On August 19, 2024, Accenture announced a strategic investment in Earli Inc. through Accenture Ventures. Earli Inc. is a biotechnology company that has developed a novel approach, "Synthetic Biopsies", for early cancer detection using a synthetic targeting platform. This platform selectively reprograms cancer cells to reveal and destroy themselves, enhancing the sensitivity and specificity of cancer detection.
This investment aims to support Earli's collaborations with global health and pharmaceutical companies, enabling more rapid and accurate cancer detection and treatment. The synthetic biopsy method developed by Earli is expected to significantly improve the precision and efficacy of new treatments and diagnostics.
Earli Inc. was founded in 2018, by Cyriac Roeding, David Suhy, and Dr. Sanjiv 'Sam' Gambhir. The company focuses on developing innovative technologies for early cancer detection.
Earli Inc. has attracted investments from several notable companies and venture capital firms. Some of the key investors include Khosla Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, Perceptive Advisors, Casdin Capital, Sands Capital and Breyer Capital, among others.
The idea for Earli Inc.‘s early cancer detection technology stemmed from the founders’ combined expertise and personal motivations.
Earli's co-founder include Dr. Sanjiv 'Sam' Gambhir, who was a renowned physician-scientist and a pioneer in molecular imaging and early cancer detection. Born on November 23, 1962, in Ambala, Haryana, India, he moved to the United States with his family in 1969.
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| Dr. Sanjiv 'Sam' Gambhir |
Dr. Gambhir held several prestigious positions at Stanford University, including the Virginia and D.K. Ludwig Professor in Cancer Research, Chairman of the Department of Radiology, and Director of the Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford (MIPS). He was instrumental in advancing techniques for molecular imaging, particularly positron emission tomography (PET), which helps detect early signs of disease, especially cancer.
Throughout his career, Dr. Gambhir authored over 680 publications and held more than 40 patents. He was also a mentor to over 150 post-doctoral fellows and graduate students. Sadly, he passed away on July 18, 2020, due to cancer
Cyriac Roeding is a CEO/co-founder of Earli Inc and has a background in entrepreneurship and technology. Roeding was driven by the potential to make a significant impact on healthcare through innovative solutions. “Accenture’s impressive network of biopharma clients will be very impactful for Earli. It is fantastic to have Accenture support our mission to make cancer a benign experience," said Roeding, on Accenture's investment in his company.
While the other co-founder, David Suhy, is a scientist with extensive experience in gene therapy, Suhy brought a deep understanding of the biological mechanisms that could be leveraged for early cancer detection.
Earli’s mission is to transform cancer into a benign experience by solving one of the most difficult challenges in oncology: reliably distinguishing between healthy and cancerous cells.
Earli’s approach uses programmable genetic constructs that react and signal the presence of active cancer cells at an early stage. The synthetic biopsy approach enhances the sensitivity and specificity of cancer detection for an earlier diagnosis, allowing pharmaceutical and biotech companies to create personalized treatments more quickly and often at a lower cost.
Petra Jantzer, Ph.D., a senior managing director and global lead of the Accenture Life Sciences business, said, “Earli’s synthetic biopsy method is a step change in early cancer detection technologies and will offer significant advantages to biopharma companies by improving the precision and efficacy of new treatments and diagnostics, as well as in understanding the mechanisms of cancer progressions.”
Earli is the latest company to join Accenture Ventures’ Project Spotlight, an engagement and investment program working with companies that create or apply disruptive enterprise technologies. Project Spotlight offers extensive access to Accenture’s domain expertise and its enterprise clients, helping startups harness creativity and deliver on the promise of their technology. Additional biotechnology companies that have joined Project Spotlight include Turbine, QuantHealth, Virtonomy and Ocean Genomics.
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