Elephas uses live tumor biopsy samples to evaluate drug effectiveness in real time
As cancer treatment continues to evolve, one of the biggest challenges facing physicians is determining which therapies will work best for individual patients. Madison-based Elephas is working to solve that problem through technology designed to predict how a patient’s cancer will respond to treatment before therapy even begins.
Founded in 2020, Elephas is developing a new approach to immunotherapy testing by using live tumor biopsy samples to evaluate drug effectiveness in real time. Rather than relying on trial and error to determine the best treatment plan, the company’s platform is designed to help physicians identify the therapies most likely to work for each patient, potentially improving outcomes while reducing unnecessary treatments.
What makes the company’s technology unique is its ability to preserve living cancer tissue outside the body long enough to observe how it reacts to different therapies. The company has developed tools capable of slicing tumor biopsies into microscopically thin samples and maintaining them in a specialized solution that keeps the cells alive for up to 90 hours.
Once preserved, the samples can be exposed to immunotherapy drugs to observe how the tumor cells respond. Because the cells behave similarly to how they would inside the patient’s body, researchers can gain valuable insight into whether a treatment is likely to be effective. The testing process takes approximately 72 hours, with results available within a week.
Forefront of innovation
Elephas is currently conducting four observational clinical trials and collaborating with 14 health centers across the country to collect needle biopsy samples. Those partnerships include leading institutions such as Mayo Clinic and the University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center, helping position Wisconsin at the forefront of innovation in precision oncology.
That momentum has helped drive significant investment in the company. Elephas, which received Qualified New Business Venture certification through WEDC, recently completed a $40 million financing round, bringing the company’s total funding to approximately $165 million.
Promising future
As Elephas continues to collect clinical data, the company plans to launch its pathology service in the second half of 2026. The service, called elive™, reflects both the company’s name and its ability to keep tumor samples living long enough to evaluate treatment response.
Founder and CEO Maneesh Arora’s background has also helped shape the company’s trajectory. Before founding Elephas, he served as chief operating officer at Exact Sciences, another Wisconsin-based healthcare innovator known for advancing cancer diagnostics. That experience provided valuable insight into scaling oncology-focused technologies and navigating the healthcare diagnostics space.
The company’s growth highlights Wisconsin’s expanding leadership in biohealth and precision medicine. Supported by strong research institutions, healthcare partnerships, entrepreneurial resources, and investment networks, companies like Elephas are helping drive the next generation of medical innovation while strengthening the state’s growing life sciences economy.
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