Repositive has announced that 3 new CROs – Algorithm379, SMC Lab and Carcinotech – will be joining its global cancer model network, bringing the company’s total number of partnerships to almost 30 different vendors. Each new CRO brings a unique set of cancer models and/or services to Repositive’s growing portfolio, further optimising the level of service to researchers working in the preclinical oncology space.
“Our mission is always first and foremost about accelerating cancer research, and offering biopharma researchers a diverse yet comprehensive selection of models and services to choose from. This helps to level the playing field between big and small CROs and enable researchers to make faster, more informed decisions about the CROs they partner with, so they can spend more time on their research and less time worrying about finding the right cancer model” said Catherine McDermott, Chief Executive Officer at Repositive.
Repositive’s core offering is a subscription package with a specialist and cost-effective cancer model search service, the Cancer Model Scout (CMS), which connects cancer researchers to the right preclinical models and CROs, based on individual study requirements. In just 2-4 weeks, Repositive’s team of expert bioinformaticians can conduct a detailed cancer model search across their extended CRO network and compile a comprehensive list of models matches, complete with a bioinformatics report of methods. Cancer Model Scout searches are part of a tailored subscription package and include access to Repositive’s beta-Cancer Model Platform, an online directory of over 8000 preclinical cancer models. Learn more about Repositive’s cancer models, data and services here.
Algorithm379 is an integrated bioinformatics and therapeutics development company, formed to address the need for expansion of research collaboration and biological data integration in the therapeutics space. The company primarily aims to make complex datasets usable in scientific research, and their patient and innovation outreach spans the UK, US, Baltics and Nordics. The company has previously collaborated with both esteemed academic and industry partners, including tier-one pharma companies and top research organisations. Their commercial focus is three-fold, namely delivery of in silico solutions for clients, collaborative portfolio development and in-house therapy development, as well as some newly added capabilities in precision medicine and drug repurposing.
“Algorithm379 has a clear vision of addressing the unmet research and clinical needs through our proprietary discovery platform that enables us to identify new therapeutic targets and the best suited drug candidates. Seeing the current R&D challenges and to be in the position to offer the best possible solutions to our clients, we are very excited to partner with Repositive. Repositive offers a broad spectrum of solutions that can be customised to help our clients fast-track their therapeutics discovery and reduce analytical costs. Thus, we are very happy to enter into this partnership which holds great research and discovery potential.” said Auste Kanapeckaite, Chief Scientific Officer and Co-founder at Algorithm379.
SMC Lab is a privately-held non-clinical CRO based in Tokyo, specialising in fibrosis and inflammation research. As one of the leading CROs in liver research and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH)/HCC, the company provides CRO services across non-clinical pharmacology (incl. efficacy studies of existing drugs/drug candidates and target/biomarker discovery and validation) as well as histological imaging, serving over 700 clients worldwide.
They offer a unique murine model for NASH-derived HCC (STAM™), the world’s first in which tumours occur naturally as a consequence of chemical/diet-induced NASH and liver fibrosis. For a naturally-occurring model, it is extremely quick and reliable, with HCC established in 100% of mice by 20 weeks. The well-characterized model has also been shown to produce tumours that are molecularly similar to that of human NASH patients.
“We think the high clinical relevance of our NASH-derived HCC model makes it a really valuable tool for cancer research, both basic and pharmacological. We are excited to be partnering with Repositive, and hope that it will help accelerate the development of better therapies for liver cancer.” said Taishi Hashiguchi, Director of Research at SMC Lab.
Carcinotech is a UK based company with expertise in manufacturing 3D bioprinted tumours with multiple cell types using patient-derived cancer stem cells, primary cells, and established cell lines. Carcinotech’s advanced models provide a platform for rapid, ethical, sustainable, and accurate drug discovery, screening, and pre-clinical testing. These printed tumours are bioengineered to de-risk cancer drug discovery, offering translational data with respect to cancer heterogeneity and microenvironments and can be used for testing personalised medicines in specific patient populations.
Working with global partners, leading pharma companies, surgeons, pathologists, clinicians, and industry-leaders, the goal is to accelerate drug discovery and enable delivery of more effective cancer treatments to market with an ambition to reduce animal testing. Access to Carcinotech’s AI-driven automated manufacturing allows for accelerated production, with models offering high-throughput capabilities.
“Working with Repositive will help us fulfil our mission of accelerating oncology drug discovery and pre-clinical trials by reaching out to researchers working in the field and helping pharma companies and CROs working with oncology to get more effective treatments to market” said Ishani Malhotra, Chief Executive Officer at Carcinotech.