Veracyte
Leveraging in vitro diagnostics tests to transform cancer care
Martin Bostrup
Martin Bostrup is the Executive Director of Market Access & Medical Affairs, EMEA, at Veracyte. As a Life Sciences leader, he specialises in market access, health economics, evidence generation and governmental affairs in oncology and pulmonology. Martin has prior experience from global and regional roles at AstraZeneca, Lundbeck, and Novo Nordisk. Martin has a proven track record in supporting reimbursed launches for both pharmaceuticals and advanced diagnostics, and helping deliver innovative access solutions across Europe.
Through this article, Bostrup highlights the rapid advancement in advanced diagnostics and genomics, particularly genomics-based diagnostics, and their potential to revolutionise precision medicine.
I am the Executive Director of Market Access & Medical Affairs for Veracyte’s IVD business outside the U.S and especially the EMEA region. I joined in 2021 to establish and lead the IVD Market Access function. Since then, we’ve achieved significant milestones, including securing reimbursement for our Prosigna breast cancer assay in over 12 European countries and obtaining recommendations from institutions such as NICE, G-BA, and HAS. My professional journey is grounded in extensive experience in health economics, pricing, market access and health policy, developed through roles at Novo Nordisk, Lundbeck, and AstraZeneca. I’ve worked on securing patient access, optimising clinical trials to meet payer requirements, leveraging real-world evidence, and health economic modelling. My professional experience is supported by my Ph.D. in Health Sciences and further training in medical innovation management, enabling me to drive initiatives across complex regulatory, policy, and economic landscapes.
Technology Driving Biotech Research
One key trend is the rapid advancement in advanced diagnostics and genomics, particularly genomics-based diagnostics across major oncological diseases. These technologies are already revolutionising precision medicine, e.g., in breast cancer and prostate cancer, by tailoring treatments to patients’ genetic profiles. They are transforming disease screening, diagnosis, and therapy selection, allowing for timely interventions and more targeted treatments, ultimately improving patient outcomes and optimising healthcare resources.
Reimbursement frameworks in Europe, Canada and Australia often struggle to keep pace with innovation, delaying patient access in precision oncology.
Charting a Course Through Future Challenges
Several challenges are shaping the field:
1. Reimbursement Pathways: Established frameworks often struggle to keep pace with innovation, delaying patient access. Collaboration among medtech/biotech/diagnostics companies, regulators, payers and policymakers is crucial to establishing streamlined processes where oncologists can more quickly adopt innovations that allow them to confidently guide treatment decisions.
2. Data Privacy and Security: The growth of the use of genomic data raises concerns about patient data protection. Stronger privacy measures, secure datasharing standards, and investment in data anonymisation technologies must be aligned with regulatory, e.g., GDPR, standards.
3. Integration into Healthcare Systems: Many healthcare systems lack the infrastructure to adopt advanced diagnostics fast enough. Addressing this involves training providers, upgrading systems, and enhancing data-sharing capabilities so that laboratories can quickly implement new testing modalities and obtain adequate reimbursement for both assay components and testing infrastructure (i.e., processing platforms, labour, and informatics).
4. Funding for R&D: Advanced diagnostics require ongoing and efficient clinical research to fully develop clinical utility data. High R&D costs require support through government programs, private investment, and public-private partnerships to accelerate innovation or offering coverage with evidence solutions to obtain the right balance between fast adoption of innovations and appropriate use of scarce health care resources.
5. Ethical and Public Acceptance: The ethical implications of genomics-based technologies require transparent communication, public education, and collaborative guidelines to build trust and acceptance.
By addressing these challenges proactively, we can help ensure that advanced diagnostics reach their full potential in improving healthcare delivery and that innovations are adopted more quickly to make a difference for patients across Europe and beyond.
Technology Stack at Veracyte
Veracyte’s technology stack integrates advanced genomics, artificial intelligence (AI), and diagnostic platforms to enhance precision diagnostics, especially in cancer care. Our in vitro diagnostic agreement with Illumina allows us to deploy tests globally through the NextSeq 550Dx platform, supporting decentralised diagnostics close to patients and within the patient’s choice of healthcare system setting. Additionally, our acquisition of C2i Genomics bolsters non-invasive cancer monitoring via cell-free DNA and whole-genome sequencing. These innovations enable clinicians to make more accurate diagnoses and tailor treatments effectively, improving patient outcomes. While some technologies are already available in e.g. US and Europe, we are only in the beginning or our journey.
Advice for Professionals
Organisations must consider several factors to ensure effective integration:
1. Align Technology with Goals: Adoption should address clear business and scientific objectives, with a thorough ROI analysis to determine its value.
2. Build robust data infrastructure: Technologies like AI depend on reliable data systems that comply with privacy regulations like GDPR.
3. Prioritise Interoperability: Systems must integrate seamlessly across organisational and external platforms to avoid data silos.
4. Invest in Training and Change Management: Teams must be prepared to adopt new workflows and leverage new technologies effectively.
5. Foster Continuous Learning and Collaboration: Encourage innovation through collaboration with industry peers, technology providers, and regulatory bodies.
By aligning strategies, investing in infrastructure, and promoting use of CE-IVDR certified and GDPR compliant technologies, organisations can harness the transformative potential of emerging technologies to drive innovation and improve patient care.
