Repositive launches consortia with AstraZeneca to improve oncology research

The consortia project was inspired by an idea submitted to the Pistoia Alliance, a global, not-for-profit alliance of life science companies, vendors, publishers, and academic groups dedicated to improving global life sciences research and development, via their IP3 platform, a platform developed to support collaborative projects. Repositive and AstraZeneca are inviting Pistoia Alliance members and other interested organisations to join the collaborative project as partners in developing the pre-competitive PDX resource.

Patient Derived Xenographs (PDXs) are derived by direct implantation of cancerous tissue from a patient into an immunodeficient mouse.  They harbour advantages over cancer cell line derived xenografts since the tumors have not been exposed to the selective pressures, stimuli, damage and genetic evolution resulting from the cell culturing process.  As a result PDX’s better maintain the heterogeneity and structure of the original patient tumor, and therefore experimental results and drug responses are more directly translatable to the clinic.

The consortia will use the Repositive platform, a purpose built platform to improve access to human genomic data, alongside AstraZeneca’s knowledge and expertise in oncology. The consortia is looking for additional industrial and academic partners to provide improved data and develop new tools for use in improving oncology research.

Jonathan Dry, Principal Scientist, AstraZeneca Oncology iMED, said: “This pre-competitive resource will increase the efficiency with which our scientists can search the world’s providers of PDX models to find the best for their research.”

Fiona Nielsen, CEO of Repositive: “We are happy to apply the Repositive skills in data sourcing and web application development to such immediate beneficial effects to the consortia partners. Users of the Repositive platform can quickly and easily access human genomic data from a wide range of sources, making it ideal for improving data discovery and access.”

PDX consortia partners will benefit from early access to the resource and tools as they are being developed, and the features and data availability on the resource will be prioritised according to the needs of the consortia members. Opportunities to extend the resource to immuno-competent tumor models can also be explored.

To join as a consortia partner, on these beneficial terms, prospective partners must express their interest with Repositive, before September 30th. To express interest, contact Fiona Nielsen at Repositive: [email protected]  

 

About Repositive

Repositive are experts in the provision of efficient access to genomic data. Through their platform, researchers and scientists are able to quickly and easily access data from a range of global sources, and securely share with colleagues both internal and external.  Through the platform, researchers gain access to the Repositive community to help identify relevant data, feedback and improve data descriptions. From their headquarters in Cambridge, the Repositive team offers expertise in efficient data access and data access policies. They also offer a range of services to corporate customers and larger scale enterprise solutions.   www.repositive.io

About AstraZeneca

AstraZeneca is a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company that focuses on the discovery, development and commercialisation of prescription medicines, primarily for the treatment of diseases in three main therapy areas – Respiratory and Autoimmunity, Cardiovascular and Metabolic disease, and Oncology. We are also active in inflammation, infection and neuroscience through collaborations. AstraZeneca operates in over 100 countries and its innovative medicines are used by millions of patients worldwide. For more information please visit: www.astrazeneca.com

About the Pistoia Alliance

The Pistoia Alliance is a global, not-for-profit alliance of life science companies, vendors, publishers, and academic groups that work together to lower barriers to innovation in R&D. Our projects transform R&D innovation through pre-competitive collaboration. We bring together the key constituents to identify the root causes that lead to R&D inefficiencies. We develop best practices and technology pilots to overcome common obstacles. Our members collaborate as equals on open projects that generate significant value for the worldwide life sciences community. For further information about the Pistoia Alliance please visit our website: http://www.pistoiaalliance.org/


PDX as a model system

The patient derived xenograft (PDX) is a powerful model system used extensively throughout cancer research, drug discovery and pre-clinical drug development.

Tumour cells, taken from a cancer patient, are transplanted into immunocompromised mice that do not reject human cells, either under the skin or into the organ type in which the tumour originated, where they produce the same tumour. Each PDX comes from a single patient and so represents a molecularly distinct tumour; however, because it develops in the mouse, it also has a tumour microenvironment. This makes them an immensely valuable research tool.

PDXs are available from multiple sources, both commercially and from research groups that have developed them for their own work, and access to them is offered via purchase or through collaboration.

In use, scientists must first identify and select a set of PDXs that are relevant model systems for their work. So, prior to performing any expensive in vivo experiments, PDXs are selected based on their clinical characteristics, and then characterised molecularly to identify any aberrations that would drive tumour growth or response to treatment for drug development purposes.

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For further information, please contact:
Tony Stephenson
Exitus Communications
Tel: +44 (0)7899 796655
Email: [email protected]
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