Catherine Larue and the Biomarker That Changed Heart Attack Care
Catherine Larue's entry into the health sector was marked by a breakthrough: as part of a pharmaceutical research team, she helped discover a blood biomarker capable of diagnosing a heart attack with speed and specificity. When the time came for clinical validation, however, her employer had not budgeted for such quick success, forcing the team to push through internal hurdles. The biomarker eventually launched seven years later, transforming heart-attack management worldwide — and it was only the beginning of her career.
Today, Larue draws on that experience as the founder of CoDx, a biotech consultancy based in Luxembourg. With a PhD in immunology and an Executive MBA, she served for over six years as CEO of the Integrated BioBank of Luxembourg before starting her own venture. CoDx works with foundations, institutes, and SMEs to shepherd ideas into market-ready health products, acting as a gateway between academia and industry.
Larue sees several pressing challenges for the sector: the rapid integration of AI and new technologies, data privacy, the scarcity of treatments for certain aggressive cancers, and the need to reduce the length and cost of drug development, particularly in preclinical studies. She advocates for better translational tools like human organoids and stresses that innovation still requires human expertise alongside technological power.
Luxembourg's Niche in Bridging Biotech and Business
Why the Consultancy Model Fits Today's Biotech Challenges
Larue's own journey — from a researcher navigating corporate budget constraints to a CEO building cross-sector bridges — reflects precisely the gaps CoDx aims to fill. Her call to combine AI with human insight is not abstract: it echoes the industry's struggle to turn promising lab discoveries into treatments that survive regulatory and market realities. The consultancy's focus on translational tools and on reducing preclinical dependence on animal models aligns with a growing push from regulators and investors toward more predictive, cost-effective R&D.
Operating in Luxembourg gives CoDx access to a concentrated network of research institutions and public funders, which Larue describes as creating leverage. For smaller health-tech players without the resources of big pharma, an intermediary that understands both the science and the commercial process can be the difference between an idea stalling in a lab and a product reaching patients.
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