About Us
Hedera Dx is dedicated to transforming oncology by providing cutting-edge liquid biopsy solutions that improve patient experiences, outcomes and journeys, as well as healthcare professional experiences, while facilitating the prescription, discovery and development of the next breakthrough precision oncology therapies.
Clinicogenomics evidence entirely dedicated to liquid biopsy testing in oncology
Hedera Frame gathers clinicogenomics evidence - including Real-World Data for liquid biopsy - enabling informed treatment decisions and aiming at accelerating the discovery and development of the next breakthrough personalized therapies for cancer patients.
Unique customer experience
At Hedera Dx, we are committed to providing a unique customer experience by partnering with laboratories and clinicians to offer fast, locally CE-IVDR compliant and clinically actionable NGS-based liquid biopsies solutions to be processed in-house. Our approach aims at becoming a global provider of both analytically & clinically validated liquid biopsy tests processed in daily practice, in accordance with guidelines and regulatory-approved cancer therapy options.
A Patient-Driven Approach
By actively engaging patients via myHedera app and their early involvement in our studies, they become catalysts for personalized care and transformative advancements. Their participation enables them to shape their own outcomes and experiences, while also contributing valuable insights. Through the integration of Patient-Reported Outcomes (PROs) and Patient-Reported Experience Measures (PREMs), patients provide a holistic perspective on their journey, encompassing their unique lived experiences in addition to clinical and genomic insights provided by investigators. This collaborative approach places patients at the center of their own care, fostering a deeper understanding between healthcare providers, researchers, and individuals. Eventually, this patient-centric initiative aims at driving better oncology care practices and meaningful progress in personalized medicine, propelling the field towards patient-centered excellence.
By offering a range of liquid biopsy solutions, we enable cancer patients to access non-invasive blood-based diagnostics tests that facilitate better, timely treatment options selection to ultimately improve their experiences and quality of life.
Beyond our commitment to develop liquid biopsy solutions, we also strive to continuously deliver compelling patient support tools and programs (e.g. patients apps) that help understand, treat, and monitor cancer, to enable patients to live longer and better lives.
We’re united by a vision to make liquid biopsies globally accessible for patients
Hedera Dx was born to transform oncology globally by enabling routine use of validated liquid biopsies - in house, without compliance, bioinformatics and reporting hurdles at all stages of the disease.
By adopting both a customer- and a patient- centric approach in all we do and further develop, systematically integrating PROs, PREMs, patients groups and customer’s feedback, we make sure to deliver products and services matching the needs of those who need it most.
Team
Backed by leading investors, Hedera Dx was established in Switzerland in 2021 by Tommi Lehtonen, Damien Lapray and Christian Meisel. Our primary objective is to revolutionize oncology by making liquid biopsies a standard practice worldwide. Hedera Dx is on a mission to simplify cancer testing in order to help more cancer patients get better outcomes and experiences. This starts by supporting more patients getting better therapy options using a simple blood draw.
Tommi Lehtonen
CEO, Co-founder
An experienced genetics entrepreneur who previously co-founded and grew Blueprint Genetics into a global provider of genetic testing for hereditary and rare diseases. Prior to Hedera Dx, Tommi led the Specialty Genetics clinical franchise at Quest Diagnostics as VP/GM.
Christian Meisel
CMO, Co-founder, MD PhD
Christian has a 20-year+ career in precision oncology, as a physician and from key senior executive positions at Roche, such as Global Head Translational Medicine, Global Head Biomarkers and Personalized Healthcare Platforms, and helping cancer patients as the CMO of Molecular Health.
Damien Lapray
CCO, Co-founder, PhD
Deeply rooted in the hospital laboratory world, Damien was previously the long-standing CCO of Sophia Genetics, growing and managing the entire commercial operation of Sophia Genetics and working broadly with the genetics community globally.
Kaarlo Haikonen
Director Engineering & Product
A highly skilled software developer turned engineering leader who co-founded Kaiku Health, a platform enabling digital monitoring of symptoms in cancer care, used in clinical routine by thousands of patients globally. Prior to Hedera Dx, Kaarlo built teams to develop next-generation product initiatives at Elekta, working closely with the broader oncology community.
Sanga Mitra Boppudi
Director Assay Development, PhD
Leading expert in genomic research, with over a decade of experience in Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) technologies. In her former role as a laboratory head, Sanga Mitra developed a broad range of NGS applications, including assay and panel designs, applied to many R&D and oncology clinical projects.
Thomas Vetterli
Director Bioinformatics & ML
Thomas is a passionate machine learning leader with a Bay Area background from Freenome and Berkeley Lights. He brings a wealth of knowledge from computational methods research and building large-scale platforms that integrate machine learning and bioinformatics to process data for liquid biopsy applications.
Paola Castelli
Vice President of Sales
Paola brings 15+ years of experience in genomics and high-throughput DNA sequencing, having worked in leading international sales & business development roles at GE Healthcare and Sophia Genetics. Highly knowledgeable in sequencing technologies, Paola excels in strategic account development, building partnerships with KOLs and distributors, and nurturing global sales talent.
Frances Rhodius Sagnier
Director of Finance & Operations
Fran oversees all things finance and operations, building on her background in finance roles at Sophia Genetics and J.P. Morgan. Fran is known for analytical acumen, ability to get things done, optimization mindset and leadership to drive both top and bottom lines.
Culture
Our team is passionate about the work we do and why we do it
Our culture is based on thinking differently, being ambitious, being benevolent and being human, basically being ourselves. This goes into everything we do: from how we develop our products, the way we work and who we hire. Beyond the complexity and seriousness of what we aim to solve, we make sure to enjoy on a daily basis what we do, how we work together and celebrate our success as a team.