Rapid early detection of drug resistance in cancer patients

Antoine Herzog, CEO of Parithera and his prototype © 2023 Alain Herzog Parithera, an EPFL spin-off, has developed a system that lets doctors detect drug resistance in cancer patients early on, saving precious time and preventing the unnecessary use of treatments with onerous side effects. Drug resistance is a major problem in the treatment of cancer. Some cancer cells demonstrate resistance right at the start of a new therapy, while others develop it over the course of several months or years. This throws up serious challenges for oncologists who want to administer the most effective treatment possible while avoiding harmful side effects. That's where Parithera's system comes in. It isolates the cancer cells contained in a blood sample one by one - even if there are only a handful of such cells to be found - and analyzes their messenger RNA with unparalleled speed and precision. The company has just launched its first clinical trials with a hospital to develop the machine using patients samples.