Journey Biosciences Has Created a First-in-Class Predictive Test for Diabetes-Related Kidney…
Adam Graybill and Dr. Paul Beisswenger have teamed up to bring NaviDKD® to market, a test that could potentially help millions of people with diabetes avoid kidney disease and dialysis.
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The Challenge
Kidney disease can be a daunting and potentially life-changing complication for individuals living with diabetes. Sadly, one in three people with diabetes will develop kidney disease, and often, there are no warning signs or symptoms until significant damage has already occurred. Once diagnosed, the damage is often irreversible, and the only options for survival may be lifelong dialysis or a kidney transplant.
Imagine living life with diabetes, taking care of yourself, and following your doctor’s directions — only to discover that you have developed another life-altering condition. You’ve been caught off guard, with no indication that anything was wrong until it was too late. This is a reality for millions of people around the world.
But, what if you could have been alerted to your risk of developing kidney disease years before you were diagnosed? An early warning could have prompted changes in your behavior and enabled you to take advantage of advanced technologies and clinical treatments that might have prevented or delayed a diagnosis, adding valuable years to your life.
The current lack of warning signs poses a significant challenge for preventing and intervening early in kidney disease. Most screening methods only report on current kidney function or the presence of existing damage. The goal is to identify high-risk patients early, before the disease progresses and causes irreversible damage. This goal hasn’t been possible until now. This is where Journey Biosciences is making a difference with NaviDKD, a predictive test that could help millions of people avoid the life-altering effects of kidney disease. NaviDKD is designed to provide clinicians with the insights they need to take clinical actions that could prevent or delay the onset of kidney disease, helping patients live longer and healthier lives.
Origin Story
Paul Beisswenger, MD, (Dr. Paul) spent his career helping people living with diabetes as an endocrinologist, professor, and researcher at the Dartmouth School of Medicine. Over the years, he became frustrated by the serious complications his patients faced even when they worked hard to maintain blood sugar control. Driven by his passion to make a difference, he focused his research on finding solutions to reduce the burden of diabetes-related complications. His research led to the scientific foundation for a predictive test for kidney disease — one of the most devastating complications of diabetes.
In 2021, Dr. Paul teamed up with Adam Graybill, a seasoned business leader with a personal connection to the cause. Adam has witnessed firsthand how early diagnosis and risk awareness can greatly impact patient treatment, care, and outcomes. Inspired by Dr. Paul’s research and recognizing the significant potential in the science, Adam worked alongside him to establish Journey Biosciences and NaviDKD. Over the past two years, they have successfully built a commercial lab and an operating model that works. NaviDKD has obtained patents in both the United States and Europe and has demonstrated in four landmark longitudinal outcome studies to accurately predict diabetes-related kidney disease. As they continue to innovate and grow the company, Dr. Paul and Adam remain committed to reducing the burden of diabetes and other chronic conditions on patients and their families.
Under the Hood
NaviDKD is a blood test that measures key biomarkers to determine an individual’s risk of developing kidney disease related to diabetes. Using a proprietary algorithm, the test provides a personalized risk score in one of three profiles: high, elevated, and low. Since kidney disease is often asymptomatic, alerting high-risk individuals and providing clear mitigation pathways can save lives.
NaviDKD is an essential tool for establishing a kidney health baseline. For example, someone with a high risk score can take proactive steps to potentially decrease their risk score over time. On the other hand, someone with a low risk score may continue with their current care plan until they see an increase in their risk score, indicating the need for action. Even newly-diagnosed individuals with diabetes can use NaviDKD to determine their current risk level up to 12 years in advance of clinical signs and symptoms. This information can be used to collaborate with their physician in developing a personalized care plan. All patients can re-test annually to track any changes in their risk level and make adjustments to their care plan accordingly. By utilizing NaviDKD, individuals and their providers can take proactive steps to maintain kidney health and potentially avoid the devastating complications of diabetes-related kidney disease.
Big Picture
Adam and the team at Journey Biosciences are the first members of a new cohort of Type 1 diabetes startups in the StartUp Health T1D Moonshot Fellowship. This Fellowship, supported by a program-related investment (PRI) by the Helmsley Charitable Trust, represents an exciting new way to create cross-disciplinary innovation in a specific disease area.
We’re proud to support the Journey Biosciences team in their groundbreaking work, as they have created a first-of-its-kind innovation with NaviDKD. Journey Biosciences is the first to develop a predictive kidney disease screening for diabetes patients, which marks a significant leap forward in diabetes care. Their goal to screen at least 300,000 individuals within the next five years, equivalent to 4% penetration of the Type 1 diabetes community, will undoubtedly create opportunities for further innovation in diabetes treatment. Journey Biosciences is poised to lead the way in creating a better future for both the Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes population.
Journey Biosciences is also committed to improving health equity by prioritizing women and people of color, who are disproportionately affected by kidney disease. Originating from a renowned teaching hospital (Dartmouth), the company has a strategy to cater to underserved urban communities by targeting similar teaching institutions. This mission aligns well with our Health Equity Moonshot and our global goals of improving access to care.
From a business perspective, the potential impact of Journey Biosciences’ innovations is massive. By reducing kidney disease by just 20%, the healthcare system could save $8B, avoiding hundreds of thousands of dollars in yearly expenses per patient. This represents a significant opportunity for Journey Biosciences, with exponential growth projected from $3.4M in 2023 to $222.7M in 2027.
Through the development of NaviDKD, Journey Biosciences is giving those with diabetes proper warning signs of complications, potentially adding years of quality of life for millions. Please join us in welcoming Adam Graybill, Dr. Paul Beisswenger, and the Journey Biosciences team to StartUp Health.
→ Connect with the Journey Biosciences team via email
Call for T1D Innovation
Are you a scientist or innovator focused on T1D innovation who would benefit from education about how to navigate and build a company that will be successful in attracting mission-aligned capital, customers, and collaborators to pursue scientific discoveries in the field of Type 1 diabetes? Learn more and apply for a T1D Fellowship.
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Published: Apr 20, 2023