Our Mission:
Transforming Cancer Detection
Every year, more than 18 million people are diagnosed with cancer and 9.6 million people from it. At Rarecells, we are committed to changing this outcome through disruptive innovation in early cancer detection.
Our mission is to make ultra-early blood-based detectipn of cancer a clinical and global reality — turning today’s late diagnosis into tomorrow’s preventions.
The Challenge: Detecting Cancer Before It Grows
Cancer evolves continuously, creating heterogeneous populations of tumor cells that adapt and resist therapy. By the time a tumor becomes detectable through imaging, it already contains millions of malignant cells.
At that stage, even the most advanced therapies struggle to eradicate the disease completely. This is why early detection is not just an advantage – it is the decisive factor in survival.
Our Solution:
The ISET® Platform
Rarecells has pioneered the ISET® (Isolation by Size Epithelial Tumor Cells) platform — a hypersensitive liquid biopsy technology that isolates and identifies circulating tumor cells (CTCs) directly from blood, without any marker bias.
With unparalleled sensitivity and specificity, ISET® is the only clinically proven method capable of detecting cancer years before imaging, enabling earlier intervention and dramatically improving patient outcomes.
This technology is the result of two decades of scientific excellence, peer-reviewed validation and clinical collaborations worldwide.
A New Era in Liquid Biopsy
Our R&D pipeline focuses on integrating cellular and molecular readouts, and combining CTC-DNA, ctDNA, and multiomic analysis powered by AI.
By merging the power of cell biology and artificial intelligence, Rarecells is advancing toward a new standard is precision oncology, where cancer can be tracked, characterized, and eliminated from its earliest stages.
We are now scaling our platform for broad clinical deployment, in partnership with academic centers, biotech innovators, and healthcare systems.
The Vision Ahead
The convergence of molecular science, data analytics, and AI-driven interpretation makes it possible —today— to detect cancer before it becomes visible.
Our goal is to make this capability accessible to millions, changing the way cancer is diagnosed, treated, and ultimately prevented.
At Rarecells, we invite investors and partners to join us in accelerating the global adoption of early cancer detection.
Together, we can make cancer defeat possible — from its start.
Board of Directors
Rarecells is committed to the best practices in corporate governance and has appointed a prestigious Board of Directors with significant expertise in the diagnostic, financial and scientific areas.
Prof Patrizia Paterlini, MD, PhD
President, CEO & Founder
Emeritus Professor of Cell Biology and Oncology, former Director at INSERM, Patrizia Paterlini is Rarecells’ Founder and President. In addition to fundamental research studies on liver carcinogenesis early in her career, she focused on applied research. Her research led to the discovery and development of the patented ISET® technique for isolation and characterization of circulating tumor and fetal cells permitting innovative advances in non-invasive predictive oncology and prenatal diagnosis. Prof Paterlini oversees the continuing development of Rarecells and its ISET® technology. Her work was acknowledged by 13 prestigious awards and led to 49+ granted patents and 90+ high level scientific publications.
Dr Neil Gunn PhD
Recognized industry expert, Dr Gunn has spent 12 years at Roche Diagnostics, where he led the launches of well over one hundred products. He was also responsible for building Roche’s sequencing business, demonstrating above market performance and growing the team by more than 500 percent. Previously, Gunn spent eight years at Chiron Blood Testing, where he introduced the first molecular tests for blood screening (HIV and HCV) that are now standard practice around the world. More recently Dr Gunn has served as CEO of infectious disease company IDbyDNA, to its acquisition by Illumina.
Neil Kurtz MD
Successful serial entrepreneur, physician, and Board-certified psychiatrist Neil Kurtz graduated from medical school in Wisconsin and is licensed to practice medicine in California. Neil served as Assistant Professor at the Department of Psychiatry at the University of California – Los Angeles before gaining 30 years of experience in the healthcare and pharmaceutical industry, including serving as worldwide head of R&D for Boots Pharmaceuticals, launching a Clinical Research Organization that was sold to UnitedHealth Group, and serving as CEO of Golden Living, one of the largest diversified providers of post-acute care. Dr. Kurtz has consulted for more than 70 investment groups and served as founding board member and chair for Medidata until its sale to Dassault Systemes for $5.8 billion.
Prof Christian Brechot MD, PhD
After working as a researcher in the field of virology, Christian Bréchot was president and general manager of INSERM (Institut National de Santé et Recherche Médicale), the largest scientific health institution in France. He was then appointed as Vice-President of Medical and Scientific Affairs of the Institut Merieux company. From October 2013- to September 2017 he served as President of the Institut Pasteur, Paris, France.
