Human colon cancer cells with the cell nuclei stained red and the protein E-cadherin stained green. E-cadherin is a cell adhesion molecule and its loss signals a process known as the epithelial-mesenchymal transition in which cells acquire the ability to migrate and become invasive.
Human colon cancer cells.NIH/NCI Center for Cancer Research

Biotech companies routinely compete to develop and commercialize products. But these rivalries are seldom as publicly heated as what has played out on social media this week between two firms racing to develop new ways to screen for colon cancer.

Over the weekend, during the lead-up to Exact Sciences announcing data from a blood-based colon cancer test, Guardant Health co-CEO AmirAli Talasaz challenged Exact’s CEO, Kevin Conroy, in a LinkedIn post that was unusually confrontational.

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“I’ll publicly bet you $1M that your [advanced adenoma and colorectal cancer] data at ESMO (whatever the readout) won’t hold up in your pivotal trial,” Talasaz wrote, referring to the European Society for Medical Oncology meeting where Exact presented data.

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