• Popular
    • Medicine
    • Radiology
    • Cardiology
    • Surgery
    • Nanomedicine
    • Military Medicine
    • Rehab
  • Categories
    • Exclusive
    • A-D
      • Anesthesiology
      • Art
      • Cardiac Surgery
      • Cardiology
      • Critical Care
      • Dentistry
      • Dermatology
      • Diagnostics
    • E-I
      • Emergency Medicine
      • ENT
      • Genetics
      • Geriatrics
      • GI
      • Informatics
    • M-N
      • Medicine
      • Military Medicine
      • Nanomedicine
      • Net News
      • Neurology
      • Neurosurgery
      • Nuclear Medicine
    • O-P
      • Ob/Gyn
      • Oncology
      • Ophthalmology
      • Orthopedic Surgery
      • Pathology
      • Pediatrics
      • Plastic Surgery
      • Psychiatry
      • Public Health
    • R-V
      • Radiation Oncology
      • Radiology
      • Rehab
      • Reproductive Medicine
      • Space Medicine
      • Sports Medicine
      • Surgery
      • Thoracic Surgery
      • Urology
      • Vascular Surgery
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • Submit PR
  • About
  • Follow
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Linkedin
    • Youtube
    • Instagram
    • RSS
  • Submit PR
  • Log in
Medgadget
Medgadget
  • Popular
    • Medicine
      Magnetic Dressing Improves Diabetic Wound Healing

      Magnetic Dressing Improves Diabetic Wound Healing

      Eko’s Newest CORE 500 Stethoscope: A Review

      Eko’s Newest CORE 500 Stethoscope: A Review

      Microfluidic System Incorporates Eight Organ Tissues for Drug Testing

      Microfluidic System Incorporates Eight Organ Tissues for Drug Testing

      Suction Cup Delivers Drugs Through Cheek

      Suction Cup Delivers Drugs Through Cheek

    • Radiology
      Shear-Thinning Biomaterial for Embolic Applications: Interview with Upma Sharma, President and CEO of Arsenal Medical

      Shear-Thinning Biomaterial for Embolic Applications: Interview with Upma Sharma, President and CEO of Arsenal Medical

      Ultrasound-Equipped Bra Monitors for Breast Cancer

      Ultrasound-Equipped Bra Monitors for Breast Cancer

      Portable and Radiation-Free Imaging with Magnetic Nanoparticles

      Portable and Radiation-Free Imaging with Magnetic Nanoparticles

      Imaging Technique Reveals Living Brain Tissue in its Complexity

      Imaging Technique Reveals Living Brain Tissue in its Complexity

    • Cardiology
      Eko’s Newest CORE 500 Stethoscope: A Review

      Eko’s Newest CORE 500 Stethoscope: A Review

      Shear-Thinning Biomaterial for Embolic Applications: Interview with Upma Sharma, President and CEO of Arsenal Medical

      Shear-Thinning Biomaterial for Embolic Applications: Interview with Upma Sharma, President and CEO of Arsenal Medical

      Ultrasound-Equipped Bra Monitors for Breast Cancer

      Ultrasound-Equipped Bra Monitors for Breast Cancer

      3D Printed Heart Muscle Beats

      3D Printed Heart Muscle Beats

    • Surgery
      Magnetic Dressing Improves Diabetic Wound Healing

      Magnetic Dressing Improves Diabetic Wound Healing

      Sensor Monitors Transplanted Organs for Signs of Rejection

      Sensor Monitors Transplanted Organs for Signs of Rejection

      Refillable Device for Drug Delivery Past the Blood-Brain Barrier: Interview with Mike Maglin, CEO at CraniUS

      Refillable Device for Drug Delivery Past the Blood-Brain Barrier: Interview with Mike Maglin, CEO at CraniUS

      Droplet Battery Harnesses Ionic Gradients for Bioelectronic Implants

      Droplet Battery Harnesses Ionic Gradients for Bioelectronic Implants

    • Nanomedicine
      Nanorobots Release Reactive Oxygen Species to Kill Fungal Biofilms

      Nanorobots Release Reactive Oxygen Species to Kill Fungal Biofilms

      Bottlebrush Nanoparticles Deliver Immunostimulatory Drugs

      Bottlebrush Nanoparticles Deliver Immunostimulatory Drugs

      Nanoparticles Deliver mRNA Therapy to the Lungs

      Nanoparticles Deliver mRNA Therapy to the Lungs

      Nanoparticles Get Lymphatic Vessels Pumping

      Nanoparticles Get Lymphatic Vessels Pumping

    • Military Medicine
      Wearable Can Take Multiple Sweat Samples

      Wearable Can Take Multiple Sweat Samples

      Wound Dressing Detects Infection, Changes Color

      Wound Dressing Detects Infection, Changes Color

      Device Measures Hemoglobin More Accurately in Dark Skin

      Device Measures Hemoglobin More Accurately in Dark Skin

      Fingertip Sensor Measures Lithium Levels in Sweat

      Fingertip Sensor Measures Lithium Levels in Sweat

    • Rehab
      Stretchable E-Skin for Robotic Prostheses

      Stretchable E-Skin for Robotic Prostheses

      Glasses Provide Audible Prompts for Blind Wearers

      Glasses Provide Audible Prompts for Blind Wearers

      A Wearable to Manage Parkinson’s Motor Symptoms: Interview with Lucy Jung, CEO at Charco Neurotech

