Accurate cancer staging plays a central role in determining treatment pathways and patient outcomes. Yet in many pathology labs, lymph node detection remains manual, time-intensive, and prone to missed diagnostic information, increasing clinical risk and system costs.
A new Ivey Publishing case, Tenomix: Scaling an Artificial Intelligence-Powered Cancer Solution, developed by Alexis Gantous (MBA ’25) and Romel Mostafa (Professor and LNC Director), examines how Canadian medtech start-up Tenomix is addressing this challenge. Co-founded by Saumik Biswas, Tenomix developed the Lymphonator, a semi-automated system that combines robotics, ultrasound imaging, and artificial intelligence to support lymph node detection during cancer staging. The system reduces manual processing time, improves detection consistency, and supports more reliable clinical decision-making while easing workflow pressure in pathology labs.
The case follows Tenomix as it prepares to bring the Lymphonator to market and scale operations. With three commercialization pathways under consideration, Tenomix’s leadership must evaluate trade-offs across hospital procurement, revenue predictability, customer relationships, and long-term valuation.
For instructors and practitioners, the case offers a teaching tool at the intersection of health innovation, medtech commercialization, and public policy. It explores how medical technologies move from prototype to deployment, how health systems evaluate new tools, and how pricing and go-to-market strategy shape both business performance and patient care.
Generous support from the Lawrence Family, Baran Family Foundation and Power Corporation of Canada is gratefully acknowledged. This case was featured in the 2025 Scotiabank International Case Competition, which is presented by the Scotiabank Digital Banking Lab.