Citrus Oncology

Citrus Oncology is a Cary, North Carolina-based digital health company operating an AI-enabled virtual multi-specialty clinic focused on the side effects, or toxicities, of cancer treatment. The platform connects cancer patients and their oncologists with board-certified specialists across disciplines such as endocrinology, cardiology and dermatology, with the stated aim of addressing organ-specific toxicities that are often left unmanaged during active treatment and survivorship and that can lead to hospitalizations, reduced quality of life and discontinuation of cancer therapy.

The service operates in two main modes. In a doctor-to-doctor workflow, an oncologist submits a request through the platform to connect a patient with a side-effect specialist, who returns written recommendations on testing and treatment within 72 hours. The company also delivers direct patient care through virtual visits, in which the referring oncologist identifies the needed specialty and the patient meets the specialist online. The company has said it planned to add asynchronous, messaging-based care allowing oncologists to message specialists to have testing and prescriptions ordered, with a pilot in North Carolina. Physicians on the platform are interviewed by other physicians as a quality screen.

Founding story

Co-founders Afreen Shariff, MD, an endocrinologist and associate professor at Duke University School of Medicine working in onco-endocrinology, and her husband Aabid Shariff, PhD, who has a background in machine learning, started the company after observing that side effects of cancer treatment are routinely deprioritized relative to the cancer itself. The founders have also cited the experience of their nephew, who survived cancer but suffered from persistent complications. The name "Citrus" was chosen to signal a fresh approach to side-effect management. Aabid Shariff serves as CEO and co-founder; Afreen Shariff is co-founder.

Business model

Citrus Oncology operates a B2B2C model, facilitating doctor-to-doctor consultations in which an oncologist requests a specialist review on behalf of a patient, alongside direct virtual patient visits.

In Florida the platform is covered by multiple health insurance plans, and the company has worked to expand insurance coverage in additional states; where coverage is not in place, a direct cash-pay option is available and can be paid through Health Savings Account-eligible plans. The company has noted insurer approval in a new state can take up to six months and has sought to use pilot data to demonstrate cost savings from avoided hospitalizations.

Traction

As of April 2025 the platform had more than 70 physicians and had interacted with close to 100 patients, with a core team of 17 including medical advisors, AI developers and programmers.

Latest developments

NC IDEA profiled the founders in November 2025, describing Citrus Oncology as an AI-enabled virtual platform delivering fast, collaborative and coordinated cancer side-effect care, and noting participation in its MICRO Spring 2025 program.