London, United Kingdom, 10 July 2024 – Concr announces that first patients have been recruited to the VISION trial, an observational clinical study evaluating Concr’s therapeutic response predictive algorithm defining biomarkers of chemotherapy and immunotherapy response in early Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC).
VISION (NCT06409221) is an observational retrospective study focusing on women who were previously diagnosed with early TNBC and received chemotherapy followed by curative breast surgery. The 24-month-long study will collect historical clinical data and profile archival cancer biopsy samples from up to 200 women in order to identify and validate biomarkers of chemotherapy response, with and without immunotherapy.
“Triple Negative breast cancer is an aggressive subtype of breast cancer. Hence, Concr has prioritised this clinical indication as a key research area by sponsoring the VISION study. The VISION study will test the value created through the combination of clinical data, genomic data and machine learning approaches for enabling treatment stratification at an individual level. We believe this approach will represent the next generation of diagnostic platforms in cancer care” shared Dr Uzma Asghar, Concr’s Chief Scientific Officer and VISION Project Lead.
The multi-centre study featuring UK and Australian sites backed by a prestigious Innovate UK Precision Medicine project grant (AI-VISION) was announced earlier this year, with key partners The Institute of Cancer Research, London, and The Institute for Computational Cosmology at Durham University. Patients will be recruited from The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, a globally-leading specialist cancer hospital, going live as the primary clinical site last month.
Dr Navita Somaiah, Principal Investigator and Clinician Scientist at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, and Clinical Oncologist at The Royal Marsden, said: “We’re very pleased to take the next step in this innovative project, which is using AI to try to uncover new methods to predict which women with triple negative breast cancer may respond better or less well to current therapies. We hope this collaboration will ultimately help to guide treatment for some women with this form of breast cancer”.
Concr’s FarrSight®-Twin technology will utilise genomic data from diagnostic and surgical breast cancer samples together with whole-slide imaging and clinical data from trial participants to create a “digital twin” of every individual patient, which will be used to predict treatment response to chemotherapy (anthracycline, taxanes, platinum, anti-metabolites) and immunotherapy (pembrolizumab). Subsequently, FarrSight® will be used to explore biological mechanisms behind sensitivity to chemotherapy +/- immunotherapy. This approach could pave a way to better stratify and treat TNBC, which disproportionately affects black women, while simultaneously testing a novel approach that could be readily deployed in clinic.
“While much of the dialogue surrounding AI in healthcare focuses on its potential, we must not overlook the fact that AI tools can - and do - deliver tangible benefits to patients today. VISION is testing a novel individualised care approach designed by clinicians, leveraging latest technology alongside existing diagnostic tests, to facilitate rapid adoption.” commented Concr’s CEO Dr Irina Babina.
For more information on VISION: ClinicalTrials.gov
To request a demo of FarrSight®: concr.co/FarrSight
To learn more about Concr’s technology: concr.co/technology
For media inquiries, interviews, or further information about Concr, please contact:
Emre Misirlioglu
Concr
info@concr.co
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About Concr
Concr is a techbio company providing predictive modelling solutions to enhance confidence and foresight about therapeutic efficacy of existing and emerging cancer drugs. By accurately predicting response for individual patients and cohorts, we enable more efficacious and informative trials, thereby improving probability of success of novel cancer therapeutics.
Our technology, built on decades of astrophysics research, models diverse data interactions to simulate human disease biology, enabling accurate predictions with minimal data. This is especially valuable in early-stage trials and rare cancers.
Validated through collaborations with Roche, Step Pharma, The Institute of Cancer Research, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Durham University, and The University of Queensland, our solutions are trusted by researchers in industry, academia and healthcare.
Concr’s investors include the University of Cambridge Enterprise, R42 Group, Oncology Ventures, Debiopharm, Cambridge Angels, Parkwalk Advisors, Deep Science Ventures and SyndicateRoom. The company has also received a grant from Innovate UK to trial Concr’s technology for improving treatment decision-making in clinic. The company’s HQ is in London, England, with a wholly owned subsidiary in Brisbane, Australia. See our website and follow us on LinkedIn.
About The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust
The Royal Marsden opened its doors in 1851 as the world’s first hospital dedicated to cancer diagnosis, treatment, research and education. Today it operates as a specialist cancer hospital and National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre for Cancer, working closely with its principal academic partner, the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR).
Together, The Royal Marsden and the ICR are ranked in the top five cancer centres in the world for the impact of their research, treating over 59,000 NHS and private patients every year. It is a centre of excellence with an international reputation for groundbreaking research and pioneering the very latest in cancer treatments and technologies, as well as specialising in cancer diagnosis and education.
About The Institute of Cancer Research
The Institute of Cancer Research, London, is one of the world’s most influential cancer research organisations. Scientists and clinicians at The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) are working every day to make a real impact on cancer patients’ lives. Through its unique partnership with The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust and ‘bench-to-bedside’; approach, the ICR is able to create and deliver results in a way that other institutions cannot. Together the two organisations are rated in the top four centres for cancer research and treatment globally.
The ICR has an outstanding record of achievement dating back more than 100 years. It provided the first convincing evidence that DNA damage is the basic cause of cancer, laying the foundation for the now universally accepted idea that cancer is a genetic disease. Today it is a world leader at identifying cancer-related genes and discovering new targeted drugs for personalised cancer treatment.
The ICR is a charity and relies on support from partner organisations, funders, and the general public. A member institution of the University of London, it is one of the UK’s leading higher education institutions, placing first for biological sciences and second overall in the definitive REF 2021 rankings of UK university research quality, impact and environment, and provides postgraduate higher education of international distinction. The ICR’s mission is to make the discoveries that defeat cancer. For more information visit ICR.ac.uk.
About The Institute for Computational Cosmology
Durham University’s Institute for Computational Cosmology is a leading international centre for research into the origin and evolution of the Universe. Cosmologists use statistical techniques, advanced simulations and huge data sets to address some of the most fundamental questions in physics. Many of these topics concern the creation of the first objects after the Big Bang, the nature of the dark matter and dark energy, and the eventual fate of our Universe. However, the same statistical techniques can be applied to other fields, from pollution and space debris monitoring, pandemic control, and healthcare.
For more information about Durham University visit: www.durham.ac.uk/about/.