Genomenon Launches Classification Service, Medidata’s New Research Alliance, New Devices, Platforms, More

December 28, 2023

By Bio-IT World Team 

December 28, 2023 | Genomenon launched Genomenon Curate-Pro variant classification service; Medidata launches the Medidata Research Alliance; Edinburgh Innovations has announced a novel 3D printed device that could replace the need for drug and chemical safety testing on animals; and more. 

 

Owkin and MSD, the trade name of Merck & Co Inc., Rahway NJ, have entered a collaboration to develop and commercialize AI-powered digital pathology diagnostics for the EU market. The collaboration seeks to develop a pre-screening procedure to improve testing rates for MSI-H in endometrial, gastric, small intestinal, and biliary cancers. In these cancer types, MSI-H prevalence is low and MSI-H screening is not routinely performed. The collaboration will initially be focused in the European Union. Owkin, which currently has the only MSI digital pathology diagnostic CE-marked in colorectal cancer, will extend the development of its MSI-H AI diagnostics into four new cancer types, leveraging multimodal patient data from multiple academic centers and hospitals. Press release. 

Genomenon launched Genomenon Curate-Pro, a rapid on-demand evidence curation and variant classification service for genetic testing labs. Genomenon Curate-Pro service leverages the company’s automation and genetic curation expertise to address the laborious and expensive variant research and curation challenges faced by genomic scientists, empowering them to focus on variant interpretation and high-value patient-facing reporting. In addition to Curate-Pro, the company also announced the launch of Genomenon Interpret which connects clients with a member of Genomenon’s team of genomic scientists as an extension of their own teams. Press release. 

Medidata announced the launch of the Medidata Research Alliance. This unique consortium brings together leading clinician-researchers and key opinion leaders from academia, non-profit organizations, and the life sciences industry to leverage Medidata’s expertise in Artificial Intelligence (AI) capabilities and clinical trial data to drive cutting-edge research into innovative treatments. The Medidata Research Alliance bridges data-driven insights into clinical practice, fostering scientific exploration that can be applied across multiple therapeutic areas. Press release. 

RxE2 announced the launch of a technology platform that redefines the clinical trial landscape. RxE2 is the first technology company to connect independent community pharmacies with the forefront of healthcare innovation, ushering in a new era of patient-centric and cost-effective clinical research. This approach leverages the extensive independent community pharmacist insights about their patients, making clinical trials more accessible and significantly reducing timelines and costs. Press release. 

Absci Corporation announced a collaboration with AstraZeneca to deliver an AI-designed antibody against an oncology target. This collaboration combines Absci's Integrated Drug Creation platform with AstraZeneca's expertise in oncology with the goal of accelerating the discovery of a potential new cancer treatment candidate. The platform aims to enhance the likelihood of successful development outcomes for biologic drug candidates by optimizing multiple drug attributes concurrently and expanding the universe of drug targets to include those previously deemed “undruggable” such as GPCRs and ion channels. Press release. 

Edinburgh Innovations has announced a novel 3D printed device that could replace the need for drug and chemical safety testing on animals. The plastic ‘body-on-chip’ device, invented at the University of Edinburgh, mimics how a drug moves through the body’s organs, using PET imaging to validate its journey. The team behind it has received about $325,000 (approximately £260,000) from the Medical Research Council (MRC) to test it using sterile materials. Press release.