RareCan logo

Summary[1]Edit

RareCan is a direct-to-patient clinical trial platform, harnessing the power of patients and data aiming to reduce costs and increase the success rate of rare cancer trials for the $143bn global cancer drug market. Raising to grow the team and develop platform capabilities.

  • First commercial contract agreed
  • Over 800 members with rare cancer & 3 charity partnerships in place
  • NHS Ethics approved process for collecting & sequencing samples
  • Chief Technology Officer appointed

Idea[1]Edit

Every day around 1000 people in the UK are told they have cancer. For an est. 1 in 5 their cancer is too rare for the best treatment to be clear because of insufficient research.

RareCan believes there's an opportunity to change this. Although treatments targeting rare cancers represent 63% of the oncology trials in 2020, recruiting enough patients to test them is a challenge for the $49bn Contract Research Organisation (CRO) industry that supports trial delivery.

RareCan aims to be a solution to this problem. RareCan is a direct-to-patient clinical trial platform, bringing together patients and their clinical, laboratory and genetic data, aiming to increase speed of recruitment, reduce screen failure and increase retention rates for trials.

RareCan has recruited over 800 people with rare cancers; received NHS ethics approval for the process of collecting samples for its BioResource and started genetic sequencing of cancer samples from its members; RareCan has a commercial contract agreed and a confidentiality agreement in place with 3 of the world's largest CRO's.

RareCan is raising funds with the aim of growing its team, expanding its marketing and developing its platform to provide trial recruitment services to help accelerate the rate at which new treatments are made available with the aim of helping to improve outcomes for millions of people living with rare cancers.

Team[1]Edit

Mr Piers Kotting, CEO

Previously Divisional Research Delivery Director at the National Institute for Health Research. Helped establish national digital recruitment platform, Join Dementia Research. NHS Innovation Accelerator Programme alumnus & MBA

Professor Andrew Hall, CSO

Emeritus Professor of Experimental Haematology. Previously Director of the Northern Institute for Cancer Research.

Mr Simon Allocca, CFO

30 years experience in banking, most recently MD and Global Head of Industrials and Manufacturing, Lloyds Bank Group. NED at CBM Plc and Digital Identify Net.

Mrs Claire Heron, COO (Part-Time)

Many years project management experience delivering complex, multi-stakeholder initiatives. Helped establish £3.5M MRC funded Newcastle Proximity Laboratory with Prof Hall.

Raj Sharma, CTO (Part-Time)

Raj brings a depth of knowledge in health technologies, cyber security and AI. Project management experience and growing start up businesses.

Mrs Amanda Gibbon, Non-Exec Chair

Professional finance background. Non-Executive Director of Whittington Health NHS Trust and Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust. Former Governor of UCLH NHS Foundation Trust and Chair of UCL/UCLH Biobank Ethical Review Committee.

Dr Anita Cooper, Non-Exec Director

Previously an Executive Officer and Senior VP of PAREXEL. Over 30 years global pharmaceutical industry experience. Non-Executive Director of Simbec Orion.

ActionsEdit

To invest in RareCan, click here.

To contact RareCan, click here.

Reference and notesEdit

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Source: Crowdcube.