.
The first challenge was really to find a place to build up our labs and offices with enough space so that we would not have to move again soon. Luckily, we found the perfect location in Horgen (Zurich area) which is part of the growing network and provided us with enough space and the right infrastructure to build up our operations and grow our team.
When building our team, we have consistently been very fortunate in being able to attract world-class scientists, software developers, technicians and business professionals. We are very proud of our amazing team and the great work atmosphere. This is likely a reflection of the founders forming an excellent and very collaborative team from the very beginning. We simply work on a personal and professional level. That is key.
Outside of work, what are some of your personal interests or hobbies that help you maintain balance?
Dancing has been an important hobby of mine throughout my life. It’s a great balance to work because it forces you to be in the moment. Irrespective of the type of dance, I can truly forget about work when I am dancing.
Any final remarks/advice?
I have taken several turns in my career that have always turned out to be an enrichment. Purely a scientist by training, I never anticipated to start a company one day. But when the opportunity presented itself, both I and my co-founders did not hesitate and embarked with great excitement and energy on this journey. Being thrown into the cold water and learning (by doing) every last detail of what it takes to build a company, has been the greatest enrichment yet. I have not regretted the decision for a single day.