In the latest edition of the Cellerant CEO series, I sat down with Bill Brodie, the CEO of Vigilant Biosciences, about its mission to detect oral cancer early. Brodie discussed the importance of raising awareness about oral cancer and the need for tools to help dentists catch it early.
Bill Brodie.
Brodie explained how Vigilant Biosciences uses biomarkers in saliva to provide real-time decision-making for dentists. He also discussed the global reach of the company and its plans for the future. The conversation highlights the importance of early detection of oral cancer and the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in improving diagnostic accuracy.
"I think the problem with the disease, besides the disease being horrible and the patient outcomes are terrible, is that patients can be disfigured," Brodie said when asked why he is so passionate about fighting oral cancer. "They could lose their ability to speak or swallow. And those are, unfortunately, the lucky ones who survive," he said.
"So the premise is let's catch it early. If you catch it at stage I or stage II, you change that survivor rate to 80% to 90%, not to mention avoiding all the lifestyle horrific part of it. As a patient, you just have a far better chance to live. And if you pick it up in, say, high grade dysplasia, which is basically like stage zero, like what we're doing, it becomes a much simpler thing to treat and not have the horrific outcomes."
Takeaways from podcast
- According to Brodie, oral cancer has a public relations problem and needs more awareness in the dental industry. While April is Oral Cancer Awareness Month, every month should have an emphasis on dental professionals catching oral cancer and helping their patients through any fear or uncertainty.
- Vigilant Biosciences uses biomarkers in saliva to detect oral cancer early.
- Early detection of oral cancer can significantly improve survival rates.
- Vigilant Biosciences is expanding globally to impact the survivor rate of oral cancer.
- AI and machine learning play a role in improving diagnostic accuracy.
You can watch our interview below. You can also sign up here to learn more about next steps for the company and product availability.