      A Wearable to Manage Parkinson’s Motor Symptoms: Interview with Lucy Jung, CEO at Charco Neurotech

      Robotic Ankle Helps with Postural Control in Amputees

      Robotic Ankle Helps with Postural Control in Amputees

  • Categories
    • Exclusive
    • A-D
      • Anesthesiology
      • Art
      • Cardiac Surgery
      • Cardiology
      • Critical Care
      • Dentistry
      • Dermatology
      • Diagnostics
    • E-I
      • Emergency Medicine
      • ENT
      • Genetics
      • Geriatrics
      • GI
      • Informatics
    • M-N
      • Medicine
      • Military Medicine
      • Nanomedicine
      • Net News
      • Neurology
      • Neurosurgery
      • Nuclear Medicine
    • O-P
      • Ob/Gyn
      • Oncology
      • Ophthalmology
      • Orthopedic Surgery
      • Pathology
      • Pediatrics
      • Plastic Surgery
      • Psychiatry
      • Public Health
    • R-V
      • Radiation Oncology
      • Radiology
      • Rehab
      • Reproductive Medicine
      • Space Medicine
      • Sports Medicine
      • Surgery
      • Thoracic Surgery
      • Urology
      • Vascular Surgery
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • Submit PR
  • About
  • Log in
  • Submit PR
  • Follow
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Linkedin
    • Youtube
    • Instagram
    • RSS

Non-Invasive Colon Cancer Screening: Interview with Exact Sciences CEO Kevin Conroy

November 14th, 2014 Tom Fowler Diagnostics, Exclusive, GI, Oncology

exact-sciencesKevin Conroy is a longtime leader in the biotechnology industry and currently President, CEO, and Chairman of Exact Sciences, a company based in Madison, Wisconsin. Exact Sciences has made great strides since its near failure back in late 2008/early 2009. Its Cologuard product for screening colon cancer in stool samples was recently FDA approved and covered by Medicare. Today I wanted to ask him about what this news means for the company and to hear his take on what this new test means for cancer screening changes to come.

Tom Fowler, Medgadget: What is the biggest change you have overseen since leading the helm at Exact Sciences?

kevin-conroyKevin Conroy: When I started as CEO at Exact Sciences in April of 2009, there were four employees at the company, almost no money in the bank and no test that had been successful in screening in a noninvasive way for colorectal cancer. Our goal was to develop a colorectal cancer screening test that would vastly improve the effectiveness of the stool-based DNA testing that was currently being done.
To achieve this, we had to find a partner to bring this vision to reality and eventually to market. We found that in the Mayo Clinic. We also hired a world-class CSO to develop the test and run a prospective, 90-site, 10,000-patient clinical trial, the DeeP-C Trial, whose results were published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The results showed that Cologuard detected 92 percent of cancers and 69 percent of the most advanced precancerous polyps in average risk patients and achieved a specificity of 87 percent.
This was a whole new path for the company. We had to develop a highly accurate, noninvasive colorectal cancer screening test while building the company exponentially.

 

Medgadget: As someone with a background in engineering, how involved does a CEO get in the development side of the biotech business?

Kevin Conroy: As CEO, I am involved in every facet of the company. I enjoy being a part of product development. My goal is also to make sure that we have the very best scientific leadership at Exact Sciences to carry out top-notch R and D work so we can offer the very best products. My role is to help guide the definition for what is needed in a colon cancer screening test that will succeed in the marketplace. We need precise science behind the product, but we also need to know that it’s a practical medical advancement that will work for both physicians and patients.

 

Medgadget: Tell me about Cologuard, what is something this test offers that has never been available before?

Kevin Conroy: Cologuard is the first and only FDA-approved noninvasive stool-based DNA screening test for colorectal cancer. We haven’t been able to test noninvasively with such high sensitivity before this test. There are no medication or dietary restrictions, and there is no bowel preparation necessary to take the test, and the accuracy of the test sets a new precedent. Results from our DeeP-C clinical trial show Cologuard finds 92% of cancers, where the FIT test, which only looks for blood in the stool, finds only 74%.

