Business Breakdowns
Episode 37 Novocure: Using Physics to Fight Cancer
Business Breakdowns

Episode 37: Novocure: Using Physics to Fight Cancer

Business Breakdowns

Episode 37

Novocure: Using Physics to Fight Cancer

Bill Doyle is the Executive Chairman of Novocure. We cover the state of cancer treatment, Novocure's innovative new approach, and unique way they've structured their business model.

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[00:03:05] - [First question] - The current state of cancer treatment today writ large

[00:05:43] - What cancer is literally and how it becomes life-threatening

[00:06:38] - Why uncontrolled cell growth is so bad

[00:07:27] - The main three ways we currently treat cancer 

[00:11:29] - Whether or not there are targeted ways we can treat cancer like mRNA

[00:14:08] - How we’ve historically detected cancer and what future detection could look like

[00:17:12] - Death rates of cancer in the US annually and the business side as it stands today

[00:18:20] - Key players in the cancer treatment space that serve patients

[00:19:13] - The pioneering technology that Novocure created to treat cancer

[00:22:38] - The mechanism that allows their tech to target the right cells

[00:25:35] - Overview of the actual procedure that takes place with their therapy

[00:28:36] - The impact and results of their new treatment method

[00:33:37] - A future where we can take this in a prophylactic and preventive sense

[00:34:44] - Why this approach to cancer treatment isn’t more widely known and accepted

[00:38:09] - Financials of Novocure and the opportunities it presents for their business

[00:43:10] - How they spend their R&D dollars and horizontal and vertical growth

[00:48:01] - Unique ways they spend their revenue to scale their business

[00:51:05] - Biggest criticisms of the size and scope of Novocure

[00:52:18] - Broader business lessons learned while building a cancer treatment company

[00:55:23] - The future of healthcare more generally and what has him most excited

Novocure: Using Physics to Fight Cancer

Introduction

Patrick
Today, we're breaking down Novocure. A global oncology company that has pioneered a new approach to cancer treatment. For over 100 years, the tools used to fight cancer have largely remained unchanged but there are promising signs of a renaissance and Novocure is at the vanguard of that charge. To explain the state of cancer research and how the business has developed over the past 20 years, I'm joined by Bill Doyle, Novocure's executive chairman. Please enjoy this fantastic breakdown of Novocure.

The State of Cancer Research & Treatment

Patrick
So Bill, where to begin this really interesting conversation? It's a field that I have limited experience with, but a deep interest in and before we get into Novocure specifically, maybe the best place to begin is a little bit higher level with just the state of cancer research and treatment writ large. If you could sort of paint a picture for us of what the world looks like today, relative to maybe when you first got involved in this space. So that we can appreciate the rate of change and the state-of-the-art today.

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