C2i Genomics is the first company to develop the most comprehensive whole-genome monitoring of cancer recurrence and progression by analyzing subtle changes in the pattern of the tumor’s DNA. Pulse 2.0 interviewed C2i Genomics’ co-founder and CEO Ezra Sofer to learn more.
Ezra Sofer’s Background
Sofer focuses on leading the team to help execute their vision to provide a one-stop solution for precision oncology. And Sofer said:
“Prior to my role at C2i, I held senior leadership positions, such as the Senior Vice President at telemedicine company Amwell, through its growth phases until going public and as the Chief Financial Officer at AI job advertising platform RealMatch (now Pandologic) through a successful acquisition. Today, my expertise lies in operations, business development, and growth management, with over twenty-five years of experience in systems implementation, financing rounds at all stages, M&A buy and sell side, and IPO readiness.”
Formation Of C2i Genomics
How did the idea for C2i Genomics come together? Sofar shared:
“After my co-founder was diagnosed with cancer, he was astonished by the lack of objective measures to guide informed treatment pathways in oncology. His doctors couldn’t confidently answer whether any cancer remained in his body after surgery, and he realized it was because they didn’t have the right tools to detect the residual cancer cells. This experience enacted his military experience with decision support systems, developing radar missile detections, and bringing this technology to oncology.”
“As a result, C2i was founded and created a new system to inform physicians in real-time of the patients’ cancer burden levels and whether the cancer treatment is working.”
“My primary responsibilities are commercializing the C2i product and platform capabilities and enabling this advanced technology into the market.”
Favorite Memory
What has been Sofer’s favorite memory working for C2i Genomics so far? Sofer reflected:
“Every day, I am inspired by my team at C2i. One particular memory involving my co-founder and colleague Boris Oklander perfectly embodies our mission. During a meeting with a major health system, they became aware of our capabilities and immediately requested to implement our MRD test. This test would identify early-stage cancer patients in a neo-adjuvant setting. The overwhelming sense of accomplishment we felt upon entering the clinical phase was indescribable. It was a powerful realization that all the hard work our team had put in over the past four years had finally paid off, confirming that our vision was now becoming a reality.”
Challenges Faced
What challenges did Sofer face in building the company and has the current macroeconomic climate affected the company? Sofer acknowledged:
“Building a company in the genomics and cancer intelligence field comes with its own hurdles that we’re happy to face head-on. One of the primary challenges we face is staying at the forefront of technological advancements and constantly evolving our platform to ensure it remains cutting-edge. Additionally, navigating the complex regulatory landscape in healthcare and genomics requires a deep understanding and compliance with various guidelines. The global scalability of our platform is another factor we work to improve and expand to ensure widespread accessibility and adoption across different regions.”
“The current macroeconomic environment has positively affected our company since we decided to take stringent measurements to increase the efficiency of our operations. We are focused on execution and activities that will generate revenues in the near term. We’ve invested in automation and taken steps to increase the scalability of our platform.”
Core Products
What are C2i Genomics’ core products and features? Sofer explained:
“C2i Genomics’ core product is the C2inform minimal residual disease (MRD) test. This breakthrough technology combines whole-genome sequencing and artificial intelligence to achieve highly sensitive cancer detection and monitoring. The test allows for real-time monitoring of trace amounts of persistent or recurrent cancer, enabling better treatment decisions and potentially saving lives. With its ability to detect cancer earlier and more accurately, the C2inform MRD test will significantly improve patient outcomes in the immediate future and over the next five years.”
“Another product is the C2-Intelligence platform, a SaaS solution utilizing whole-genome sequencing and AI on small blood samples. It achieves up to 100x more sensitive cancer detection than other available options out there. With the ability to detect cancer recurrence patterns as early as 30 days post-intervention, this platform enables precise, personalized medicine, cost reduction in cancer treatment, and accelerated drug development. Its unique approach, leveraging the entire genome, sets it apart in minimal residual disease detection.”