 

Medgadget: Have you personally used Cologuard? Is it easy to use?

Kevin Conroy: I have taken the Cologuard test, as part of a study and it is extremely easy, private and convenient to use. The test is delivered to a patient’s door, the stool sample is deposited in the collection kit, and is sent back to the Exact Sciences lab for processing. With no bowel preparation necessary and not even having to leave my house to screen for colon cancer, it is by far one of the simplest medical screening tests I have taken.

 

Medgadget: During the next decade what will be the largest change in laboratory practices in America?

Kevin Conroy: In the next decade, we can expect to see a wide utilization of DNA technology that will change the way patients are screened, diagnosed and ultimately treated. We will see more and more DNA-based research and technologies translated into practical, real-world medical applications.

 

Medgadget: What advice would you give to medical technology visionaries that are just starting their careers?

Kevin Conroy: My advice to those just starting out is that it is key to find big problems that need to be solved rather than updating or adding minor improvements to technologies already in existence. Strive to bring the very best clinicians and scientists together to work on innovations. This is vital to the development of innovations that can be both life-changing and life-saving. With the right science and expert medical teams working on a problem together, you are much more likely to develop an innovative solution to an unmet need.

dividerLink: Exact Sciences…

Cologuard website…

Tom Fowler

Tom Fowler worked as a programmer in the healthcare IT industry before settling back in school to learn how to become a doctor. He likes to dabble with biotech startups, write postcards to his relatives, and play his ukulele. He was a TEDMED '13 scholar, has published research in biomedical informatics, and continues to advocate for international maternal and child health. Currently in the SELECT MD leadership program at USF Health Morsani College of Medicine.

Sponsored
Ark Surgical Performs First Hysterectomies in the USA with its FDA-Cleared LapBox for Manual Morcellation

Ark Surgical Performs First Hysterectomies in the USA with its FDA-Cleared LapBox for Manual Morcellation

PACKAGING COMPLIANCE LABS WELCOMES NEW CFO, BERNADETTE LEGARETTA

PACKAGING COMPLIANCE LABS WELCOMES JENN GOFF, VP SALES, MARKETING, AND INNOVATION

Clarius Debuts its First Dual-Array Wireless Handheld Scanner Enabling Whole-Body Views of Superficial to Deep Anatomy

Clarius Debuts its First Dual-Array Wireless Handheld Scanner Enabling Whole-Body Views of Superficial to Deep Anatomy

National Liver Health Awareness Month Highlights the Urgent Need for Liver Disease Prevention

National Liver Health Awareness Month Highlights the Urgent Need for Liver Disease Prevention

interviews & reviews
A Wearable to Manage Parkinson’s Motor Symptoms: Interview with Lucy Jung, CEO at Charco Neurotech

A Wearable to Manage Parkinson’s Motor Symptoms: Interview with Lucy Jung, CEO at Charco Neurotech

Eko’s Newest CORE 500 Stethoscope: A Review

Eko’s Newest CORE 500 Stethoscope: A Review

Shear-Thinning Biomaterial for Embolic Applications: Interview with Upma Sharma, President and CEO of Arsenal Medical

Shear-Thinning Biomaterial for Embolic Applications: Interview with Upma Sharma, President and CEO of Arsenal Medical

Refillable Device for Drug Delivery Past the Blood-Brain Barrier: Interview with Mike Maglin, CEO at CraniUS

Refillable Device for Drug Delivery Past the Blood-Brain Barrier: Interview with Mike Maglin, CEO at CraniUS

UV-Free Air Decontamination: Interview with Sorel Rothschild, VP at Quantum Innovations

UV-Free Air Decontamination: Interview with Sorel Rothschild, VP at Quantum Innovations

EarliPoint Evaluation System for ASD Diagnosis: Interview with Tom Ressemann, CEO of EarliTec Dx

EarliPoint Evaluation System for ASD Diagnosis: Interview with Tom Ressemann, CEO of EarliTec Dx

Visually Guided Uterine Biopsies in Physician’s Office: Interview with Allison London Brown, CEO of LUMINELLE

Visually Guided Uterine Biopsies in Physician’s Office: Interview with Allison London Brown, CEO of LUMINELLE

  • Subscribe
  • Contact us
  • Submit
  • About
  • Back to top
Medgadget

Medical technologies transform the world! Join us and see the progress in real time. At Medgadget, we report the latest technology news, interview leaders in the field, and file dispatches from medical events around the world since 2004.

  • About
  • Editorial policies
  • Contact
  • Terms of Service
  • Privacy
  • Submit press release
  • Advertise
© Medgadget, Inc. All rights reserved. | The Medical Revolution Will Be Blogged.
Please support this website by adding us to your whitelist in your ad blocker. Ads are what helps us bring you premium content! Thank you!