The UB becomes a shareholder of Reveal Genomics, a spin-off born to develop innovative diagnostic tests in oncology
The University of Barcelona has become a shareholder of Reveal Genomics, a spin-off of Hospital Clínic and Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO) that plans to develop and market their tests aimed at those that will directly influence therapeutic decision making, and with an accompanying high level of clinical validation.
The spin-off is led by Aleix Prat, Head of the Medical Oncology Service at Hospital Clínic and Professor at the University of Barcelona (UB), together with Ana Vivancos from the Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO), Charles M. Perou and Joel S. Parker, from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill (UNC-Chapel Hill, USA) and Patricia Villagrasa, CEO of the company. Five researchers have been analyzing and decoding together the breast cancer genome for many years to predict the clinical behavior of tumors. Based on their findings and their complementary expertise, they have decided to team up and bring new scientific knowledge and technology to the cancer clinic. The team is led by Dr. Aleix Prat, Head of the Medical Oncology Service at Hospital Clínic, the Translational Genomics and Targeted Therapies in Solid Tumors Group at IDIBAPS, and Professor at the UB: “In current precision oncology, we make therapeutic decisions, such as giving a drug X versus Y, based on the presence or absence of a specific single mutation in the patient’s genome. We know this is not enough to predict what will happen to the patient. The solution is to develop clinical tests that take into account more variables and thus better use the full power of each patient´s complete genetic information,” says Dr. Prat.
The UB currently holds shares in 21 spin-offs. The Bosch i Gimpera Foundation (FBG), the University of Barcelona’s knowledge and technology transfer office, is responsible for promoting the creation of these innovative companies.