Champions Oncology (NASDAQ: CSBR) today announced that it has initiated a sponsored prospective correlative trial of patient derived xenograft modeling (PDX or Champions TumorGraft® PDX models) in patients with metastatic or recurrent sarcoma. Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, Canada is the first clinical site to enroll patients in the newly-opened study.
Albiruni Abdul Razak, MD, Medical Oncologist at the Sarcoma Cancer Program at Mount Sinai Hospital stated, "We are very pleased to be among the clinical sites participating in this trial. Sarcomas are highly complex and rare cancers, and our entire team is dedicated to improving outcomes in patients affected by all forms of sarcoma."
"This trial is based on the growing dataset supporting the clinical predictive value of Champions TumorGraft PDX models, and represents the first company-sponsored trial to prospectively evaluate PDX accuracy and clinical utility in predicting patient response to drug therapy," said Angela Davies, MD, Chief Medical Officer at Champions Oncology. She continued, "We will leverage the same clinical operations capabilities that we utilize for our ongoing and future co-clinical PDX trials conducted in partnership with biopharma for this initiative. Overall, this trial aligns with our strategy to establish the clinical utility of Champions TumorGraft models not only for individual patients but also for oncology drug development."
The trial will enroll patients with metastatic sarcoma who have had no more than one prior systemic treatment for metastatic disease, and patients with recurrent sarcoma at relapse. In the study, Champions TumorGraft PDX models will be developed from each patient's fresh tumor tissue, available through biopsy or a surgical procedure. Treating physicians will then select drugs to be tested in the patient's personalized PDX models to evaluate drug sensitivity. The study will assess the degree of correlation between the patient's tumor response and the tumor response in the patient's corresponding PDX model as well as clinical utility.
Dr. Davies concluded, "Identifying and developing the best drug or drug combination for patients and optimizing oncology treatment selection in the clinic is always the ultimate goal. We plan to execute a broad program that supports the use of Champions TumorGraft models as a valuable translational and clinical tool. "
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