Carcinotech

Can you tell us a bit about your background and how you came to set up Carcinotech?

Carcinotech came out of an idea that I had during my masters in regenerative medicine. Having also worked in cancer diagnostics and stem cell therapy for a while, I’d seen that it takes about 10 to 15 years for a drug to get from lab to market, which is a very long time for someone waiting for innovative cancer treatments. I wanted to make a difference

Has your focus changed since we spoke to you in Summer 2021?

The vision is definitely still the same – to be able to provide rapid testing options for new cancer treatments. We create 3D printed tumours using patient biopsies to provide a platform for rapid, ethical, sustainable and accurate drug testing. We isolate the cells that are responsible for maintaining those tumours, while also replicating the immune system environments for a more accurate model.

Who would you like to benefit?

We are aiming to support pharmaceutical companies with drug discovery and testing and, in the long-term, want to have an impact on patients directly by offering treatment tailored to them. That’s something we can’t do overnight, but we’re already working on it with pharma companies and contract research organisations, providing them with accurate, rapid models – helping drugs reach the market faster.

What does a technology like Carcinotech’s bring to cancer researchers across the UK?

So far, we’ve got some great feedback from the companies and surgeons we’ve been working with and can see there’s a strong need for our models both in the UK and beyond. We’re working with companies in the US and Europe too.

Carcinotech’s aims align well with the Usher Institute’s focus on innovation in health care, have you found a connection with them helpful?

Through our introduction to the Usher Institute we were able to work collaboratively with surgeons - something that helps validate our technology in real world settings and also allows us to evolve our business plan, so we’re catering to hospitals as well as pharma and CROs. We are currently speaking with surgeons in a whole range of different cancer areas and are looking to expand our portfolio.

What role have the University of Edinburgh and AI Accelerator played in your entrepreneurial journey?

The Accelerator came at the right time for us because we were looking to scale up, and now that we are closing our investment round and getting new funds, we’re ready to grow. The pitching sessions allowed us to tailor our pitches for investors, but also for other audiences. And all the sessions on topics such as sales and marketing commercialisation gave us the knowledge that we needed to get there.

What is next for Carcinotech?

Next is a round of hiring. We’ve already got a few great scientists on board and we’re looking to expand the scientific, commercial, marketing and the sales teams