Cancer management is undergoing a profound transformation. Precision medicine has led to significant advancements in tailoring the treatment of each tumor based on its molecular characteristics at the DNA level.
MSInsight aims to tackle the daily challenge healthcare providers face: decoding a complex biomarker at the patient’s DNA level, representative of a family of common cancers called Microsatellite Instability (MSI) cancer.
The detection of the MSI biomarker dramatically guides patient care and therapeutic choices toward an effective new treatment—immunotherapy. Indeed, oncologists need access to trusted insights to tailor their clinical decisions, which MSInsight can provide.
Nowadays, this diagnostic is systematically recommended for any newly identified tumor, regardless of the origin of the cancer tissue (pan-cancer). It also aids in the early detection of familial predispositions to develop this type of cancer (Lynch syndrome).
In clinical practice, this widespread adoption requires suitable methodologies to perform large-scale screening with high precision in pan-cancer that could potentially impact 13 million individuals worldwide yearly. And the current reference tests fall short of current needs.
Introducing a Novel Bioinformatics Platform
At MSInsight, we are shaping the future of MSI diagnosis, harnessing the potential of a high-throughput DNA analysis technology: Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS). NGS is already routinely used in clinics for other genomic biomarkers than MSI and promises to be highly efficient in evaluating MSI. However, the interpretation of the generated genomic data relies on sophisticated algorithms, and those currently available are not precise enough, resulting in diagnostic errors in up to 30% of cases, leading to dramatic consequences for patients.
In collaboration with a reputed research team in the field of MSI cancer (Inserm), extensive work has been done to understand the reasons behind the poor performance of current tests and propose new, clinically validated, and highly reliable algorithms.
We are developing MSIcare, a software incorporating state-of-the-art bioinformatics algorithms derived from our groundbreaking research. By analyzing genomic data obtained by clinical laboratories, MSIcare identifies MSI with unparalleled precision, whether from patient tumor tissue or a blood sample, and in ALL cancer types. The next stage of development will encompass the regulatory studies and certification of MSIcare, as an in vitro diagnostic medical device.
Our Ambition: To Become the One-Stop Shop MSI Diagnostic Solution
We strive to become the leading player in NGS-based MSI diagnostics, covering the entire patient journey from early detection to treatment response prediction. Our goal is to support healthcare professionals by providing reliable patient-specific information that will help monitor their patients and support their medical decision-making.
MSInsight initially targets the NGS oncology genomic testing market, estimated at $12 billion. MSInsight has significant growth potential, as the future lies in the widespread use of MSI diagnosis regardless of the stage of the disease and the tumor type, the democratization of NGS in clinical routine, and substantial investment by biopharmaceutical industries in immunotherapies targeting MSI cancers. Ultimately, our solutions will benefit hundreds of thousands of individuals worldwide, directly improving their care.
MSInsight will operate on a B2B model, engaging directly with the hospital and private NGS laboratories, specialized genomic service providers, and biopharma companies. The company has formulated a competitive pricing strategy rooted in a value-based approach. To broaden our market and reach more customers, MSInsight will collaborate with strategic distribution partners.
We anticipate achieving a revenue of over €22 million by 2030, deploying MSIcare initially in Europe and North America, and then Asia. Our strategy aims to expand into other markets with complementary applications, such as companion diagnostic tests by biopharma partnerships and genetic tests for hereditary MSI cancers.
How confident are we?
We rely on a solid medical foundation, as exposed below :
We genuinely tackle the shortcomings of market leaders. Our understanding of MSI detection complexity is robust. Independent publications and clinical demonstrations underscore our superiority to existing solutions. We have established collaborations with eminent research institutes and hospitals in the field, enabling access to unprecedented data collection for developing our models. We have partnered with diverse expert service providers for technological development, regulatory compliance, and prototyping. The current installations in labs are the bedrock of our legitimacy and are open to attractive perspectives.
Industry professionals recognize our project and take pride in it. It has garnered prizes and grants, including winning the 25th i-Lab award (€ 250k grant), progressing to the final stage of the EIC Accelerator, as well as awarding an extra €1.3 million grant to our research partner dedicated to our collaborative efforts.