Vivan Therapeutics and Barts Cancer Institute announce a research collaboration to advance the identification of novel therapies for glioblastoma.

London, United Kingdom

Today, a collaboration has been announced between Vivan Therapeutics and Barts Cancer Institute at Queen Mary University of London for the identification of novel therapeutic options for precision oncology in glioblastoma.

Glioblastoma (GBM), the deadliest human brain tumour, is caused by alterations in specific cancer-associated genes. However, the lack of adequate models makes it challenging to study the functional effect of these genetic alterations in vivo. Through this partnership, we will create GBM models to study how the presence of specific cancer genes drive the formation and growth of this type of cancer how it becomes resistant to chemotherapy. The study hopes that the insights gained by using these GBM models will help to develop novel therapeutical alternatives.

To achieve this, Vivan Therapeutics together with Dr Paulo Ribeiro’s group at Barts Cancer Institute, and thanks to funding secured through the MRC Doctoral Training Partnership in Translational Biomedical Sciences run by Queen Mary University of London and the University of Southampton, will use the genetically tractable model Drosophila melanogaster to generate GBM models suitable for in vivo high-throughput drug screenings. Together, researchers aim to identify the molecular mechanisms that are crucial for tumour development and progression, as well as the most optimal therapies to tackle them.

Vivan Therapeutics has developed a technology platform that enables the testing of cancer therapies in vivo at a high-throughput level using fly avatars of patients.

The Ribeiro Lab at Barts Cancer Institute is studying genetic and molecular mechanisms involved in cancer initiation, development, progression and metastasis using new genetic techniques and the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster as a model organism.  Researchers working collaboratively on this project aim  to discover more efficacious treatments tailored to specific genetic mutations that cause the development of glioblastoma tumours.

Vivan’s Chief Scientific Officer Dr Nahuel Villegas comments: “We are very excited to start this collaboration with the Ribeiro’s lab and to put our in vivo high throughput screening platform to work for the development of novel and very much needed new therapeutic treatments for GBM.”

Laura Towart, CEO of Vivan Therapeutics added, “Given the huge unmet need for treatment options for glioblastoma we are thrilled to announce this ambitious therapeutics discovery program with Dr. Ribeiro and his team.” 

Dr Paulo Ribeiro of Queen Mary University of London stated that: “The collaboration with Vivan Therapeutics will allow us to perform high-throughput in vivo screening approaches to expedite the identification of novel therapeutic targets for glioblastoma, a cancer type that, unfortunately, is still associated with dismal outcomes. Vivan’s expertise in creating patient avatars is unparalleled and we look forward to working with them to address the unmet clinical needs of glioblastoma patients. This is especially important as there are approximately 2,200 new glioblastoma diagnoses every year in the UK and the 5-year survival is only around 5%.”

About Vivan Therapeutics

https://www.vivantx.com

Vivan Therapeutics provides personalised treatment recommendations for cancer. Their platform technology, the Personal Discovery Process, was developed at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mt Sinai Medical Center. It involves whole exome sequencing of a patient’s tumor biopsy and blood, identification of potential tumorigenic mutations, incorporation of up to 20 cancer genetic alterations into fruit flies to serve as patient avatars, and massive screening campaigns of all -approved drugs to identify specific drug combinations for individual patients. Vivan’s expansive data set of tumour profiles matched with the most effective therapeutic regimen has seeded TuMatch, an AI/ML assisted software for rapid, personalised treatment recommendations, now available for colon cancer. Vivan’s platform powers biopharma in drug development programs by tailoring investigational treatments to customized genetic signatures, allowing an unprecedented level of stratification for clinical trials. Vivan has developed avatar models which are available to biopharma for competitive profiling, repurposing and development. 

About Barts Cancer Institute

www.bartscancer.london

The Barts Cancer Institute is part of Queen Mary University of London’s Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry and one of the top five cancer research centres in the UK. Our overriding objective is to ensure that our research – which aims to identify better ways to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer – is relevant to and will impact on cancer patients.

About QMUL

www.qmul.ac.uk

At Queen Mary University of London, we believe that a diversity of ideas helps us achieve the previously unthinkable.

Throughout our history, we’ve fostered social justice and improved lives through academic excellence. And we continue to live and breathe this spirit today, not because it’s simply ‘the right thing to do’ but for what it helps us achieve and the intellectual brilliance it delivers.

Our reformer heritage informs our conviction that great ideas can and should come from anywhere. It’s an approach that has brought results across the globe, from the communities of east London to the favelas of Rio de Janeiro.

We continue to embrace diversity of thought and opinion in everything we do, in the belief that when views collide, disciplines interact, and perspectives intersect, truly original thought takes form.