By: Shanza Anwaar
“In 2013, breast cancer continues to be the most common cancer diagnosis in Canadian women over the age of 20… It is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in Canadian women’’ – Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation
Joel Ironstone, Founder and CEO of SenoSENSE, met his partner, Joel Weinstein, on a previous medical device project. Weinstein, a serial entrepreneur, was one of the founders of Hologic, a publically traded women’s health company, and a major driver behind the success of their bone density device. Ironstone got in touch with Weinstein and soon, they brought on Paul Chipperton, former CEO of Profound Medical Inc. With the help of leading clinicians, the team behind SenoSENSE quickly developed their star product: the Electronic Breast Densitometer.
SenoSENSE’s technology identifies women who are at a higher risk for breast cancer, the leading cause of death among women under 50. Breast cancer screening in Canada typically starts at age of 50. The Electronic Breast Densitometer, however, can identify women younger than 50 who are at elevated risk by measuring breast density so that they can begin screening earlier. The low-cost device measures breast density using electrical impedance and is comprised of a tablet or a smartphone app, a custom cable, and a single-use sensor that is placed over the breast. The test takes less than a minute and causes no discomfort.
2012 has been an important year for SenoSENSE as it has completed a landmark study demonstrating the efficacy of its technology and received an amazing response from clinicians and scientists around the world who are eager to utilize the device in their research programs.
“Breast density is one of the major factors in developing breast cancer,”noted Dr. Bukhanov Breast Radiologist with Mount Sinai Hospital Marvelle Koffler Breast Centre and Gattuso Rapid Diagnosis Clinic at Princess Margaret Hospital.“A woman who has extremely dense breasts is at approximately five times the risk of developing the disease compared to a woman who has breasts with fatty, low-density tissue. Our ability to identify these women will allow us to screen this population more effectively and also permit these women to implement risk prevention techniques.”
In addition to being Altitude Accelerator’s 2013 Innovator Idol winner, SenoSENSE is looking forward to recruiting a clinical study which has the potential to revolutionize how hormone replacement therapy is delivered. The company continues to mature as it develops a commercial version of its technology and further validates the technology’s clinical utility.
The team at SenoSENSE is excited for the future: 2014 is expected to mark the year of worldwide regulatory approval and initial commercialization of the technology. Altitude Accelerator continues to support SenoSENSE in their ventures and is excited for the breakthrough technology to help prevent suffering caused by this disease.
To discuss further details about the exciting SenoSENSE Medical Systems story, please address inquiries to:
SensoSENSE Medical Systems Inc.
25 Colgate Avenue
Toronto, Ontario M4M 1N5
Canada
Joel Ironstone
Founder, Chief Executive Officer
(416) 567-1147
joel.ironstone@senosense.com
Joel Weinstein
Founder, Marketing/Corporate Development
(508) 932-1399
joel.weinstein@senosense.com