Page 70 - Forbes - Asia (October 2019)
P. 70
TECHNOLOGY
Personalizing Cancer
Eric Lefkofsky made it big with five startups—most famously Groupon—
by harnessing data. Will it work for diseases?
BY NOAH KIRSCH AND MICHELA TINDERA
Tempus founder Eric Lefkofsky
ric Lefkofsky hasn’t taken a “The first step in all that is data.” ments and make them more effective.
science class since college. But Assembling data was the first step in A doctor treating a patient with lung
as he meanders through the Lefkofsky’s other ventures. The 49-year- cancer might send a tumor sample to
EChicago lab of Tempus, his old has launched five companies worth Tempus for genomic sequencing. Tem-
medical startup, he presents an air of at least $250 million apiece, each prom- pus identifies a mutation in the gene
expertise. “One thing you can see right ising to transform an industry by using for epidermal growth factor receptor,
off the bat is the purple staining of this big data. His best-known venture is which causes cells to grow and divide
cell,” he says, pointing to the pathology Groupon; despite the deals site’s disap- too much. With that, the doctor pre-
slide of a patient with breast cancer. He pointing share price, Lefkofsky is worth scribes a targeted therapy that can have
walks past vials of lysis buffer and a $1 an estimated $2.7 billion. better results than chemotherapy. JEFF SCIORTINO FOR FORBES
million genomic sequencer. “Tempus is Tempus is predicated on the theo- So far the 700-employee company
attempting to bring the power of artifi- ry that information, lots of it, will en- has raised $520 million (Lefkofsky put
cial intelligence to healthcare,” he says. able doctors to personalize cancer treat- in $100 million). The lavish $3.1 billion
68 | FORBES ASIA OCTOBER 2019