Dr. Brechot is currently the Senior Associate Dean for Research in Global Affairs and the Associate Vice-President for International Partnerships and Innovation at the University of South Florida, Tampa, USA. Additionally, he is currently the President of the Global Virus Network, Baltimore, USA.
Mr Thierry de Marignac
Former Partner at Banque Mirabaud & Cie and leading investor, Mr de Marignac represents the interests of Rarecells’ Series A Round investors.
Our Leadership
Prof Patrizia Paterlini MD, PhD CEO
Emeritus Professor of Cell biology and Oncology, former Director at INSERM, Patrizia Paterlini is Rarecells’ Founder and President. In addition to fundamental research studies on liver carcinogenesis early in her career, she focused on applied research. Her research led to the discovery and development of the patented ISET® technique for isolation and characterization of circulating tumor and fetal cells permitting innovative advances in non-invasive predictive oncology and prenatal diagnosis. Prof Paterlini oversees the continuing development of Rarecells and its ISET® technology. Her work was acknowledged by 13 prestigious awards and led to 49+ granted patents and 90+ high level scientific publications.
Davide Brechot CFO
Davide has been focusing on the expansion of the operations and the development of service activities since he joined Rarecells. Previously acting as COO he oversaw the development of a new generation of ISET® products and the regulatory compliance for the company. Prior to joining Rarecells, he worked in the United States in energy consulting and co-founded a start-up in the digital space, for which he served as President and CTO. Davide holds a Master of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering from Imperial College London, a Master of International Affairs from Sciences-Po Paris, and a Master of International Affairs from Columbia University.
Alessandra Decina COO - France
Alessandra joined Rarecells in 2015 as the Quality Assurance and Regulatory Affairs Manager, supporting the development of new products, and the expansion of operations. Since the beginning of 2020, she has been working as COO, overseeing Rarecells’ operations.
Alessandra holds a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Roma Tre University and a Master’s Degree in Biomedical Engineering from the La Sapienza University of Rome that led her to focus on medical devices.
Karolyn Chamberlin COO - USA
Karolyn joined the Rarecells team in 2022 to lead the company’s launch in the United States. She has supported the development of the Rarecells go-to-market strategy, including regulatory and reimbursement pathways, while overseeing lab operations and R&D collaborations.
She has 15+ years of experience supporting the global expansion of life sciences companies, ranging from early-stage ventures to global biopharma and medical device leaders. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree from George Mason University and a Master’s Degree from New York University
Scientific Advisory Board
Leroy Hood MD, PhD
Dr. Hood’s research has focused on the study of molecular immunology, biotechnology, and genomics. He won the 2003 Lemelson-MIT Prize for inventing “four instruments that have unlocked much of the mystery of human biology” by helping decode the genome. His inventions include the DNA sequencer that contributed to the successful mapping of the human genome.
His professional career began at Caltech where he and his colleagues pioneered four instruments, which comprise the technological foundation for contemporary molecular biology. In 1992, Dr. Hood moved to the University of Washington as Founder and Chairman of the cross-disciplinary Department of Molecular Biotechnology.
Joe Leigh Simpson MD
Dr Simpson is the founding Chair at Florida International University Miami, and has served as Chair and Professor in numerous universities in the USA. Besides, he has played leadership roles in many professional organizations. His research encompasses many areas of genetic prenatal diagnosis and reproductive genetics.
He was 1993-1994 President of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, 1994-1998 President of the International Society of Prenatal Diagnosis, 1998-1999 President of the Society for Gynecologic Investigation, 2007-09 President of the American College of Medical Genetics, 2006-09 President of the Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis International Society He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, Institute of Medicine (IOM).
Rita Shaknovich MD PhD
Dr. Rita Shaknovich is Chief Medical Officer at Agilent Technologies, bringing over 20 years of leadership experience across private industry and academia. She has a distinguished track recrod of building high-performing teams, developing innovative diagnostic tests, establishing world-class laboratory environments, and advancing critical research in cancer biology, genomics, and epigenetics.
Prior to joining Agilent, Dr. Shaknovich held senior leadership positions at GRAIL and Cancer Genetics, where she played pivotal roles in clinical and translational initiatives. She began her career in academic medicine, serving as Assistant Professor at Weill Cornell Medical College and Montefiore Medical Center (NY).
Dr. Shaknovich earned her Bachelor of Science from Columbia University and holds both an MD and a PhD from Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York.