Comend, a Toronto-based software company, and Odylia Therapeutics, a nonprofit drug development organization, have announced a strategic partnership designed to revolutionize how patient advocacy groups (PAGs) approach rare disease drug development. The collaboration merges Odylia's expertise in rare disease therapeutics with Comend's technology platform to create new pathways for patient-driven treatment development.
Platform Integration and Launch Timeline
The partnership centers on integrating Odylia's previously announced "Odylia Collective" initiative with Comend's technology platform. The Odylia Collective, which was selected as a top 5 finalist for the 2024 Amgen Prize, was designed as a centralized marketplace to make critical resources findable and accessible for PAGs and rare disease research community members.
The companies merged their parallel efforts in late 2024, with the formal platform launch scheduled for April 2025. The initial focus will be connecting PAGs with business partners and vendor resources available in the marketplace to aid in new treatment development.
Addressing the Rare Disease Treatment Gap
The partnership tackles a significant unmet medical need in the rare disease space. According to the companies, there are over 10,000 rare diseases affecting one in ten people worldwide, yet treatments exist for fewer than 500 of these conditions. This gap represents a substantial challenge for patients and families seeking therapeutic options.
"This partnership reflects a mutual dedication to tackling the complexities of rare disease drug development by fostering innovation and expanding access to critical resources," said Ashley Winslow, CEO and CSO for Odylia Therapeutics. "We are thrilled to collaborate with Comend to expand the reach and impact of Odylia, bringing much needed resources and hope to the rare disease community."
Technology Platform Capabilities
Comend's marketplace technology is designed to help PAGs identify, evaluate, and partner with service providers including contract research organizations (CROs), academic groups, and drug discovery organizations. The platform aims to accelerate drug development timelines by as much as several years through more informed decision-making processes.
The broader platform includes project and asset management features, along with organization profiles that showcase progress and opportunities to donors, scientists, industry stakeholders, and other potential collaborators. The system seeks to translate research into impact by enabling patient groups to more effectively strategize, collaborate, and demonstrate program progress.
Company Backgrounds and Expertise
Odylia Therapeutics operates as a nonprofit biotech focused on bringing life-altering and life-saving treatments to rare disease patients. The organization has expertise in both preclinical and clinical drug development for rare diseases and currently has three gene therapies in development. Odylia's approach emphasizes focusing on science and patient needs rather than commercial potential.
The organization partners with patient communities, researchers, clinicians, industry, and financial donors to advance promising therapeutics to clinical trials. Through its Brydge Solutions initiative, Odylia collaborates with rare disease patient groups, early-stage gene therapy companies, and academic researchers to further drug development efforts.
Comend has previously developed Librarey, a crowdsourced platform for discovering and sharing resources for rare diseases and disabilities that launched in fall 2022 and has been used by thousands of families. The company is backed by Character VC, Drive Capital, and other investors.
Strategic Vision and Impact
"Comend and Odylia Therapeutics share a vision for the next generation of drug development," said Albert Wang, CEO of Comend. "We are thrilled to bring our complementary skill sets together to deliver sustainable impact to the thousands of rare diseases in search of treatment options."
The partnership represents an effort to democratize access to drug development resources and expertise, potentially enabling patient advocacy groups to take more direct roles in pursuing treatments for their specific conditions. By providing tools for PAGs to directly pursue drug development and drive investment in treatments they prioritize, the collaboration aims to overcome traditional barriers in the rare disease therapeutic landscape.
The platform is designed to centralize rare disease patient groups and their research assets to streamline discovery for drug developers, while advancing translational research through a network of partners and data sharing tools.
