Concr's Astrophysics-Powered Cancer Solution
Hosts Faye Holland and James Parton sit down with Irina Barbina (CEO) and Matthew Griffiths (CTO) to unpick how Concr is using predictive modelling and digital twins to transform cancer drug development.
The Problem They're Solving
Cancer data is fragmented. Clinical trials, pre-clinical research, and real-world patient data exist in silos. There's no unified way to predict how individual patients will respond to specific therapies, until now.
As Matthew explains:
"The core problem that Concr was founded to address is this idea that in cancer, the way data and models are used is very siloed and fragmented."
The Breakthrough: Astrophysics Meets Oncology
Here's where it gets genuinely clever. Concr's technology borrows from astrophysics, specifically, how scientists model dark matter using gravitational lensing. The parallel is striking:
Astrophysicists can't directly observe dark matter, so they build complex simulations to infer its distribution. Concr can't directly know why a drug worked for a patient, so they build digital twin simulations to predict outcomes.
Key innovations:
Bayesian inference at scale to handle messy, incomplete cancer data
Hierarchical modelling that learns from shared biology across cancer types
94% prediction accuracy on retrospective clinical trial data
Prospective validation underway with NHS partners and pharma companies
Why This Matters
For biotech founders: Concr dramatically reduces the cost and complexity of clinical trials. Irina notes:
"The ability to predict how individual patients are going to respond to a given cancer therapy is really powerful, both in healthcare settings and in drug development."
For VCs: The commercial model is proven. They're already working with biotech companies lacking Big Pharma's resources, using digital twins to inform trial design and drug development decisions.
For the ecosystem: Irina's journey from academic geneticist to VC-backed entrepreneur exemplifies how deep domain expertise + business acumen creates category-defining companies.
The Ask
Concr is fundraising their growth round with strong early backing from pharmaceutical, oncology, and tech investors. They're targeting UK, Europe, US, and Australian investors.
If you're interested in backing frontier deep tech in life sciences or you're a clinician, regulator, or researcher with feedback on their product. They're actively seeking ecosystem engagement.
Final Thought
This episode brilliantly illustrates why Cambridge is a global innovation hub. It's not just about brilliant science, it's about brilliant people from different disciplines colliding, recognising patterns, and building companies that matter.
Listen now and find out why digital twins might just transform how we treat cancer.