Cancer treatment has made remarkable progress over the decades, yet one challenge remains largely unresolved: metastasis, the spread of cancer from its original site to other parts of the body. It is estimated that around 90% of cancer-related deaths are caused by metastasis rather than the primary tumour itself. Mestastop Solutions, founded by Arnab Roy Chowdhury, is a deep-tech biotechnology company working to address this gap. Rather than focusing only on shrinking or removing primary tumours, the company is developing science and therapies designed to prevent cancer cells from becoming metastatic in the first place. Its mission is ambitious but clear: give high-risk cancer patients “more tomorrows” by intervening before the disease spreads.

A Personal and Scientific Calling

Arnab’s decision to build Mestastop Solutions was shaped by both professional experience and personal loss. He holds a PhD in parasitology and completed his postdoctoral work at Johns Hopkins University, where he focused on drug discovery. He later managed discovery programmes for global pharmaceutical companies including GSK and Abbott during his time at Aragen, formerly GVK Bio and later with Amgen. Through this work, he observed a persistent limitation in cancer treatment. Most therapies target tumour growth, but cancer cells can evolve, adapt, and become resistant to drugs. Even when the primary tumour is treated successfully, cells may spread elsewhere in the body. “The real challenge is not only how cancer cells grow. It is how they move, adapt, and spread.” Personal losses to cancer strengthened his resolve to pursue a different direction in cancer science. For Arnab, entrepreneurship was not driven by glamour or short-term commercial success, but by the desire to create meaningful impact.

Why Metastasis Matters?

Conventional cancer treatment often focuses on surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, and targeted therapies aimed at the primary tumour. These approaches can be effective, but they do not always prevent the later spread of cancer cells. Mestastop Solutions central thesis is that if metastasis can be prevented or delayed, outcomes for high-risk patients could improve significantly. The company’s goal is to develop therapies that can be administered to primary tumour patients to reduce the likelihood of them entering a metastatic state. “If we can prevent cancer from becoming metastatic, we can change the trajectory of the disease for millions of patients.” This requires a deeper understanding of metastasis biology: why some cancer cells remain localised while others acquire the ability to migrate, survive in new environments, and form secondary tumours.

Four Platforms for Metastasis Research

Mestastop Solutions has built four complementary research platforms to study and address metastasis from different angles.

• METAssay®

METAssay is the company’s foundational laboratory platform. It divides metastasis biology into 30 specific experimental steps, helping researchers distinguish between cells that are growing and cells that are acquiring the ability to spread. This separation is important because growth and movement are biologically different processes. By studying them separately, Mestastop Solutions can identify the mechanisms that enable cancer cells to become metastatic.

• METSCAN®

METSCAN is an AI and machine-learning platform that correlates biological data from patient tumour samples with clinical outcomes. It aims to identify patterns that may explain why some patients develop metastasis while others do not. By analysing patient data, the platform aims to improve risk understanding and support the development of more targeted interventions.

• METVivo®

METVivo® uses specialised animal models to identify proteins that may drive metastatic success. The platform helps the company study how cancer cells behave in living biologically relevant therapeutic targets, therapeutically relevant.

• METGuard®

MetGuard is a drug-screening platform that evaluates approved drugs for their ability to delay metastasis. This approach has helped Mestastop Solutions identify existing drugs that reduced metastasis by 50% in 250 Indian patients, with similar results in a 10,000-patient study in the UK. Together, these platforms allow MestaStop to move from biological discovery to translational research and potential therapeutic development.

An IP-Led Business Model

Mestastop Solutions is structured as an intellectual-property-led company rather than a contract research or service provider. This is a deliberate choice by Arnab, who wanted to avoid the generic service model that is common in parts of India’s biotechnology sector. The company has filed nine international patents, two of which have already been granted. Its long-term revenue strategy involves out-licensing proprietary technologies to companies in the United States or Europe through upfront payments and milestone-based arrangements. “We want to build scientific credibility so that Indian innovation is respected globally on par with Western standards.” This model allows MestaStop to retain control over its core science while partnering with global pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies that have the resources to take therapies through later-stage development and commercialisation.

Building a Brand on Scientific Evidence

Rather than relying heavily on public relations or marketing, Mestastop Solutions has focused on building its reputation through data, peer-reviewed research, and international scientific presentations. In the early years, the company faced skepticism from some sections of the ecosystem, including organisations such as BIRAC. Over time, consistent research results, successful platform development, and international recognition helped establish credibility. Mestastop Solutions has received several international awards and recognition, including coverage by Forbes India. For Arnab, however, the most important measure of credibility is scientific truth. “A deep-tech brand must be built on a foundation of scientific truth rather than marketing claims.”

Funding a Long-Term Science Mission

Mestastop Solutions began in 2018 with an initial investment of approximately ₹1 crore from Arnab’s personal funds, including proceeds from the sale of his house in Kolkata. Since then, the company has raised approximately ₹22 crore, comprising ₹4 crore in government grants and ₹18 crore from equity investors. Its investors include Mumbai Angels, 92 Angels, Malpani Family Office, and IIMA Ventures. The company is closing a new funding round to support operations for the next two and a half years. The capital will support ongoing research, clinical development, regulatory work, and efforts to reduce diagnostic turnaround time.

Moving Towards Clinical Validation

Mestastop Solutions has secured Phase 2 clinical trial approval in India and is pursuing FDA IND approval for a drug candidate targeting colorectal cancer. The company’s next major challenge is transitioning from research and development to global clinical validation. This requires demonstrating safety, efficacy, and reproducibility across patient populations, regulatory environments, and clinical settings. The transition also involves strengthening manufacturing, documentation, quality systems, and clinical partnerships. For a deep-tech biotech company, scientific innovation must be matched by operational discipline.

Reducing Diagnostic Turnaround Time

One of Mestastop Solutions immediate priorities is improving diagnostic efficiency. The company’s current diagnostic process takes approximately 10 to 12 weeks. Its goal is to reduce this to three or four weeks over the next one to two years. Shorter turnaround time would make personalised diagnostics more commercially viable for clinicians and more practical for patients. It would also allow doctors to make more timely decisions based on a patient’s metastatic risk profile. The company is working with hospitals on additional research and development to achieve this improvement.

A Mission of “More Tomorrows”

Arnab’s ultimate vision is to help high-risk cancer patients after their primary tumour has been removed. By identifying and addressing the risk of metastasis, the company hopes to reduce the fear and uncertainty that patients and families experience between scans and follow-ups. “Success is defined by reducing the anxiety and fear experienced by cancer patients and their families during the period between scans.” For Arnab, the work is about more than building a biotechnology company. It is about creating a new direction in cancer science, one that recognises metastasis as the central challenge and develops solutions to prevent it. Mestastop Solutions is still in the early stages of a long scientific journey. But its focus is clear: understand how cancer spreads, develop therapies that can stop it, and give patients more time, more options, and more tomorrows.

Interview By : Sejal Thakur