The company, Belgian Volition, which develops kits for detecting cancers from a drop of blood, has just finished setting up its laboratories at Créalys Science Park in Isnes (Gembloux). The company, which has existed for seven years, will be testing its products for the first time in a national colorectal cancer screening campaign in Denmark in 2018.
The particularity of this detection system using drops of blood, is to be able to spot the cancer very early in the patient. "Colorectal cancer is a quickly-spreading cancer and thanks to the kit we have put in place, we can increase the life expectancy of patients", said Belgian Volition's general manager, Gaëtan Michel.
The company moved into its new premises in Namur last March.
Although it usually takes at least 20 years before a product is tested on patients, patients will be able to test this new kit just seven years after the founding of the company. "In Denmark in 2018, doctors will use the kits to detect possible cancer from blood detected in the salts of patients aged 50 to 70 years.
Thanks to the Walloon Agency for Export and Foreign Investment (Awex), Belgian Volition will also launch a subsidiary in Texas, in the United States. Eventually, it will be possible to detect all types of cancers in this way."
"The main obstacle is the availability of samples. There have to be studies on given types of cancers so that we have a sufficient number of people to test our kit on", says the CEO. The ultimate goal of the company is to allow patients to detect cancer with a simple finger prick by a doctor.
The Brussels Times
