InterVenn Biosciences Philippines opened an office in Ortigas Center to expand its footprint in Southeast Asia and introduce proven methods of cancer detection.
The company, headquartered in San Francisco, California, uses AI technology developed mostly by Filipino engineers to detect early signs of cancer.
“InterVenn has made significant progress in early cancer detection thanks to the brilliant and dedicated Filipino engineers we have on board. They help build and maintain the front end, back end, and cloud infrastructure of our next-generation liquid biopsy, as we all work together to reach a world where no one should ever be blindsided by disease,” said Intervenn co-founder Aldo Carrascoso.
The new office takes its design inspiration from leading companies’ state-of-the-art facilities to create a fun and collaborative environment. It integrates its different teams, from product management to marketing and web development, in an open and casual productive workspace.
The design pays homage to Filipino culture and historical innovators who have paved the way for the technology that they are utilizing. Each room is named after classic Filipino comedians which the leadership believes to be the ultimate embodiment of Pinoy ingenuity, creativity and love for fun while artwork for scientific pioneers such as Galileo Galilei can be found adorning its pillars.
Located at the Podium West Tower, Intervenn office in the Philippines will expand the local team’s roster of developers and engineers that form the backbone running the proprietary AI technology used in the company’s research.
More than 100 Filipinos works on the software engineering stream of InterVenn, and the company plans to recruit more local talent as they expand their business in the region.
Carrasco, a Filipino, said the pharmaceutical research firm is looking forward to introducing patented products Glori and Dawn.
Dawn, a blood-based test aimed at helping physicians appropriately match cancer patients to the best possible immuno-oncology therapy, was unveiled in June 2022 in the health industry’s largest conference for oncology ASCO 2022. Its application on other tumor types is continuously being studied.
Gloria, the world’s first glycoproteomic, liquid-biopsy laboratory-developed test for ovarian cancer diagnosis, has been validated using both retrospective patient samples and samples collected prospectively in InterVenn’s VOCAL clinical trial.
InterVenn Philippines general manager Axel Kornerup said InterVenn teamed up with local oncologists in running the VOCAL (InterVenn Ovarian Cancer Liquid Biopsy) testing program. It validates blood tests to aid in the accuracy of doctors’ diagnoses of masses in the lower abdomen are cancerous or not.
“One hundred percent of our software is proudly Philippine-made. We started this venture with the goal of not just having the means of finding a cure and early detection for cancer, but to also showcase to everyone that we Filipinos can achieve this on a global scale,” Kornerup said.
“Our research is a major step towards a truly universal healthcare. We’re proud to be making these phenomenal developments in the Philippines, and we look forward to working with more local stakeholders in the future,” said Carrascoso.