Early detection of cancer is one of the keys to increasing patient survival. So is being able to anticipate possible metastases of these tumors in other parts of the body. With the aim of helping oncologists predict the prognosis of each patient, Inbiomotion, a spin-off of the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB), has developed MAF Test, a diagnostic test that, in just 36 hours, is capable of helping the specialist determine the most appropriate treatment with the aim of preventing bone metastases in breast cancer patients. A test that is already available in three centers in Barcelona: the public Hospital del Mar and Clínic, and the private International Breast Cancer Center/Pangaea Oncology.
The diagnostic test emerged from an IRB research project to understand the patterns of metastasis, that is, why certain cancers ended up spreading to other parts of the body and, furthermore, if there was any way to clinically predict the probability that breast cancer would lead to another secondary tumor. The project concluded that the MAF gene was a biomarker that could anticipate the behavior of certain tumors. Thus, its promoters decided to bet on transforming these results into a product capable of improving the lives of patients.
"The goal was to transform this scientific evidence into a product that would help the oncologist make more precise decisions about what type of treatment to follow in each case," summarizes Roger Gomis, co-founder of Inbiomotion. Thus, it was not about producing a test that would determine the possibility of metastasis, something that would only "cause anguish to the patient," but rather one that would focus on improving the prognosis and the steps to follow.
The research concluded that, when a patient is negative in the MAF Test, that is, does not present a large quantity of these genes ---something that occurs in four out of five patients---, the optimal treatment, after having removed the breast tumor, are bisphosphonates. These drugs are used to make bones more rigid, helping to prevent bone metastasis and increasing survival. In contrast, when the MAF Test is positive, the test determines that these are more aggressive tumors, so if patients are treated with bisphosphonates, their chances of survival worsen since, by having strengthened the bones and facing more aggressive cells, it is likely that new tumors will generate in other parts of the body with worse prognoses.
Until then, there was no other test on the market to help specialists decide if this treatment was the most appropriate. Based on the results of the MAF Test, in addition to other patient factors, specialists have more precise and complete information to make these types of decisions. For this reason, Gomis decided to found Inbiomotion in 2011 and commercialize this medical solution.
To finance the various clinical trials and regulatory tests necessary to launch this product on the healthcare market, the spin-off began to seek investment funds. It was at that moment that it came into contact with Joël Jean-Mairet, founding partner of Ysios Capital, an investment fund manager focused on life sciences, created in 2008 and with offices in San Sebastián and Barcelona. Just one year after the incorporation of Inbiomotion, in 2012, Ysios Capital decided to participate in the company's first financing round, of two million euros.
The operation was one of Ysios Capital's first major investments, but Jean-Mairet argues that their commitment was clear due to the market opportunity, covering an unmet need, and, on the other hand, due to the scientific evidence supporting the MAF Test, as well as its driving team, led by Gomis. The confidence was such that Ysios Capital not only decided to participate financially, but Jean-Mairet chose to join Inbiomotion as CEO, a position he has held ever since. "I decided to participate because I firmly believed in this disruptive solution and because, in addition, it reminded me of my entrepreneurial past," acknowledges Jean-Mairet, who, before joining Ysios Capital, was the founder of Glycart Biotechnology, a biotechnology company that was acquired by La Roche in 2005 for 235 million Swiss francs.
Furthermore, Jean-Mairet regrets that there is still a lack of specialized investors to support the early stages of these companies emerging from research and laboratories, which is why the management company is now seeking to raise its new Inception Bio fund, of 100 million euros, aimed at boosting Spanish companies in their early stages. Apart from Ysios Capital, which has invested about three million euros over the years, Inbiomotion has also raised capital from Alta Life Sciences, La Caixa, Bankinter, the Vila Casas Foundation, and the Institut Català de Finances (ICF).
The widespread implementation of this test could increase the survival of almost 80% of the 33,000 patients diagnosed with breast cancerWith these funds, the spin-off has been able to finance, on the one hand, the scientific studies that supported the reliability of the test ---with results that have been published in specialized journals such asThe Lancet Oncology, Journal of the National Cancer Instituteor Nature Cell Biology---, as well as its design and production, by Leica Biosystems, of the Danaher group.
"After years of research and regulatory tests, we are currently in a sweet spot because we are starting to see our test in public and private health centers in Spain," celebrates Jean-Mariet, after last year they obtained all the licenses and certifications to begin its distribution. The MAF Test is now available in three hospitals in Barcelona: the public Hospital del Mar and the Clínic Barcelona Comprehensive Cancer Center, and the private International Breast Cancer Center/Pangaea Oncology; in addition to several private centers that the HM hospital group has distributed throughout the Community of Madrid.
The goal is for this test to reach the rest of Spanish health centers, as they estimate that the widespread implementation of this test could increase the survival of almost 80% of the 33,000 patients diagnosed with breast cancer. A test with which, from the sample collected in the biopsy and in just 36 hours, the oncologist can determine the appropriate next steps for each patient.
"Its implementation in hospitals represents another step towards more effective, safe, and personalized medicine," assures Aleix Prat, director of the Clínic Barcelona Comprehensive Cancer Center. A statement with which Sònia Servitja, head of the breast cancer section of the oncology service at Hospital del Mar, agrees, assuring that the test allows "individualizing treatment to improve patient survival." The test, in fact, has not only already been applied to Spanish patients, but even specialists from Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States have sent samples from their patients.
For the test to reach more patients worldwide, Inbiomotion will follow a hybrid distribution model, combining direct sales of this test to hospitals ---as in the case of these first healthcare centers--- with sales through distributors, such as Palex Group, with whom they have a commercial agreement for Spain and Portugal. In addition to continuing to expand the number of Spanish hospitals, the goal is also to reach countries such as Portugal, Italy ---where they have reached a commercial agreement with the pharmaceutical company SPA Farma--- the United Kingdom, the Nordic countries, Brazil, or the United States, countries where they have either already signed or are closing agreements with distributors and medical insurers to continue expanding.
In fact, in the United Kingdom and South Africa, as they have already done in Spain, the goal is also to enter the public health system. In the British case, the forecast is to land in National Health Service (NHS) centers by the end of the year, although Gomis admits that entering the public hospital system requires "a lot of effort and economic resources," since the "system is very rigid when it comes to allowing new drugs to enter, having to first demonstrate their efficiency and safety." With this ambitious growth plan, the goal is to reach a turnover of 10 million euros.