Dr. Khadijah Ali of BioSapien developed MediChip, a 3D-printed chip sutured directly onto tumors to deliver chemotherapy locally without systemic side effects. The paper-thin device releases 25% of its drug load in 24 hours, then sustains release for a month. Treating just 3,000 patients could generate $1 billion in revenue.
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And about 1.8 million new cases. By treating 3,000 patients, we hit the billion-dollar mark in revenue.
So hi, my name is Khadijah Ali. I'm the CEO of BioSapien, where we treat cancer locally. So I was like 18 years old doing philosophy and physics at McMaster University, contemplating life, as I sometimes like to call it. And essentially my dad, who's my best friend, also my business partner, My mentor ended up getting diagnosed with cancer. Unfortunately, he passed away. And as a way to sort of give back or like keep that alive, I dove into medicine. So I decided to go to medical school, do some research around cancer primarily. Initially, I thought I would be a family physician. It's funny because I ended up going the opposite way.
How did you feel like that transition was received by the rest of your family? And or your friends or—
It's really funny that you ask that because a couple of my friends asked me if I was okay and like if I was, you know, doing the right thing. Because to go from something that's really secure, like you said, right, and stable, to jumping into something that's very intangible and abstract. And at that point it was just this idea that was in my mind. So to chase that and want to turn that into a reality was something that not a lot of my friends understood. I'm generally a risk taker. So from that perspective, I really do love the entrepreneurship because you get to create something and build something. And there's like a different kind of thrill in that in comparison to, you know, prescribing somebody Tylenol, right? Don't get me wrong, that has its own joy to it, of course, but it's just I'm much more of a high-risk, high-reward person. For context, I skydive, so, you know. So fast forward 5 years, right? We're pretty much ready with a product that can go into humans. We've done all the animal testing. that we needed to do to prove that it's safe and it works. And essentially the next step after that is that you do a clinical trial in humans. And Abu Dhabi was very forward-thinking, was very innovative, friendly, and said, hey, instead of you guys spending a couple more months trying to do this in the US, why don't you come here to Abu Dhabi and we could start the clinical trials here?
Have you felt any sort of like Challenges specifically related to being a female entrepreneur, or is that something that hasn't really touched on you?
Yeah, I think that's one of the most difficult sort of challenges that you run into, especially in the US. So the industry, especially in biotech, is primarily, I would say, 95% male dominant. But the unfortunate truth is that only 2% of all female founders get funded.
My name is Dr. Ali. And I'm going to take you on a little journey. I want you to imagine someone that gets diagnosed with cancer. They get systemic chemotherapy, and within 4 to 5 hours, they end up with nausea and vomiting. 4 to 5 days, they end up with hair loss. And a couple of weeks later, they end up with long-term complications. This is something I experienced with my dad. And the reality is, is that 1 in 3 people will end up with cancer in their lifetime. So my team of experts from the industry, including the FDA and pharma, combined 100 years together, came together for the last 5 years to make MediChip. MediChip is a 3D-printed drug delivery platform which is able to deliver the same type of chemotherapy that you would get systemically, but without any of the side effects. So really—
So let me— help me with this. This is— oh, it's this paper-thin Chip, right?
Yeah, yeah.
You know, he like stepped in, Tim stepped in and was like, so what is this thing?
And I was like, oh.
Do I put it on the side of my neck? What do I do with it?
Yes, that's a great question. So you can actually put it on top of the tumor. You suture it on from the 4 corners that you see, and it provides the same chemotherapy for up to 1 month. So you could be roaming around, sleeping, doing groceries, but the cancer is still getting treated.
So when he started mentioning, you know, like, does it go in the neck? You know, is it something that I put on my skin? I was like, oh no, I think I think I've lost it, right?
So like let's say you are going in for surgery, right? So they're going to your pancreas or they're going into your stomach for surgery. They go through a scope. They put this in directly on top of the tumor.
Put it on the tumor right in there.
Yep, right on top like a bandaid.
Honestly, I think the fact that I've taught in the past like undergrad and graduate students and med students and things like that, I felt like honing onto that experience and bringing it in to be like, no, no, it's not. It's not this, it's this. And like, let's look at it this way.
Well, how do you keep it from slipping off?
So you see those 4 corners over there?
Yeah.
Right? That's actually where you attach the sutures onto the tissue on top of the tumor. It's meant to be delivered in that way, and you can put more than one. So if the tumor is big enough, you tie the knots together to make a larger mesh, and then you put it on top of the tumor.
So instead of taking a drug that's fully systemic—
Yes.
You lose your hair and all that stuff. This is a drug that just goes right on the tumor and attacks it right there.
Right on.
What a cool idea.
Once they got what it is that we do and the fact that it goes on the tumor and you put it in and it releases the chemo, like they were finishing the thought for me.
Yeah.
How much time does it take for it to start working?
So once I apply it, so 24 hours. So the so basically the moment it touches. tissue, it gets activated. Within 24 hours, you get this burst release, which is like about 25% of the drug initially. So it gives that little kick. And then over 2 weeks, it releases from the 2 sides and then from the major parts of the chip itself over a course of a month.
Give us an idea of the market size. How many cancer patients would be suitable for this type of treatment?
That's a great question. So there is about 600,000 people that get diagnosed with cancer every year. And about 1.8 million new cases. By treating 3,000 patients, we hit the billion-dollar mark in revenue.
What's the exit for you on this one? Like, as an investor?
That's a great question. So we have several exit opportunities. One is basically an M&A, right, with a pharma company or a medical device company that wants to buy us out. Another is to do an IPO.
Terrific. Well, thank you so much for coming and being on Meet the Drapers. Good job. All right.
Oh my God, that was awesome. A bit nerve-wracking, not gonna lie. Some of the questions that he asked, I don't get from a lot of medical folks.
It's a big potential, right? I mean, $1 billion of revenue from 3,000 patients.
This sounds like a miracle because My grandma has been diagnosed with cancer, and I and I've been with her throughout the whole you know the cycle, all the sessions, all these things. First of all, you pay a lot of money, and second, at some point patients cannot do more.
I mean, if that works, yeah, it gloms on and reduces the size of a cancer.
Very very knowledgeable. Really really knew her stuff. Most entrepreneurs, like you know, even the patient may know the product, but she answered a lot of the questions, even the technical, the the financial part, you know, the exit.
Hey, what did all of you think? What'd you think of Dr. Ali?
Good.
All right.
I like it.
Right, at $1 million. And sometimes others of them get funding along the way, but we are gonna only choose one. You have to send your energy to the crystal ball, and I need to, to feel that energy. Is it BioSapien? Key to enable, bit grit, or moment. We can think whatever we want, but it's really up to the crystal ball as to who goes forward to the semifinals. Oh my God! Oh yeah! Are we helping people who? Have problems? Are we solving a big issue in energy? Are we— what are we doing? We're doing Biosapiens! And congratulations, Biosapiens! Congratulations, you move on to the semifinal.
It's a bit surreal. I think I still haven't processed it. I was really nervous before I got on there. I didn't even know who I was competing against. So it was very nerve-wracking in that sense.
