Early cancer detection company prepares for commercialization phase

Situation

Pancreatic cancer is projected to become the second-leading cause of cancer-related deaths by 2040. This is due to the disease being asymptomatic in early stages. Detecting early pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) biomarkers could help identify vulnerable patients before the disease advances or metastasizes. San Diego-based Biological Dynamics (BioDyn) is a cancer detection company that developed a test, the ExoVerita™ platform, simplifying the isolation of extracellular vesicles. The non-invasive test  is currently being evaluated through the ExoLuminate™study. Competition for early cancer detection assays is high which means differentiation is critical.

 

Complication

BioDyns’ broad audience, including patients, healthcare providers and health systems and potential investors had little awareness about its patented Alternating Current Electrokinetics (ACE) technology that repels red blood cells and platelets and exclusively isolates exosomes and important component of early detection. The company’s CEO and board of directors knew the market did not yet know about its assays and it needed to distinguish itself to gain academic partners, trial sites and continued investment. It sought Ballast to create awareness of its unique technology and that after years of research and development of its platform using blood-based biomarkers it was entering a commercialization phase. 

 

Strategy

A comprehensive media relations strategy rooted in our inverted pyramid ideology targets media outlets with third parties helping to tell the story. San Diego reporters were initially approached given its headquarters there and as a hub for biotech. We used these tactics to secure news by developing:

  • A targeted media list of journalists covering healthcare and the business of healthcare
  • Owned media press releases distributed over national news wires highlighted its technology, impact on patient quality-of-life and strategic partnerships with reputable health systems and key opinion leaders: Razelle Kurzrock, MD, FACP, Medical College of Wisconsin, Rebekah White, MD, FACS, University of California, San Diego, and Diane Simeone, MD, NYU Langone Health 
  • A case for innovation was pitched with clinical trial news (96% test sensitivity accuracy) and thought leaders using this assay, personalized to journalist expertise 
  • Provided access to the leadership team to secure interviews with journalists
  • Media training prepared executives to skillfully manage interviews: CEO Paul Billings, MD, PhD, FACP, FACMGG, Harmeet Dhani, MD, Medical Director, and Michael Nall, CCO 

 

Results

Our strategy resulted in significant media coverage for Biological Dynamics: