A new method to cure prostate cancer: AlphaOnco Swiss is banking on an innovative, user-friendly and affordable treatment, even in regions where health is precarious. Incubated at BioArk Monthey, the start-up was founded by Dr Edouard Alphandéry. It is the Swiss branch of the French company AlphaOnco, formerly known as Nanobacterie. We met with Dr Alphandéry to learn more about his journey, his vision, and the ambitions of AlphaOnco.
For the fifth consecutive year, you have been named at the World’s Top 2% Scientists by Stanford University. In concrete terms, what does this recognition bring you?
Well, it is funny because I have randomly found it out online. Even though it is a purely honorary ranking, it testifies the quality of the work done and underlines the importance of academic research.
What was your motivation to combine your research activity with entrepreneurship?
Both dimensions are complementary. Creating a start-up enables the materialisation of research in tangible solutions. At AlphaOnco, we did most of the research internally, which sets us apart. Our ambition is to develop a simple and affordable oncology treatment, to reduce infrastructure costs and improve access for the most vulnerable populations.
What do Valais and its stakeholders bring you on a da-to-day basis?
Thanks to BioArk and Economic Promotion Valais, we benefit from an ongoing support from experts and profit by the pooling of resources: we share costs and facilities, while benefiting from professional advice.
However, this principle could be strengthened. It would be useful to develop a cantonal register of the available equipment to make it more accessible. There is also a real potential in developing more synergies with existing companies, especially for testing our technologies in real-life conditions and maximising their development.
Thanks to BioArk’s support, we have been able to participate in international events, such as the BIO Boston Convention and the Swiss Biotech Days. Currently, our collaboration with BioArk focuses on the Fill & Finish phase. The Monthey site has a production structure conform with GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) standards, paving the way for on-site production.
What could we wish you for the future?
Investors! More seriously, it is still very difficult to find investors willing to take risks in biotech. Any increased support in this area would be precious. But we remain optimistic: our preclinical trials are almost complete, and we are entering a critical phase that will bring us closer to launching our product.