Evolution Of C2i Genomics’ Technology
How has C2i Genomics’ technology evolved since launching? Sofer noted:
“C2i has been working since the beginning to change how scientists and patients approach oncology care. With time and advancements in the industry surrounding whole-genome sequencing technology and AI, the C2inform MRD test has improved to enable better cancer detection, disease progression monitoring, and therapeutic efficacy evaluation by applying whole-genome sequencing and AI to small blood samples. Its exceptional performance has been validated in clinical studies, detecting various early-stage cancer types and even pediatric tumors.”
“C2i Genomics has received regulatory certification, formed collaborations with top oncology companies, and has expanded globally, democratizing early detection and advancing drug development through commercial partnerships. In the long term, we aim to develop an AI platform beyond MRD to extract rich diagnostic information from whole genome sequencing of patient samples. This will result in a wide array of diagnostic tools to guide more precise diagnosis and treatment of cancer.”
Significant Milestones
What have been some of C2i Genomics’s most significant milestones? Sofer cited:
“At its launch, the C2inform test received the CE-IVD mark in the EU and UK. This European regulatory certification indicates C2inform is safe and effective for commercial use. Early adopters of C2i’s test include leading cancer centers and a partnership with OncoDNA.”
“Over the last 12 months, we’ve publicly announced five partnerships with top global oncology companies and cancer centers across the globe with many more in the works – the most prominent being a breakthrough collaboration with AstraZeneca, to deploy the C2inform MRD test at AstraZeneca labs in the U.S., eliminating the need to develop a patient-specific assay to enable more personalized monitoring and rapid turnaround across solid cancers. The clinical results are expected to lead the cancer research industry in evaluating patient recruitment, therapeutic research & development, and data analytics.”
“We’ve also worked on some groundbreaking studies—I’ll share two as examples. We worked with NYU Langone Health to analyze circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) through whole genome sequencing (WGS), and were able to predict cancer recurrence with an average lead time of 508 days before clinical or imaging recurrence. This head start allows doctors to intervene earlier with adjuvant therapy, giving them a fighting chance against cancer. In a separate study with Aarhus University, we focused on stage III colorectal cancer patients using the C2inform test. This test proved its ability to predict cancer recurrence up to 21 months earlier than traditional imaging techniques.”
“The commercialization of our product resulted in signing deals with major partners in the US and globally to implement our test as part of their offering. Thus, through our distributed platform capabilities, we can deliver a SaaS solution with advanced reporting capabilities that our partners could provide to the physicians and cancer centers in their network.”
Customer Success Stories
Upon asking Sofer about customer success stories, he commented:
“Our collaboration with AstraZeneca has been incredibly successful. We’ve been working together to evaluate our minimal residual disease (MRD) test for solid cancers, and our technology has shown remarkable sensitivity and accuracy in detecting and monitoring cancer across multiple solid cancers, with an average detection rate of 93% and the ability to detect cancer at a very low allelic frequency. This collaboration is helping us enhance oncology treatment and supporting clinical trial recruitment and monitoring.”
Differentiation From The Competition
What differentiates C2i Genomics from its competition? Sofer affirmed:
“C2i Genomics stands out from its competition through its pioneering use of AI and whole-genome sequencing to revolutionize cancer detection and monitoring. Our C2inform test requires only a small 8-10mL blood sample yet offers 100x more sensitive cancer detection compared to others. This low blood sample input uniquely allows C2i to apply its technology to pediatric and fragile patient populations.”
“With rapid insights into cancer progression provided in as little as one week, C2i’s cloud-based platform allows for seamless integration and accessibility across different healthcare settings.”
Future Company Goals
What are some of C2i Genomics’ future company goals? Sofer concluded:
“We have ambitious future goals, focusing on global commercialization and improving patient care worldwide. We are expanding our partnerships, such as our collaboration with top tier pharma companies in the United States to deploy our C2inform MRD test and evaluate additional areas of collaboration in patient recruitment, therapeutic research, and data analytics. Additionally, we continue to focus on global partnerships like our work with OncoDNA, which brings the C2inform test to Europe, starting with the IntegraGen Lab in France.”
“Our vision of providing an end to end solution for precision oncology is now maturing. We are adding to our platform enhanced capabilities that are currently being validated. Through these capabilities, we will be able to provide clinicians with deeper insight into their patients throughout their entire cancer journey.”
