PapGene—rebranded as Thrive Earlier Detection—has raised $110m from investors including Blue Cross Blue Shield and Third Rock, to develop a liquid biopsy capable of detecting cancer at its earliest stages. The company is also working on an oral version that can be taken orally or injected into the bloodstream. The team said they have found some cancers, but it was too early to determine the biopsy's success, and expect to release their findings after another year.
PapGene—rebranded as Thrive Earlier Detection—has raised $110m from investors including Blue Cross Blue Shield and Third Rock, to develop a liquid biopsy capable of detecting cancer at its earliest stages. Thrive aims to commercialise the work of Johns Hopkins University researchers, who are concluding a study screening 10,000 healthy women aged 65 to 75 for hidden tumours. The team said they have found some cancers, but it was too early to determine the biopsy's success, and expect to release their findings after another year.