June 24, 2010

New Business Models for In Vitro Diagnostics

Source: WSGR Medical Device Conference 2010, San Jose, CA

After years of favoring treatments for disease, many venture investors now see equal value in detecting it. While investors once shunned diagnostics as an investment area, advances in molecular biology and other fields now make it possible to catch disease sooner, when it’s more treatable, and point patients to the optimal therapy – information that’s just as useful as a new drug or medical device, some investors now argue. In vitro diagnostics (IVD) is experiencing a resurgence of venture capital interest. The fundamental driving force seems to be a flowering of useful new biomarkers, and many of their owners are pursuing a once novel/now almost conventional “CLIA Lab Model” for going to market. Where are all the new markers coming from, and what is their commercial import? Why the new business model? And what does it imply for competition, valuation, exit? The panel replay is available on the Wilson Sonsini website at http://www.wsgr.com/news/medicaldevice/2010/video-diagnostics.htm or send a request for a DVD at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .