At a point when science skeptics are rolling back federal aid for medical research, the story of how a Wisconsin company is fighting cancer through diagnostics linked to such research offers a timely reminder of its enduring importance.
That’s especially so if you’re among the one in five people who will develop cancer sometime in life.
Madison-based Exact Sciences has built a track record by producing Cologuard, the first at-home colon cancer screening test, and Oncotype DX, a test that helps breast cancer patients make treatment decisions. This spring it released Cologuard Plus and Oncodetect, which is a customized test to spot tiny fragments of residual cancer in patients before tumors grow anew.
On the docket: Cancerguard, a blood-based test that can screen people for the bulk of all cancers not currently detectable prior to often-dangerous symptoms. In fact, 67% of cancer deaths are tied to cancers with no recommended screenings.
“There is no treatment as effective as early detection,” said Kevin Conroy, chairman of Exact Sciences Corp. as well as its chief executive.
Conroy spoke during the recent Wisconsin Entrepreneurs’ Conference, where the story of his publicly held company illustrated that basic research — combined with hard work, strong teams and enough money — can pay off in many ways.
Exact Sciences was on its deathbed in Boston when Conroy and Maneesh Arora, who now leads another Wisconsin company, Elephas, moved it to Madison. They knew colorectal cancer was the No. 2 killer of men and women in America — and they set out to change those odds with early detection. Researchers such as Jim Dahlberg, Graham Lidgard and David Ahlquist were all a part of the process that has led to nearly 20 million Cologuard tests since 2014.
About 623,000 of those 20 million tests have detected colon cancer or pre-cancer after false positives are discounted.
The treatment edge that comes from early detection of colorectal cancer is huge: The stage one survival rate is 98% and stage four is 8%.
How does it work? As Conroy noted, the mapping of the human genome more than 20 years ago has allowed scientists to examine cancer at the molecular level. Cancer is essentially a disease of human DNA, which has 3 billion base pairs, so being able to study and build tests for tiny fragments is key.
“It starts with changes to the DNA,” he said. “Something happens to it, perhaps an external factor or something you were born with that causes cells to rapidly divide in a way that eventually leads to metastasis and death.”
Finding those biological needles in an enormous haystack of DNA isn’t easy, but continued research by universities and private firms such as Exact Sciences help to make it less daunting and more effective.
In addition to producing tests that can help improve or save lives, Exact Sciences has left a mark on the Wisconsin economy and beyond. It has about 7,000 employees, including more than 3,000 in the state. It has acquired 10 companies along the way and its annual revenue climbed to $2.83 billion in 2024. People in 120 countries now use Exact Sciences’ products.
Conroy noted the company represents nearly 1% of the gross state product of Wisconsin, and its supply chain includes firms such as Promega, Phillips, Great Northern, Plastics Ingenuity, Tailored Label Products, Isthmus Engineering and Big Sky Engineering. More than half of all Cologuard kits are produced in Wisconsin.
Meanwhile, Exact Sciences continues to reinvest in its own research, with about 80 studies planned or underway.
The return on federal research investment that led to the human health and financial success of Exact Sciences today has been geometric. More people are alive because of early testing and many others are leading healthier, productive lives. Jobs ranging from researchers in white laboratory coats to blue-collar workers in the supply chain are being supported.
Few Americans doubt the need to reduce the federal debt, and cuts will be made. But let’s hope policymakers recognize that federal research seeds planted long ago are yielding fruit today in the form of companies such as Exact Sciences.
