Putting the Patient at the Center of Cancer Science with Valius Sciences
Why We're Investing in Valius Sciences
We are thrilled to announce our investment in Valius Sciences' $10 million Seed financing. Valius is a next-generation oncology platform with a singular mission: to give cancer patients — especially those facing rare, aggressive, or treatment-resistant disease — access to the most comprehensive molecular understanding of their tumor and available treatments. Founded by Edward Larkin, Valius is rewriting what it means to partner with a cancer patient by focusing exclusively on maximizing biologically rational therapeutic options, regardless of cancer type. We are proud to join Edward and the exceptional team as they build a new model for cancer diagnostics and care.
The Challenge: Standard Diagnostics Leave Too Much on the Table
For patients facing a cancer diagnosis — particularly those with rare or aggressive cancers — the standard of care can feel incomplete. Today, a typical workup tests less than 5% of all genes, delivers results as a static PDF report, and offers limited insight into the full molecular complexity of a patient's tumor. For the majority of common cancers with well-defined treatment pathways, this approach is sufficient. But for the growing population of patients who fall outside those pathways, for example those facing recurrence, rare histologies, or exhausted first-line options, a narrow diagnostic panel is not enough.
The stakes are rising. Breast cancer incidence is climbing 1.4% annually in women under 50,1 colorectal cancer rates in younger adults have grown so sharply that major medical societies lowered the recommended screening age from 50 to 45,2 and one forecast projects a 30% increase in global cancer among younger adults by 2030.3 These patients are actively seeking more — more data, more clarity, and more partnership — and the existing diagnostics ecosystem has not met their needs.
Valius's Solution: The Most Comprehensive Cancer Workup, Built Around the Patient
Valius operates on a principle that is both scientifically rigorous and deeply human: every cancer is unique, and every patient deserves to understand the full molecular landscape of theirs. To deliver on that principle, Valius runs an extensive battery of validated tests across DNA, RNA, and protein layers — including whole genome sequencing, bulk and single-cell RNA sequencing, spatial transcriptomics, high-plex protein analysis, and ultra-sensitive ctDNA monitoring. Valius covers both alterations in and expression of all 20,000 genes. The result is a map of a tumor's vulnerabilities at a resolution that no standard diagnostics match.
But Valius's differentiation goes beyond the breadth of its testing: the company pairs those results with an ongoing scientific partnership where a team of bioinformaticians and oncology scientists work directly with patients and their treating physicians to translate molecular findings into actionable treatment strategies. Those potential actions include clinical trial matching, single-patient Investigational New Drug (IND) support, and recurrence monitoring. Rather than a static report, patient data remains accessible and queryable through an AI-powered software platform indefinitely. In early cases spanning sarcomas, brain tumors, rare melanomas, and others, Valius found new, highly expressed drug targets — candidates for ADCs, bispecifics, and CAR-T therapies — that treating physicians had not previously identified. We believe that is the type of opportunity Valius can create for its patients.
Why Now, Why Valius, and Why This Team?
The ability of AI to elucidate previously uncovered treatments coupled with pharma’s desire for rich multimodal data sets makes Valius entry into the market highly opportune. AI has finally made multiomic data clinically actionable: foundation models trained on genomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics can now synthesize Valius's layered data into guidance that patients and physicians can actually use. Furthermore, pharma's hunger for deep data on cancer is only increasing; Valius is building exactly the kind of multi-layer, consented dataset that pharma cannot easily source elsewhere.
We have known and seen firsthand Edward’s operational discipline and his relentless commitment to the mission of Valius. Edward, alongside cofounders Claire Oldfield (COO) and Sarah Hesse (Head of Translational Science), bring a rare combination of commercial rigor and scientific credibility that a company operating at this intersection demands.
I’ve worked closely with the Define team for many years, and seen up close their relentless commitment to partnership. When we raised capital for Valius, Define was our first call. We’re thrilled to partner with them as we build the future of cancer diagnostics. Edward Larkin, Co-founder and CEO
We believe Valius is building the care model that finally puts the patient at the center of the cancer science equation. The team is uniquely positioned to make that vision real, and we are proud to support them in that work.
To learn more about Valius Sciences, please visit www.valiussciences.com.
1 American Cancer Society, Cancer Statistics 2024
2 American Cancer Society guideline update (2018) and U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (2021)
3 Lancet Oncology Commission on cancer in young adults
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