Not all cancer is the same
How to vanquish tumors with the help of individual molecular patient data
Dr. Friedrich von Bohlen und Halbach is the CEO of Molecular Health, a biotech company that is championing the fight against cancer through the precise analysis of genetic data. In our video interview he explains exactly how this works.
Dr. Friedrich von Bohlen und Halbach, CEO of "Molecular Health" © Molecular Health
The Heidelberg-based company Molecular Health, a member of the group of companies belonging to SAP founder Dietmar Hopp, has set itself the task of analyzing the molecular and clinical data of individual cancer patients with the help of its cloud-based technology platform. This data is checked against medical, biological and pharmacological knowledge around the world in order to make more accurate decisions about diagnosis, therapy and drug safety.
"What motivates me are the new opportunities that we can create for patients, doctors and innovators by pushing the boundaries of the possible in medicine."
From steel to bio-tech
Friedrich von Bohlen and Halbach, born in 1962, is a scion of the Krupp dynasty. Alfried Krupp, the last Krupp, was his uncle, and Bertha Krupp his grandmother. But the steel business never interested Bohlen. Instead, with his doctorate in chemistry, he manifests a very similar stubbornness in this discipline as was attributed to his forebears in the steel business. As he puts it, "I am at the same place on the modernity curve as Krupp was in 1812. What he did with steel, I am doing in biotechnology.”
"It's all about translating data into knowledge and creating a navigation system for doctors."
Cancer will be curable
"Other than breaking your neck, virtually every ailment is molecular," says Friedrich von Bohlen. The fact that cancer will one day even be "chronified" is no longer a vision, he says, but a certainty: "You will no longer die of cancer, because you’ll keep the cancer in check."
Who are we? How do we live today? And how will digitization change our lives? How the future will unfold is preoccupying society more than ever, with engineers, doctors, politicians – each one of us, in fact – seeking answers. This conversation with the CEO of Molecular Health is one of many contributions that shed light on the theme “Digitized Society” from a new, inspiring perspective. We are publishing them here as part of our series “Impact”.
At Vontobel we are following scientific research with great curiosity and attention. This gives us the chance to recognize new investment opportunities at an early stage. That's why our thematic portfolios and thematic investments also reflect megatrends such as digitization: by considering companies that are making valuable contributions to solving global challenges.