Gabriel González says his mother-in-law defines him as a "dark optimist," seeing all the complications a project may have but remaining convinced that it will succeed. This sums up Oncovision well, a spin-off of the CSIC supported by public and private funds like Bullnet Capital, which have shown great patience in supporting the development of a project with a dual objective: to improve the detection of brain lesions in a cheaper and more agile way to unclog neurology departments worldwide.
The company has various business lines where they develop machinery for the hospital sector. The most promising one is Mindview, a project developed since 2018 to reduce the cost of technology for brain scans (PET, positron emission tomography). While regular PET machines scan the whole body and cost up to three million euros and two years for installation according to González, Mindview allows the test to be done sitting down and covering only the head.
The machine, similar to a hairdryer, takes up half the space of a regular scanner and is mobile, weighing an affordable 300 kilos for transport. Additionally, its selling price is around 800,000 euros, three to four times less than the up to three million euros traditional machines cost. The company can manufacture 24 machines annually and finds it easy to scale up when needed.
"Nuclear medicine is currently experiencing huge growth and always benefits from ultra-high resolution. What we bring is democratizing access because full-body machines are so saturated with cancer cases that for neurology, which doesn't kill patients overnight, there are waiting lists," explains González, noting that this technology arrives at an opportune time as the company hopes to capitalize on growth in the US market, which represents 40% of the global market.
On one hand, the aging population is increasing the demand for tests to diagnose Alzheimer's or dementia. According to the executive's estimates, it was expected that five million PET scans for Alzheimer's would be needed in the country between 2024 and 2029, but there was barely capacity for three million scans for all causes. On the other hand, equipment manufacturers in the country are overwhelmed by demand and are much slower in installing their machines compared to Oncovision.
The US is the fastest country in the world in adopting technology, which works in favor of the company. However, it also presents challenges such as the high cost of establishing a commercial team, something the startup has creatively addressed by hiring a group of retired commercial advisors looking to re-enter the workforce. An ingenious solution that solidifies the American dream for these Valencians.