The maximalist approach to
personalized medicine.

Valius is a maximalist diagnostics company, built to find plausible therapeutic options for patients with challenging cancers. We thoroughly analyze each patient's tumor DNA, RNA, and protein to assess all therapeutic targets, regardless of cancer type.

We use basic FFPE (formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded) tissue for our workup, which is the standard way that tissue is stored by pathology departments.  Most patients who have had a biopsy or a surgical resection will have more than enough FFPE tissue for our workup.

We do not require fresh or cryopreserved tissue.

Our workup typically entails whole exome (DNA) sequencing to identify genetic alterations, whole transcriptome (RNA) sequencing to assess gene expression, single-cell RNA sequencing to evaluate tumor specificity and heterogeneity, and protein staining (IHC) to confirm target expression.

To date, we’ve worked with patients across 25 different cancer types.  Our patients typically have rare or aggressive cancers, or cancers with a poor prognosis under standard of care, and a strong desire to uncover new, plausible treatment options for further care.

We also work with a smaller number of patients with earlier stage cancers.  In those cases, patients and their care teams use our findings to plan for the future—in particular, for scenarios in which standard of care therapies are not effective.

Many new classes of cancer therapeutics work by binding to specific proteins on the surface of cancer cells, allowing them to more precisely target tumor cells while sparing healthy tissue.

Our workup is designed to find these cell-surface targets on your tumor, and highlight those that are especially highly expressed. To do this, we evaluate your expression levels (both RNA and protein) relative to other patient cohorts.

Initial results are typically available within 4-6 weeks. At that point, you'll meet with the Valius scientific team to discuss any plausible therapeutic targets we've identified on your tumor. The length of time we spend on subsequent confirmatory testing (e.g., protein staining) and follow-up steps (e.g., engaging with your oncologist; helping you apply to access a therapeutic) can vary.

Valius goes well beyond routine diagnostics to find therapeutic targets.

Today, most diagnostic tests—even those ordered by leading academic centers—evaluate a limited number of targets. Furthermore, they often don't thoroughly analyze gene expression, which can be useful for understanding whether newer, "cell-surface" targeting therapies may work for your tumor.

We assess the DNA mutations, DNA copy number changes, and RNA expression of all potential therapeutic targets on your tumor, regardless of your cancer type. In other words, we try to leave no stone unturned. In cases, this approach has enabled us to find therapeutic options—in particular, therapies aimed at cell-surface targets—that were not identified by a patient’s previous diagnostic work.

We handle all of the logistics associated with our tests and help coordinate next steps. Our goal is to provide a completely hassle-free service.

Single-cell sequencing helps us evaluate whether a plausible target is truly tumor-specific. In other words, by analyzing gene expression at the level of individual cells, we can better understand whether therapeutic targets are expressed on your tumor cells specifically, or on other types of cells in your tumor's microenvironment (e.g., blood vessel cells, immune cells, or fibroblasts).

No. We focus on performing maximalist diagnostics and translating the results into potential therapeutic options for our patients. We handle all of the logistics associated with our tests and help coordinate next steps, but unlike concierge oncology services, we do not provide logistical and operational support throughout a patient’s entire care journey (e.g., coordinating referrals, scheduling appointments, etc.)

We do not prescribe therapeutics. The decision to prescribe and take any therapeutic rests solely with you and your oncologist. That said, we’ll do everything we can to help you and your oncologists evaluate and access therapeutics. See below for details.

In the event that we find one or more promising targets, our translational science team will work with you and your oncologist to evaluate the therapeutic options based on their efficacy and safety data, and your ability to access them. Therapeutic options may include on-label prescriptions, off-label prescriptions, clinical trials, and single-patient INDs.

If you and your oncologist decide to pursue an investigational therapeutic, we'll help you apply for access.

We’ll analyze all the samples you have, whether they come from your primary tumor or from metastases.

We operate as a direct-pay service, and our offerings range from $50,000 to $150,000.  We offer discounted options to patients based on their financial circumstances.

Many factors play a role in determining the efficacy of a therapeutic agent, and we cannot guarantee that any therapeutic option we uncover will work for you.

Our process is designed to identify biologically plausible therapeutic targets, but biological plausibility does not equate to a guaranteed therapeutic outcome.

Not currently.

It’s up to you to determine how involved you’d like your oncologist to be. Some patients prefer to introduce us directly to their oncologist at the start of our engagement; others prefer to pass along our findings at the end.

While we do not require your oncologist’s active participation to perform our diagnostic workup, the decision to try to access a therapy based on our findings ultimately rests jointly with you and your oncologist. Consequently, we’re used to partnering deeply with oncologists to discuss our findings and the molecular and literature-based evidence for pursuing certain therapeutic options.