Champions Oncology Leading Paradigm Shift to Incorporation of PDX Models into Clinical Trial Strategy
HACKENSACK, N.J., Dec. 14, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Champions Oncology, Inc. (CSBR), a company engaged in the development of advanced technology solutions and services to personalize the development and use of oncology drugs, today announced that it entered into an agreement with a leading global pharmaceutical company to incorporate the use of patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models in the design and development of clinical trials across their oncology drug portfolio. The deal underscores Champions Oncology's philosophy that co-clinical PDX trials represent the next-generation approach to the optimization of oncology drug development. The scale and scope of these studies will be significantly larger than any previous studies run by Champions and are expected to contribute significantly to future revenue growth.
Champions Oncology has unique experience in clinical operations, having worked directly with more than 1,000 patients in the development of personalized PDX (or Champions TumorGraft® models) for oncology drug sensitivity testing. The Company's data, as well as that of other academic researchers, have highlighted the high degree of accuracy of PDX models in predicting response of individual patients. This experience, combined with the infrastructure needed to execute tumor collection and implantation from clinical trial sites around the country makes Champions uniquely positioned to deliver on these large studies.
"With demonstrated clinical correlation, we believe the routine use of co-clinical PDX trials, in which a Champions TumorGraft model is developed from a patient enrolled and treated in an oncology clinical trial, affords a much deeper and timely understanding of tumor response to experimental agents," said Angela Davies, MD, Champions Oncology Chief Medical Officer. "Once results from patients participating in a traditional clinical trial have been recorded, it is not feasible to perform additional hypothesis testing. Each clinical trial patient yields only one data point of response. A clinical trial strategy that incorporates Champions TumorGraft PDX models established from trial participants creates surrogate patients with validated clinical outcomes data. They represent an invaluable, almost limitless resource for understanding the genomic differences between responders and non-responders, identifying mechanisms of resistance, and for current and future hypothesis testing, enabling novel insights linking benefits to therapies. All done at a fraction of the cost of a clinical trial designed to test those variables in a new cohort of patients," Dr. Davies continued.
In making the announcement, Joel Ackerman, CEO at Champions Oncology, commented, "Results from clinical trials often prompt investigators to ask a myriad of follow on questions. It is very exciting to see that our long-standing belief in the value of a co-clinical PDX approach, which can answer those questions in a timely and cost-effective manner relative to the cost of a new trial, is shared by large pharma. The scope of this initial co-clinical PDX collaboration indicates the industry is entering a new era of clinical trial strategies. We are proud to be on the leading edge of the use of PDX technology in the clinic for the translation of new drugs, therapies and combinations that benefit patients. From a commercial standpoint, this contract represents a turning point in the commercial potential of our platform."
About Champions Oncology
Champions Oncology, Inc. is engaged in the development of advanced technology solutions and services to personalize the development and use of oncology drugs. The company's technology platform is a novel approach to personalizing cancer care based upon the implantation of primary human tumors in immune deficient mice followed by propagation of the resulting engraftments, or Champions TumorGrafts, in a manner that preserves the biological characteristics of the original human tumor in order to determine the efficacy of a treatment regimen. The Company uses this technology in conjunction with related services to offer solutions for two customer groups: Personalized Oncology Solutions, in which results help guide the development of personalized treatment plans, and Translational Oncology Solutions, in which pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies seeking personalized approaches to drug development can lower the cost and increase the speed of developing new drugs. TumorGrafts are procured through agreements with a number of institutions in the U.S. and overseas as well as through Champions' Personalized Oncology Solutions business. For more information, please visit www.championsoncology.com.
SOURCE Champions Oncology, Inc.
Share this article