Strategic Collaborations and Novel Therapies Advance Cancer and Brain Injury Treatment
Key Insights
AstraZeneca and Moffitt Cancer Center are collaborating to accelerate cell therapy development, focusing on CAR T and TCR T therapies for solid tumors (search).
SWOG Cancer Research Network developed a risk prediction model to identify cancer (search) patients at high risk for emergency room visits during clinical trials.
A national clinical trial is launched by UC San Francisco to repurpose existing drugs for treating traumatic brain injury (search) (TBI), addressing a critical unmet need.
Moffitt Cancer Center and AstraZeneca have announced a strategic collaboration to expedite the development of cell therapies, specifically chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR T) and T cell receptor (TCR T) therapies. This partnership aims to leverage Moffitt's clinical environment and foster collaboration between physician-scientists to accelerate the investigation of novel cell therapies. A key focus will be on advancing clinical studies in solid tumors (search) and optimizing clinical operations to expedite the delivery of autologous cell therapies.
Risk Prediction Model for Cancer Patients in Clinical Trials
Investigators from the SWOG Cancer Research Network have developed and validated a risk prediction model to identify advanced cancer (search) patients in clinical trials who are at high risk for unplanned emergency room (ER) visits and hospital stays. The study, led by Dawn L. Hershman, MD, MS, linked Medicare claims data to data from six SWOG advanced cancer clinical trials. The analysis revealed that 67.5% of the 1,397 patients analyzed had at least one ER visit or hospital stay within one year of trial enrollment. This model aims to improve patient management and resource allocation during clinical trials.
Novel Clinical Trial for Traumatic Brain Injury
UC San Francisco and the Transforming Research and Clinical Knowledge in Traumatic Brain Injury (search) Network have launched a drug development trial across 18 level 1 trauma centers nationwide. This trial will assess the efficacy of existing drugs, initially developed for other disorders such as blood pressure, infection, and high cholesterol, in treating traumatic brain injury (TBI). TBI results in approximately 70,000 deaths annually in the U.S. and long-term disabilities in 5 million Americans, highlighting the urgent need for effective treatments. The trial includes participants with conditions ranging from moderate to mild TBI (concussion).
Clinical Trial for Novel DHODH Inhibitor
A new therapeutic agent, HOSU-53, discovered and developed at The Ohio State University, will be used in a clinical trial at the OSUCCC – James. This trial marks the first human testing of a novel dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (search) (DHODH) inhibitor. Jabez Biosciences (search) is the industrial development partner for this single-center trial. HOSU-53, an oral drug, targets cancer (search) by inhibiting DHODH, an enzyme crucial for cellular metabolic processes, including the synthesis of DNA and RNA precursors. The trial is expected to commence in the winter of 2024.
UTHealth Houston and OpenAI Collaboration
UTHealth Houston and OpenAI (search) have announced a collaboration to integrate AI technology into healthcare and education while protecting privacy. UTHealth Houston will provide students, faculty, and staff access to OpenAI’s ChatGPT Education tool, leveraging the platform to build custom solutions compliant with HIPAA and FERPA.
Rice University and MD Anderson Launch Cancer Research Center
Rice University and The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have launched the Center for Operations Research in Cancer (search), a joint initiative to solve complex challenges in cancer care using data science to make better operational decisions. The center will harness mathematical modeling and data science to optimize treatment delivery, improve therapy outcomes, and streamline operations.
Komodo Health Introduces New AI Offerings
Komodo Health (search) introduced MapAI and MapExplorer within its MapLab platform. MapAI optimizes multi-user collaboration for healthcare and Life Sciences analyses using natural language processing-based generative AI. MapExplorer empowers users with rapid, high-level insights across patient populations, healthcare providers, and payers.
Splash Clinical and Cambridge Cognition Partner to Accelerate CNS Trials
Splash Clinical (search) and Cambridge Cognition (search) announced a partnership to accelerate recruitment for central nervous system (CNS (search)) clinical trials. The collaboration integrates CANTAB, Cambridge Cognition's assessment tool, into Splash's patient recruitment platform, facilitating the pre-screening process for clinical trial candidates.
Veeva Systems Releases Veeva Site Connect
Veeva Systems (search) released Veeva Site Connect, adding capabilities and a site-centric experience to simplify and standardize sponsor-site collaboration. Veeva Site Connect reduces the time and effort of site start-up, study conduct, and closeout.
Clinical ink Announces EDCXtra
Clinical ink (search) announced the launch of EDCXtra, an Electronic Data Capture (EDC) system based on the company’s direct data capture (DDC)/eSource platform. EDCXtra incorporates DDC functionality into a web-based application which includes electronic Clinical Outcome Assessments (eCOAs) and eConsent solutions.