this partnership aims to accelerate the development of novel cancer therapeutics for patients with high medical needs.
Indivumed has formed a partnership with the Wilmot Cancer Institute at the University of Rochester Medical Centre (URMC). Utilising Indivumed’s approach to standardised tissue and clinical data collection for patient-centric cancer research and development, this partnership aims to accelerate the development of novel cancer therapeutics for patients with high medical needs.
Indivumed’s platform expands on collected and curated surgical tissue samples and comprehensive clinical data to drive patient-centric cancer research and drug development. URMC’s role involves collecting and processing high-quality biosamples and clinical patient data, in accordance with Indivumed’s standard operating procedures (SOPs). A major advantage is reducing ischemia time to below 10 minutes while maintaining sample integrity and quality.
The priority of the joint research efforts is the development of well-characterised, patient-derived tumour models (PDTMs) from the same samples. These cell models, including classical cell cultures, spheroids, and organoids, combined with data insights, subsequently improve and de-risk the identification, validation, ligand screening, and development of pharmaceutical molecular cancer targets.
Hartmut Land, deputy director of the Wilmot Cancer Institute, said, “We have worked with Indivumed successfully in the past, and our familiarity with their tissue and multi-omics data approach will provide an excellent foundation. The new project will create greater opportunities to identify new therapeutics and biomarkers, uncover insights on the right target-patient match for clinical decision-making, and thus help advance cancer care.”
The collaboration will initially focus on advanced stages of solid cancer with a high medical need, including colorectal (CRC), pancreatic (PDAC), lung, and breast cancer, with the potential to expand to other cancers. Insights gained through this partnership will enhance Indivumed’s research initiatives and asset development, while providing participating clinicians guidance to inform therapeutic decision-making.
Hartmut Juhl, CEO and founder of Indivumed, said, “We are thrilled to deepen our collaboration with URMC, significantly enhancing our ability to identify novel cancer therapeutics in a truly patient-centered approach. We will develop primary tumor models for the testing of novel compounds against targets which have been identified by our unique AI-powered data analytical capabilities to bring novel therapeutics to patients as fast and precisely as possible.”
