Methods so far Early detection of cancer They require special equipment (as in the case of mammography) or are quite annoying and invasive (such as colonoscopy to detect colorectal cancer, which is the second most prevalent and deadly in Argentina).

But what if they could Identify early markers of tumor or disease Oncology in a routine blood test? Of course, more people will be diagnosed at a stage of the disease where there are better treatment options.

A group of researchers Institute of Biology and Experimental Medicine (IBYME), Conicet and San Martინისn University It has been standing behind this opportunity for several years. And they developed a test to measure the presence of “microorganisms,” small particles that act as biomarkers of the presence of a tumor, from a blood test.

That’s how it turned out OncolikA startup run by a Kit for early detection of breast and prostate cancerAnd research on the detection of other oncological diseases with the same concept.

The team is led by Dr. Adriana de ServiDirector and Physicians of IBYME Laboratory of Molecular Oncology and New Therapeutic Objectives Diego Palarola and Marina SimianiSan Martin National University. And Oncoliq is one of the companies incubated by the SF500, an accelerator and investment fund for biotechnology-based companies based in Rosario, Santa Fe.

From the lab to the company

“What we are developing is A. Screening test for early detection Through cancer, the so-called molecules Micro RNA“Explains Simian, a doctor of biological sciences specializing in cancer and the current CEO of Oncoliq. “These are molecules that are in all our cells and are in the very early stages of tumor development. Alters the relative number of microorganisms in the organ where the tumor develops. This is reflected in the bloodstream and these changes can be detected a PCR analysis. However, we are working on a simpler and cheaper detection kit“Because PCR requires expensive equipment and highly qualified people,” – said the scientist and entrepreneur.

The company has filed a temporary patent for a breast cancer screening team in the United States. “Does A. Pilot test with the approval of the Ethics Committees and the informed consent of the participants “They give us a blood sample and a mammogram, which we send to Imago Systems, a startup that analyzes images with artificial intelligence.”

“We want Reach FDA and Anmat approval “(Drug regulatory agencies in the United States and Argentina), but since this type of product has not yet been approved, it will definitely take time,” said the researcher.

“We are looking for funding to expand testing and gather more evidence. To do this, we divide the work. “Adriana and Diego are continuing to investigate, and I’re looking forward to meeting with investors,” said Simiani, whose name goes beyond the scientific world when he won 500,000 pesos in 2019 for “Who Wants to be a Millionaire,” the sums he paid. His research.

“we want What we do in the lab reaches people. The only way is to turn it into a product. There is a small tradition of bringing scientific knowledge to market in Argentina. But that is changing. “Today, there are more investment funds in the country related to biotechnology, such as the SF 500, which provides business knowledge and contacts in addition to money,” he said.