Genialis, the RNA-biomarker company, and Debiopharm, a privately-owned, Swiss-based biopharmaceutical company aiming to establish tomorrow’s standards of care to cure cancer and infectious diseases, have reached an agreement to define and discover biomarkers within the DNA Damage Repair (DDR) biology space to predict the clinical benefit of one or more drugs in Debiopharm’s pipeline. The initial phase kicked off this month, deploying Genialis’ biology-first, machine learning-enabled ResponderIDTM framework to develop predictive biomarkers for DDR-directed therapies.
“Debiopharm continues to lead the oncology field in adopting artificial intelligence solutions at various stages across our preclinical and clinical development programs. Genialis’ expertise and cutting-edge technologies are an ideal fit to help us make the smartest translational decisions and advance our drugs to reach the right patients,” said Bertrand Ducrey, CEO of Debiopharm.
Many cancers exhibit deficiencies in one or more DNA damage response pathways. Various classes of approved and investigational drugs aim to exploit known sensitivities; however, the heterogeneous biology of DNA damage response means that one drug only fits some, and combinations may prove essential. Biomarkers will help select patients whose cancer biologies are best suited to treatment with the right drug targeting the active disease mechanism.
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“DNA damage response is among the most exciting biological domains of cancer drug development today and an area in which Debiopharm is working on several exciting molecules,” said Carolina Haefliger, Head of Translational Medicine at Debiopharm. “Genialis’ biology-first approach allows us to collaborate in a truly scalable way, incorporating novel AI-based solutions in our programs.”
Using biomarkers increases the odds of advancing an oncology clinical asset to the next trial phase by 5-12 fold1. However, post-approval, many of the best drugs achieve clinical benefit in only 30-40 percent of patients, and even those existing targeted therapies considered successful and supported by a biomarker can benefit from further refinement of patient tailoring strategies.
“Genialis’ RNA biomarkers have proved especially well-suited to support the development of new drugs targeting complex biological systems,” said Mark Uhlik, Vice President of Biomarker Discovery at Genialis. “Debiopharm is working on some really promising molecules, and Genialis‘ biomarkers will help ensure these drugs have the best possible chance of clinical success.”
SOURCE: BusinessWire
