About Us
In vitro models for cancer research are evolving, from traditional 2D monolayer cultures and 3D tumor spheroids, to advanced 3D patient-derived organoids (PDOs). However, the methods for analyzing these models have not been able to keep up, thus leading to significant loss of valuable data, misleading insights in drug discovery, and diminished translational value. In other words, the potential bridge between research models and patients is lost.
That’s why we started Orbits Oncology.
Our mission is to bridge the gap between early research and patients by providing researchers with the advanced analysis platform they need to transform PDO data into digital patient surrogates to predict drug responses.
Whether it is at the research bench or patient bedside, we aim to help bring patients into the heart of cancer drug development and personalized medicine.
Meet The Team
Our Story
Our core team comes from a highly diverse background (oncology, computer science, and biomedical engineering), which serendipitously converged at the University of Antwerp―Center for Oncological Research at the end of 2019. After experiencing and hearing about the frustrations surrounding cancer research, especially with live-cell imaging techniques, we decided to do something about it.
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During the global pandemic, our team worked together to develop and validate an artificial intelligence-driven imaging software. By the end of 2020, they had submitted their first peer-reviewed manuscript on validating this novel method on PDOs. By 2023, they had published their first clinical trial where they demonstrated that Orbits analysis of PDOs highly correlated with pancreatic cancer patient responses in the clinic. Now they are looking to further develop their software platform to predict clinical drug responses for de-risking cancer drug development and personalizing medicine.
