Rhythm teams up with Know Your Lemons to expand geneType breast cancer risk test

• Rhythm enters co-marketing deal with geneType to be available on Know Your Lemons mobile app
• Partnership aligns with Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October, supporting proactive healthcare for women
• Reaching hundreds of thousands of women in US and Australia, the co-marketing deal will elevate geneType brand awareness

Special Report: Predictive cancer diagnostics company Rhythm Biosciences has entered a co-marketing agreement with leading global non-profit organisation Know Your Lemons Foundation (KYL), which is dedicated to breast cancer education and early detection.

Under the deal Rhythm Biosciences’ (ASX:RHY) geneType Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Test will be promoted through a platform provided for employees of partner companies.

The Know Your Lemons at Work breast health benefit employee community reaches hundreds of thousands of women in the US.

KYL was founded in 2014 by Dr Corrine Ellsworth Beaumont, who was inspired by her loss of both grandmothers to breast cancer, empowering women to understand their breast health, risk factors and screening options.

Frustrated by confusing and inadequate educational materials, she turned to her background in design to create a simple, universal metaphor – the lemon.

Ellsworth Beaumont discovered the lemon’s anatomy made it a perfect stand-in for the breast, helping illustrate symptoms and explain self-exams without fear, censorship or literacy barriers.

“It has a nipple, and the interior looks similar to breast anatomy,” she explained.

“And after spending time at an imaging centre I discovered a lump was hard and immovable…much like a lemon seed.”

The universal appeal of a lemon has enabled the campaign to resonate across cultures as the organisation aims to help detect breast cancer early to improve prognosis.

The campaign went viral in 2017 when a survivor posted the KNY image on social media, writing that a similar photo helped her identify her own stage four breast cancer symptom – an indentation.

Within days the post was shared more than 47,000 times reaching about 3 million people with the story picked up by multiple media outlets.

It has now achieved a global reach of more than 2 billion people online, with education programs delivered in-person in more than 75 countries.

The organisation also has more than 1,300 trained volunteer educators called Lemonistas delivering KYL programs.

Deal advances commercial strategy

Rhythm’s collaboration with KYL positions geneType as a proactive tool in breast cancer risk assessment, complementing existing screening pathways, and is an important step in its commercialisation.

KYL will promote awareness and uptake of geneType on its blogs, webinar and education

Rhythm acquired the geneType testing platform late last year from administrators of the failed Genetic Technologies.

While KYL previously engaged with Genetic Technologies to access geneType, Rhythm has formalised and re-established the partnership under its stewardship.

It is collaborating with KYL on blogs, webinars and education that will promote awareness and uptake of geneType.

The genetic risk assessment platform integrates clinical, family history and genetic data to deliver comprehensive disease risk insights. Using polygenic risk scores and clinical factors, it provides personalised guidance to support informed medical decisions.

It enables risk assessment across multiple conditions, including breast and colorectal cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, prostate cancer and melanoma.

Tests are offered through healthcare providers and genetic counsellors, ensuring clinical oversight and patient support.

With its multi-disease capabilities and clinical integration, Rhythm is confident the platform is well positioned to meet rising demand in preventative healthcare and precision medicine.

Watch: RHY CEO David Atkins 

Strategic Timing – Breast Cancer Awareness Month

The new partnership aligns with Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October, a key opportunity to highlight the importance of early detection.

Every minute, a woman dies from the disease, yet one-third of cancer deaths worldwide could be prevented through education and screening.

Alarmingly, only 4% of women know the signs of breast cancer. When detected at its earliest stage, survival rates are nearly 100%, but in the later stages, survival chances are extremely low.

Rhythm and KYL will leverage the global health campaign to promote proactive breast health education and geneTypeTM awareness.

Rhythm CEO David Atkins said the agreement represented an important acceleration of its commercial activity with Know Your Lemons.

“While the informal relationship existed historically, Rhythm has entered a formal agreement in which both parties will have a clear focus on execution and having an impact on the KYL community,” he said.

“By activating geneType through KYL’s app, we can reach millions of women in the US and Australia, supporting proactive health decisions and ultimately improving early detection outcomes.”

Ellsworth Beaumont said the organisation’s mission had always been to make breast health education accessible and actionable for everyone.

“Incorporating Rhythm’s geneTypeTM test into our app gives our community another valuable tool to understand and manage their breast cancer risk,” she said.

This article was developed in collaboration with Rhythm Bioscience, a Stockhead advertiser at the time of publishing.

This article does not constitute financial product advice. You should consider obtaining independent advice before making any financial decisions.